The fear of placement season -By Samprita Sen from Madras School of Economics
Ever since we come of age, which in the true sense happens only when we graduate and embark on our careers, landing our dream jobs consumes most of our waking moments, absorbing our body and spirit. Hence, the pressure students feel for over a week or so, when the corporates and startups line up on campus with coveted JDs and packages, is palpable and ethereal almost.
The unpredictable big day
Months of gearing up for the big day, honing individual skills, sharpening basics, researching company profiles and praying endlessly, all comes down to the few days of placements. When a student enters the process, the trepidation and nerves often hinder performance. They practice, put themselves through endless tests and sleepless nights. The atmosphere is that of a battlefield with restlessness and excitement thick in the air. Unequivocally, some thrive under the pressure but a lot of many succumb due to the fear of placement. Some dreams take wings while others shatter. The entire ambiance is laden with tension and fraught with nerves. Mettle, will, friendships are put to the test when we all face the proverbial grind.
There are some fallacies to the entire process of judging a student’s merit on not years of hard work but on an eventful day’s performance. The norm, however, persists far and wide. In such a scenario when one day, can make or break someone’s dream the losses and success are both very personal and larger than life. Thus, the days are probably the most daunting of an individual’s life. It makes the character, provides budding youth with their first sense of failure and prepares them for the real world in a way the safety of the classrooms never does.
Some emerge victoriously, others depressed, mopey and often at a loss as to what lies ahead. Though the success stories often warm our hearts it is actually the stories of heartbreaks, of shattered dreams, of the bleakness and inconsolable depression associated with the placement process that lingers in people’s memories.
Beautiful perspective of the flip side
However, a much less talked about side of placement season is a great deal of perspective it provides one and all. It gives hope even as it shatters dreams. the fear of placement season actually prepares us for bigger, better and definitely harder, crueler, more complicated functioning of the world. It creates a breathing, thriving spirit of campus, as those who make it to their dream companies hope and pray for others. The bonding created amidst tears and fears alike are potent and often stay long after people part ways and leave for their respective destinations. An overwhelming sense of fraternity prevails as everyone comes together to keep the spirits high, learn from their mistakes and teach others as they fumble towards success.
Though it seems like the end of the world to those putting their hearts and souls into the process, it never really is. Placement season is in fact just a big milestone in the race of life. Grueling and cumbersome as the process is, it deepens our insights about life, the blurred lines between success and failure. Students always emerge victoriously. Some with offers from their dream company to show as badges of their valor and glory others with battle-hardened spirits and wherewithal that helps them persevere through the multitude of ups and downs in life.
The takeaway
In a nutshell, it suffices to say, like every other wholesome experience in life, the placement process is undoubtedly hard and terrifying in equal measures. However, as the age-old adage goes, nothing worthwhile in life ever came easy. And, maybe if instead of burdening young minds with expectations, their energies and visions were better channelized, if only they were made not to dread but to soak in the learning experience, would the malice of placement change into a breeze for them. In other words, perspective and patience are the trump cards to succeed in life and equally useful during the notorious placement season.
This article was submitted as an entry to Become an Author 2.0 with Dare2Compete.