The Day I Appeared for Interview at ISRO

The last day to apply

During the final semester of my engineering, one of my friends informed me about an Indian Space Research Organisation notification for the recruitment of Scientists and Engineers.

It was the last day of submission.

Those were the days when technology had not yet become completely integrated into everyday life.

We had to fill the form online and then submit a challan towards the examination fee at the post office.

It was already afternoon. I had only a couple of hours to fill the form and submit the challan.

I rushed to a cyber cafe, filled up the form online and immediately ran towards the post office.

I was literally running like an idiot.

I did not even have a vehicle at that time. It was not required anyway because I was living in the college hostel.

The examination

A few days later, I received my admit card.

The examination was for the position of Scientist.

Scientists have always had a special place in my heart because of their contribution to society.

What I probably did not understand at that time was what it actually took to become a scientist.

And here I was, appearing for a position connected with one of the most respected scientific organisations in India.

I knew very little about the examination.

I reached the examination centre and, as expected, the question paper was tough.

I was a good student during college. I also used to teach my fellow batchmates, seniors and juniors.

Many of the questions therefore sounded familiar.

I attempted almost all of them using my existing knowledge and by deriving the answers wherever possible.

I was relaxed.

I had no expectations from the result.

The call from ISRO

A few weeks later, something unexpected happened.

I received the call letter from ISRO for a face to face interview for the final round.

But I was not taking it very seriously.

I thought it would simply be an interview where my skills, attitude and aptitude would be discussed.

Most of my attention was still on my college examinations and the final days of engineering life with my friends.

The day of the interview

Finally, the day arrived.

The day before the interview, I reached Bangalore and stayed overnight at my friends place because the interview was scheduled for the morning.

The next morning, the alarm rang.

I woke up and sat on the bed.

Something did not feel right.

I touched my body.

I am still not sure whether it was nervousness, bad luck or simply an unfortunate day.

But I was severely ill.

Standing outside ISRO

Somehow, I managed to get up.

I had to report at ISRO Satellite Town at 11 AM.

I brushed up, dressed myself, booked an auto and reached the interview location.

The feeling was amazing.

Standing in front of ISRO gave me goosebumps.

My mind immediately started imagining a future that had not even happened yet.

After frisking and a security check, I was allowed to enter the site.

I sat in a row waiting for my turn to report.

Waiting

Hours passed.

Surprisingly, I was still not called.

My health was getting worse because of the fever. I was also hungry because my stomach was almost empty.

I had not been able to take a proper meal the previous night.

Eventually, I took permission from the authorities and walked into the canteen for breakfast, or perhaps brunch by then.

After returning, I continued waiting.

I was eventually called for verification of my marks.

The gentleman there offered me a chair, along with some snacks and tea.

After that, I was called again for document verification and asked to wait outside for a while.

Finally, I was sent into a room.

There they were.

I checked my watch.

It was 7 PM.

I was the only candidate left for the interview panel.

The panel

My legs were shivering and my mouth was dry.

But this time it was not because of nervousness.

My health was deteriorating because of the fever.

The interview panel was kind and offered me a seat.

I was struggling to control my breathing.

One of the panellists asked me to sit for a while and have some water.

I refused because I was worried that I might spill the water on the table.

After a while, the interview finally began.

The whiteboard test

One by one, they started asking questions.

They wanted me to derive concepts and explain the fundamentals behind my answers.

Fortunately, many of the questions were related to antenna and field theory.

Those were among my favourite subjects.

I had always been more inclined towards classical physics than modern computer science.

One question followed another.

I started explaining the theory while simultaneously writing the derivations on the whiteboard.

Most of my answers were correct, especially the questions related to antenna and field theory.

The questions I could not answer

Once I finished that set of questions, the chairman asked his question.

I still remember it.

I knew the answer, but I was not completely sure.

I decided to skip it and simply said sorry.

It seemed that the chairman was not pleased.

He asked another question about UART.

Again, I had to skip it.

That was the last question.

I was asked to leave.

Most of the panellists had appreciated and applauded my answers.

I thought I had made it

In my mind, the interview had gone well.

I eagerly started waiting for the final call letter from ISRO.

I already had a job offer from TCS, but I did not want to join.

ISRO had started becoming something more than just another job opportunity.

It represented the possibility of working in an area that was slowly becoming a passion for me.

Then, after a few months, the result was announced.

It was around snack time.

Normally, I would have been looking for something to eat.

That day, I skipped it.

I walked into my room, opened the result and started crying.

I had not been selected.

I had not made it to the final list.

Why did it hurt so much?

It was a disheartening moment.

Examination results had never affected me this much.

I was a carefree person. I had failed at several important stages before, including engineering entrance examinations such as AIEEE and IIT JEE.

I never secured the rank I wanted because studying had never been my highest priority.

And if you have not studied enough, you cannot really complain about the result.

But this time it was different.

I had become genuinely interested in space science.

I had slowly started developing an interest in astronomy and astrophysics.

For the first time, I felt that I had found an opportunity to contribute, even in a small way, towards something I cared about.

What went wrong?

I still wonder what went wrong.

Why could I not make it to the final list?

Despite getting good marks in the written examination and doing reasonably well during the interview, why was I not selected?

I still do not have the answer.

That is the simplest explanation I can give myself.

The decision that followed

Since I could not make it to the final list, I joined TCS.

I needed a job to pay off my education loan.

Looking back, joining the company turned out to be one of the decisions that affected my career the most.

Not because there was anything wrong with TCS.

The problem was my interest.

Despite working hard and doing reasonably well in IT services, I could never completely adopt the profession.

I remained dissatisfied with my career even after spending ten years in the industry.

I tried again

It is not that I never tried for ISRO again.

But the job had become hectic.

I did not have the time or energy to prepare properly for another examination.

Slowly, the concepts and fundamentals that I had once studied started disappearing from my mind.

And I could not make it again.

Everyone has a different appetite for life

If you are still reading this, there is something I would like to say.

Everyone has a different personality.

There are countless factors that affect our mind, body and decisions.

Some people run after money and care very little about the kind of work they do.

Others give priority to passion, even if that means compromising on some degree of financial security.

You need to understand your mind, your body and your priorities.

Before starting a career, try to identify what you really want from life and then work towards it.

The mentor I never had

If you are lucky, you may also find the right mentor.

I never had one.

I was technically sound, reasonably good in academics and capable at my work.

But I never met a godfather or mentor who could guide me towards the right path.

To young graduates

Before starting your career, validate all the options available to you.

Do not simply follow the path that everyone else is taking.

Think about what kind of work will give you satisfaction.

Working with a premier government institution such as ISRO, DRDO or BARC can be an honour.

These organisations may not always look glamorous from the outside, but they can offer meaningful work, financial security and a sense of purpose.

A position where your knowledge is valued can give you a sense of worth that money alone cannot provide.

But once again, no profession is inherently bad.

It is about your interest.

It is about your passion.