The Cat and I

Today is the day when a lot, 2.3 lakhs is what i believe is the ryt number, of guys and gals will try their luck on the toughest exam known to man....The CAT. What am i doing then...well sitting on my rear end typing this post...because i believe that it wouldn't be as big a waste of time than taking the CAT. Not to sound boastful...but i for once have exhibited a foresight that has never blessed before and did not even register for the exam..or join the coaching centres, which rob of u 14k for the course. My friends on the other hand weren't so smart..and ended up offloading the amount thinking that this could be their moment of truth, their sense of belonging to this world and all that crap which never come across my way.

I frankly believe that the CAT is shear waste of time. Why? Coz lets face it...if u haven't exhibited brilliance on a consistent basis in ur life then chances our that it will not come about during the test day. Sure u'll be lucky with a few D.Is and a few quant here and there..but to get the call from the IIM's....well dream on.But somehow this train of thought has escaped everyone except me. Is it coz I am wrong and that u don't need to be brilliant to crack the test? Or is to coz i am too damn honest with myself and am willing to accept where i stand in the pecking order of national academia? For the sake of my pride and ego i would like to disagree with the later (coz if u get the drift..it infers that i ain't too bright..which i don't wanna accept...atleast at this stage of my life). I believe it coz i am too damn lazy to prepare for the test. People around keep talking about my potential and that if i work and all i would get far. The jury is out on that...and if i were the jury i would look for alternative accommodation plans coz they will have to wait a long long time for it.

U hear these numbers that come out of every placement season from the IIM's and u would wonder when will this peak out. The kinda salaries these guys get our not sustainable for the long term. Is there a bubble? Is this what we call 'irrational exuberance'? I am no one to judge and would rather enjoy the party while it lasted. I just hope that those who do enter IIM our clear of what they want from life and that salaries our not the be-all-and-end-all. The reason being that there will come a time when these salaries will be a thing of the past..and prolly a lot of aspirants will have to introspect whether the real reason they want this is for the money and 'glamour' or for their genuine interest in management.

So what about me, u might ask? What am I going to do if not CAT? I guess the answer lies somewhere in some un-suspecting university abroad...coz frankly i cant take this stress anymore. Don't get me wrong...I don't for one moment think that an MBA in some foreign univ will be a cake walk...but from articles that i read they r certainly more humane than the courses u have here and after 4 yrs of engineering and the stresses that come along with it...that is the last thing i need..more course stress...

However...for all die-hard MBA -wannabes out there checking this blog out....don't take anythign that i have said seriously...and do take the CAT the next year. Please...oh please don't screw my chances!!!