A Random Day-Off from Work

Taking a day off from a busy schedule has a lot of positives. Our daily busy routines consumes more than just our time. It includes health, family time, social life, and other important aspects of life. While going through the same stuff daily causes us to overlook important details embedded. It’s like our minds get frozen in time and our brains stop telling us from right to wrong. This goes on for a while and then we become oblivious from the fact that we might have turned into robots. 

A daily work routine starts from getting up early in the morning at the same time, driving to work on the same route and vice versa. I think this routine gets so mechanical that we could precisely predict how long each one of these items would take us to accomplish our work. The driving back and forth to work also gets so mechanical in nature that we don’t miss a beat with the route that we take to work.

However, taking a random day off from work gets us out of this mechanical routine. The day starts with not waking up at the same time in the morning. This out-of-routine itself has a soothing affect on mind and body. The mind first tries to adjust to the daily routine mode and then relaxation takes over. Sleeping for an hour or two extra on these days off also relaxes the body. The sleep-deprived brain and body does not function to its capacity. Therefore, it is essential that once in a while, we do get a chance to sleep for extra few hours.

The day runs with breakfast late, relaxing our moods, doing our favorite chores and once in a while, lowering downs our guards. These out-of-routine activities help the mind get the bearings back to zero. That way, the mind gets to work in a natural way, the way it is supposed to, rather than a mechanical way. Playing and talking with the kids, spending quality time with the family, reading and finishing the books, and just taking it easy the good ol’ fashioned way, really helps in getting out of the rut.  

Getting to work the next day does not seem old after that day. The work itself looks new after the mind and body are rested well. Spending time in the office does not get on the nerves. And dealing with co-workers gets better too. 

It is important to maintain a balance between work and life. The work should not consume our life. That is why there are normal working hours. We are responsible for work between these hours only. Also, this work was going on before we were here and this will go on after we have left this place. Therefore, we should only worry about to an extent. The kids will not remain kids forever. Once they grow up, they will get busy in their lives and they won’t have time for us, like we don’t have time for them now. Our health will not remain the same if we didn’t take good care of it. So try to take advantage of all these luxuries while we have them. Think outside the box. That way we will function better and outputs will improve if we maintain a healthy balance between our work and life. And keep our priorities in order too.

Job Opportunities in Pakistan

Life in Pakistan is pretty laid back. I am sure the situation various from person to person and profession to profession. But overall, I think once the things get to normal, life is put on ‘cruise’. For a working individual in the Pakistan, things start early in the morning. This includes but not limited to before work rituals. Also getting to work and how to avoid the rush traffic is kept in mind.

Once at work, the usual skimming the newspaper, emails, checking any ‘Urgent’ write-ups etc. before any ‘real’ work is done. So basically, if someone ever wondered if working in Pakistan would be any different than working in any other country; I think things don’t change much. However, I do think the work environment changes from floor to floor. The work pressure also varies.

For the most part, people take pride in what they do here. Considering the job situation and general environment, all the employees feel privileged and honored to be working for the government. The best part is government job is ‘permanent’. At least, that’s what it is termed as. There are also ‘temps’ or ‘contractual’ employees. The ‘permanent’ employees are entitled for all the benefits of the department like promotion, medical, pension etc. The contractual employees are only offered relatively higher salaries without any benefits.

The private sector is also thriving in Pakistan. They offer much better salary packages and benefits. But as mentioned earlier, the work pressure is exponential. The competition is cut-throat and it is result oriented. If the defined goals are not met in the given time, this could mean disaster for an individual. Also, in case the company does not meet its financial goals, this could also result in few lay-offs. On the contrary in the government or the public sector, no matter how the department performs, meets its financial goals or not, meets its objectives or not, the employees are not laid off. The department gets government’s help in one way or another.  We have a few very good examples of performing and non-performing departments in our country.

These government departments do have annual performance evaluation. One has to meet the requirements of these evaluations for promotions.

My responsibilities are quite similar to what I was doing in the U.S. I think there are many learning opportunities here. There is enormous amount of work which needs to be completed. Also, there is a quite a bit of government and private sector interactions with our department on regular basis. This also shows the importance of work that we perform here. That is why we all take great pride in what we do for the people of Pakistan. I think there are many learning opportunities here. There is enormous amount of work which needs to be finished. We get to see all kinds of varieties of work in my field. Also, we have a quite a bit of interaction with people from both government and private sectors. This also shows the importance of work that we perform in this department for the people of Pakistan. That is why we all take great pride in what we do.

I think there are many learning opportunities here. There is enormous amount of work which needs to be finished. We get to see all kinds of varieties of work in my field. Also, we have a quite a bit of interaction with people from both government and private sectors. This also shows the importance of work that we perform in this department for the people of Pakistan. That is why we all take great pride in what we do.

The Learning Curve

When I was graduating in spring 2003 (May 2003), I was hoping to get an offer from my company. I got in touch with my department and other related people to seek their opinions in that regard. The internet boom was over at this time. There weren’t many jobs available and many energy related companies like Enron and other telecommunication companies had gone bankrupt. So the previous corporate enthusiasm had evaporated. Young people like me were caught in the middle and had to make suffer. I was only able to get pat on the back from my company but no offer. 

I think I was fortunate to not get any job offer or employment at this time. During my last semester, I went ahead started looking for a graduate school for my post graduate studies. I took GRE and gathered all the materials required and sent in my applications to all the perspective universities.  Finally, I decided on the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for my M.S. Electrical Engineering.

This is a great school for anybody who is interested in living and studying in one of most progressive cities and state on the east coast. Charlotte has a lot to offer for its residents. And North Carolina is a beautiful state to be in. I enjoyed every minute of my stay in this city. I was able to make great friends and developed life-long associations. Duke Energy’s headquarter is located in Charlotte too. When I was getting ready to graduate from my M.S. and looking for a job, I was able to land an interview with Duke Energy too. I thought I almost landed myself a job in this company. However, for some reasons, which I still have to discover, I couldn’t. Then again, I was contacted by my previous company who was interested in hiring me at this time. And finally, I entered into the corporate world. 

So the crux of the matter is that don’t get frustrated and beat yourself up for any failure in life. Things happen for reasons. I am glad I couldn’t get myself a job right after my graduation. If that would have happened, I may not have had a chance to get my M.S. Now, I feel more accomplished with having a job and M.S. Otherwise, I would have always said to myself that, ‘Man, I could have gone for my masters.”  

Since then, fortunately, I have been very successful in finding the jobs. Whenever I had to go for a job hunting, I have been able to receive great opportunities and offers. At times I have had so many offers that I had to decline some very lucrative opportunities. 

I know people find jobs for various reasons. But this is one thing around which our lives are revolving. We spend a lot of time on work. So an individual should always work in a job that involves passion and knowledge. When these two items are combined, the work becomes lifelong passion. That way, a person enjoys the work with all the energy for a lifetime.  

On the Job Training

I started my ‘Co-op’ in January 2001 working for a Fortune500 Power company based in Richmond, Virginia. I was working in transmission line engineering department. Evidently, my hiring manager was my department manager. ‘Co-op’ is a short of Cooperative Education. It is a little different from internship in terms of duration of work. Internship lasts only a semester or the summer vacation. Cooperative education lasts at least three semesters. Some Cooperative Education students ‘co-ops’ even stretch it to five semesters. Sometimes, it depends on how eager one is finishing the degree or working for a company a few extra semesters. 

Frankly, I was pretty nervous in the beginning. Having no previous work background at all, the corporate world was a whole new ball game for me. On the first day, I was introduced to the engineers and staff working in my department and other closely associated departments. I was provided a cubicle, a desktop, a phone and other necessary items needed for the job. Next, I was introduced to my mentor whom I was supposed to be working with. He is a very kind and hard-working gentleman. I think I could not have a better mentor. At that time, the department was going through digitizing their documentation and my mentor was working to get that work done in the quickest and most efficient way. I started working with him and at times, during his absence, I was responsible to work on it independently.

There were other co-ops from various institutions in the U.S. like Penn State, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and many more. The company made sure to provide us the time for interaction with each other to learn and share our experience. There were also many instances when there were exciting events planned. We also had interactions with the executives of the company. The power industry lagged in hiring and most of the employees working for the power industry were getting ready to retire. So the company wanted to keep us engaged in work and other work-related activities so we could build a strong association with the company and decide to come back after our graduations. 

I worked through my Spring semester and Summer vacations of that year. I learned a lot during my time about transmission engineering. This experience also proved to be critical in determining my future endeavors. When I went back to college after my first co-op term, I changed my major to Electrical Engineering from Computer Engineering. I also focused on studying power engineering in Electrical Engineering. The internet boom was at its peak in 2001. So I was considered a traditional, scared of new technology and lacking the motivation to learn new things in Electrical Engineering by my class fellows. However, the time has proved them wrong. The power industry jobs are the most stable and lasting. On the other hand, the computer related jobs are short-lived. And the trend for computers fluctuates. Since all the electronics need electricity to recharge and operate, therefore, the demand for power and power-related jobs is continuously growing. 

I would also encourage my blog readers to motivate the upcoming undergraduates to look for the opportunities during their undergrad education. This will help them to broaden their horizon. This will also help to decide better for their future path whether they are interested in pursuing their particular field for the rest of their lives.

After the Internship Interview

 I arrived about 15 minutes early for my interview. The hiring manager was in the room with another candidate. I stepped in the room at my turn. There is always some nervousness but I kept my expectations low and I tried to be myself. I thought that even if I didn’t get this opportunity, it will be worth an interview practice. The hiring manager was very cordial. He tried to make the conversation pretty casual. He mentioned a few things about himself, his family and his time with that company.  Then the formal interview started.

There is no distinction when the conversation is cordial and when it gets formal. So, be mindful of the fact that all in all, the hiring manager is judging you during that interaction with you. So even when you are cordial, don’t lose the focus but don’t go overboard too. He asked me a few questions about why I was interested in electrical engineering when I could have chosen other major or what area of specialization in electrical engineering I wanted to be in. He also inquired me about what my goals were for the future and where I wanted to see myself in next 10 to 15 years. Not surprisingly he asked me about my intentions for looking for an internship. 

Later on, I was given the opportunity to ask him any questions that I might have. I asked him a few questions like if he was happy with what he was doing after so many years and any expectations the company is looking forward from an intern. Over all, I thought these interviews were merely a getting to know session with an individual who could be a potential employee in half an hour or so time frame. Later on, he mentioned to expect to hear from him in a month’s time. One important tip to remember after the interview; do send a ‘Thank You’ email to the hiring manager for his time. This ‘Thank You’ email will go a long way for him to remember your name. I have found out from experience that this particular email makes a profound difference between you and the candidates who don’t take the time for a ‘Thank You’ note. 

After the interview, the month had passed and Thanksgiving holidays were approaching but I hadn’t heard anything. I thought maybe someone else was already selected. Nonetheless, I went ahead and called him. Again, the hiring manager was very cordial and told me that he wanted to call me earlier but due to work load didn’t get time to do so. And he asked me if I was interested in working at his company. He told me the terms and conditions and made me an offer and also mentioned that I will receive that offer in writing in next few days from him. This was surreal for me.

Preparing for an Internship Interview

Ever since I had started my second year during my undergraduate studies, the importance of an internship was grilled in our minds. We were given seminars and workshops on how the internship experience would give us real-world exposure to work place and put theory into action. How the work ethic developed during the internship would improve our personalities and more importantly how this whole experience will translate into better opportunities in the future. 

So, many of my class fellows and I actively started exploring the opportunities to work in a well-reputed firm to gain a valuable experience. As I was studying for electrical engineering degree, I was looking to work in the power industry. I think it was October of that year when I was informed that a hiring manager from a big power company would be on campus and our career services office had put my name on the list of candidates to be interviewed that day.

I think the interviews were supposed to go on for two days. I was thrilled as well as pretty nervous as it was my first one-to-one interview. I was told to get on the net and try to learn about this company and practice the interview with a friend or two and how to reply to a difficult question.

Ever heard of saying, “dress to impress”? This adage is true for a job interview. Before somebody is asked any question and even before a handshake, one can be judged with how he represents himself with dressing. Therefore, dress appropriately according to the occasion and weather.

I think one of the difficult questions to answer is when somebody asks you, “Do you have any weaknesses?” We all know that nobody is perfect. This clearly means there must be some weaknesses present in an individual. If someone says “No, I don’t have any weakness”, that is a complete lie and the hiring manager would interpret this answer that the candidate is a liar. Therefore, the candidate must be prepared to answer this question and try to put a positive spin when answering this question. Like, one can say I can’t relax until I get all the questions answered in my project. This shows the person is hard working and does not quit until all the work is done in a proper manner.

One should try to come up with a logical answer with a positive spin to it. I think another difficult question to answer is why do you want to work in this company, is it for money? I think people want to work because they want comfortable living with good finances. So the obvious answer is, yes, I want to work because I need money. But that is not the correct answer. The way to handle this question is to combine your area of interest and industry together to show your interest in working for a particular firm. I remember when the hiring manager put that question to me; I replied, “No, I want to work because I want to see how the theory in our classrooms works in the real world”. I am an electrical engineer and I am interested in seeing how the electricity business works in practical. Money is the by-product of job. But the first step is to get a job.

During an interview, a good hiring manager might give you an opportunity to ask questions from him/her as well. So be prepared to ask questions from the hiring manager. I think many candidates would love to know how much money they will be paid for this job. But this question is a ‘No No’ if you want to get yourself hired. Get yourself educated about the industry in general and company in particular for the job interview. Ask about the duties you would be performing at the company, who you might be working with, maybe work place, hours and stuff like that. This would show your interest and the inquiring mind. 

 Normally, an interview lasts half an hour or so. Before leaving the room, make sure to get a business card and also inquire about when to expect to hear from the company.