Rajesh Akkineni’s blog

To be creative one needs to be in right environment. If you got an idea and no one around is even interested to listen to it, then that is when you drop 99% of your ideas. There may be 1% exceptional individuals who may continue even after that.

Environment is what we make. So if you want to be creative, go build your environment or change it. Find people who may like to listen to your idea, some who may understand it. Also you need some one to be critic. I hear people saying they don’t have any ideas. We wont get any ideas if we are surrounded by people who does not expect those ideas from us. Even if we get, we will not continue on them.

I have a very bad memory, I don’t remember my ideas unless I share them with others. I have lost so many of them just because there is no one with me at that time ready to listen.

Go find the people you need, build the right environment.

Even though I consider my self as bad teacher, education is one of my favorite topic. From last 20 years, I have been very irritated with our current education system.

Here are the problems I see…

• They will teach, you will listen, but no one cares if you really understand.
• No one cares what you like, just follow the schedule.
• Everything about remembering. Nothing to do with understanding.
• Everything is only theory, no real life significance.
• Nothing on Morals, Religion and humanity
• Nothing about Crime and Punishment
• Nothing related to social issues like poverty, hunger etc.

Recently I happened to check some sample test for Civils(IAS). I found that 99% of all those question can be answered by remembering stuff. Which Google can do much better than any one of those selected candidates.

I agree that provided all other skills are same, the person with biggest memory can do things much better. But I see that 90% of testing is based on memory. So how will they judge if the the candidates are same in all other aspects?

I am myself an example. I don’t remember anything. I hardly know 5 authors names. But I have read many books. I don’t remember more than 5 mobile numbers. I don’t even remember my bike or car registration number. But I am good(surly above average) at analytics. Given any context you can bet on me for asking the right(in%) questions, taking right(in %) decisions. I know people whose 2 to 4 years of life is being wasted just for remembering stuff that they never use.

How to fix

1. Reduce dependency on memory and increase on analysis and problem solving.
2. Make sure students understand, not just listen, remember and write.
3. Make sure students like what they are learning. Create curiosity and improve self learning.
4. Create practical experience. Let them use what they have learnt. As much as possible.
5. Create subjects “Morality, Religion” etc. Make sure they are more important then Math and Science.
6. Lets students know the real world problems, and explain the reasons. They will find the solution.

I know these are very easy to tell and very difficult to do.  I will be preparing detailed plans on this and will let you know. If you have any suggestions on how we can implement these points, do share with me.

Watch 11th Hour “Roger Ebert” on PBS. See more from CPT12 Presents.

I have been advocating for moral education in schools from long time. After watching this video, I have been thinking about my food habits. I will think deep again and will be back with what I decide and why.

My regular readers would know it already, I am writing this for others. You can share it with people you know and looking for job.

Recently we have started hiring we looking for 8 freshers to start working with us. Even after going through 2000 resumes we are yet to find the suitable candidate. In that process we have mailed the applicants about what we expect and what they need to do. We got some good response for that mail, and some people have asked me for suggestions on how to get the job.  I am writing this for helping them. Share it with your friends and people in need.

My Experience:

I have hired more than 200 people and trained them from freshers to super programmers. There are people who joined Vimukti for 4k salary and left while at 40k(in 3 years). I might have taken 2000+ interviews to select them in last 12 years. So I am writing this with all the experience. We have worked in all technologies(almost) from Web Design, C, C++, Java, C#, PHP, Ruby etc. I have hired managers and programmers too.

The problem:

The major problem is education system. I am not a graduate, but I hired from Diploma in Metallurgy to MTech in Computer Science candidates. Our collages are not producing any useful skills.

1. Once we are in collage, we just read before exams and enjoy rest of the time. (tell me if you are exception)
2. We teach compiler design to a candidate who can not even make a website in HTML.
3. BTech people just passed last year from same collage will come to us to teach. Poor guy did not get a job in IT so he choose this. Now if we are learning from the person who did not get Job, what are we going to learn from him?
4. 95% us never use anything we read in collage in real work environment. Then what is the purpose of collage?
5. Even before Engineering we study Sanskrit or some stupid subjects which we know are for no use.
6. Even the subjects we do read and score 95%’s we don’t know how to use them in real life? (Do you guys know you need to apply trigonometry to tell the distance between two points on earth? )
7. Even those who wants to do stuff while studying will be looked like crazy people by other students, so they wont even dare.
8. We have no interest in self sustaining. We are happy to depends on parents all the time. We have no shame. Not even 5% in US attend collage with parents money. But here 95% do that.
9. Even after collage, we are happy to live on parents until they force us.
10. We do not have the concept of dignity of labor.
11. We buy computer by telling parents that we will learn programming etc. But we use it for downloading movies, playing games. 90% of us never sit for >=4hr writing a program or learning something on our own computer.
12. We all want programming job, we don’t even know what it is. We don’t even know what kinds of other jobs are there in IT.
13. And finally we all want jobs in MNC companies, with glass doors and ACs.  How many of our parents are living in AC?

The Solutions:

The solutions change from person to person. So I will try to address individually.

7th Pass: Join some institute and learn Java, C, C++ and HTML. If you can not afford, then do friendship with some one who has computer and going through the course. Learn from his books. And use his computer. You must also know how to us Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.

10th Pass: You must have made a website already. And written a couple of good programs, and you should know what is the difference between compiled languages and interpreted languages. Should have known Javascript. Decide if you wall in Top 5% or not. If not better don’t join any IIT or EMCET related collages for +2.

Doing 10 + 2 or Diploma: Stop caring about marks and start thinking about where you can use the knowledge you are reading. Solve real world problems, or at least understand the relation between what you did and where it is used. Spend your time in acquiring knowledge rather than just doing high jumps(IIT, EMCET, ECET). Keep on improving your IT skills.

Did +2, and thinking for next: You are exceptionally interested in how Java language is written? Or how computer is working, or even TV? You have already opened your TV and all other equipment components? Or exceptionally good in Math and Science? Try for IIT and EMCET.

If not, Look for a part time job. It can be anything as long as it pays enough for your expenses. Do not depend on parents for money. Spend time learning English, Graphics Design, Accounting, Communication etc by choosing the part time job that allows you to learn them. Understand what kinds of jobs are there in the market, and which one suites your interests.

Not every one needs to be BTech CSE, We need to know what we are interested in. The early we detect that, the better. It is normal to like something for some days and then something else after some time. Good, keep shifting jobs to suite your interests. Remember, your interests+ basic pay is your requirement.

If your interest is in getting deep understanding of stuff around you, then go and become Engineer. If not, better don’t even try. Do some thing that is interesting. You don’t need to be BTech CSE for being a programmer, UI designer, Test Engineer, Customer Support Engineer, Corporate Communication Officer, or Chief Accounting Officer etc. There are 1000′s of different jobs. Choose the job in the industry you like that has growth potential. See what skills they need, and do a course that gives you that skills.

Doing Degree(BTech, or other): If you are top candidate, then you don’t need to read this post, you will get job in big company anyway. So for others, here is what you need to do.

Continue your part time job while studying degree. If you can afford to buy a computer buy it. Get Internet, without that your computer is waste. Never buy a computer if you don’t want to put Internet.

Better go join some company where you want to work after the collage. When ever you don’t have collage be in that office. Even work for free if needed. That is all the investment you are putting in your skill development. People learn a lot while doing it in real time.

Practice using your won computer, or your friends for hours. Programming is Art, you can not learn that just by doing a course. You need to write bigger and bigger programs. I used to spend 14hrs writing programs while I am in diploma. Some times it went upto 18hrs. If you don’t know what to do, call me, I can tell you 100 things to do.

Did Degree, Looking for jobs: Do use full time with your computer and write as big programs/software as possible. Go work in other companies for free. Tell that you will even pay in reverse if they allow you to work there(for free). Till now even one even proposed that to me. Some people said they will work for free, but even before they got any skills, they start expecting salary.

Don’t join any courses. Get computer with Internet, or get a friend who has them If you have a excuse for why you don’t have computer, then it means you did not try at all. If you did everything and failed to get computer and internet, then call me. There are lot of videos and online tutorials. Go get a partner to learn with you, start working on improving your skills. Spend as much time as possible. Up to 18hrs is okey.

Don’t worry about what language to learn. All languages are same(90%). So choose anything to start with, it does not matter.

If you are interested in Arts, then go for UI Designing. There are lot of things you can aim for, not just programming.

Here are some of the different branches of IT, as I know.

• Engineers: Need to write algorithms, and compilers etc, you need to be too smart, and good to have CSE degree.
• Programmers: You don’t need to write big algorithms, but you need to know what they are, how to use them, write normal looks and control logic etc. You don’t need CSE degree for it. All you need is practice.
• UI Designers: You need sense of Colors, Art, sketching, drawing. Need to spend time in Web Design etc.
• Graphics Designers: Same as above but don’t need to think too much about users.
• Testers: You need attention to detail, ability to find problems with others work, be ruthless in telling what is wrong. Does not need any programming or CSE Degree.
• Customer Support: Need to understand some project/product, communicate well in English.
• and more ..there are many more like these.

MTech: Not sure why you did it. What is there to learn in 2 years which you could not learn in 4 years? Better do a job first. And then if you are interested in research, then quit the job and go do MTech or PhD

So feel free to give your feedback on this. Reasonable Criticism is okey.

Recently my wife pointed out that I have been applying kind of a double standards when it comes to looks of women.

In one side I ask my wife to dress in a more comforting outfits like T shirts and Pants, toss the idea of cutting hair like men, and to cut some of her beauty preparations.

In another side I do keep looking at women with long hair, clear skin, colorful dresses etc.

Also I have been thinking about Women Hair and Men Hair, and I think genetically both are identical (when there is hair) and they grow at same speed. So why do we make our women grow hair, and waste substantial time and energy in taking care of it?

Ya, I know the answer. Because of my other standard. Men think women with long hair are beautiful, and so women also think so, and total culture became like that.

Now why do men think women with long hair are beautiful? I do like some of modern short haircuts of women. (rare to find these days anyway).

Consider a hypothetical situation, if for some strange reason, women and men hair become identical today(means short like men), what will happen after some years? Do women and men find a way to differentiate their hair from each other? And in a society of ours at this age, do such differentiation needed?

When it comes to men’s likes for women’s beauty, I think that almost 90% of them are cultural and 10% are only genetic. So as we are changing our religions and other cultural aspects, is it the time to change some of old cultural habits and stop expecting women in those traditional and less efficient ways?

I am in favor of Bitcoin for various reasons related to freedom and economy(some gut feelings). But I have realized that there is one thing very wrong about Bitcoin.

All most all other currencies in the world we use are based on some guarantee of the value by some central bank. So for creating say $1000 all they need is a paper and little complex system to make it difficult for others to copy it. So real energy consumed in the process of making $1000 will be may be say $5 (that is max). Ofcourse when we talk about coins the cost may be much more. Some times it may reach the actual cost of metal in it. Let us consider that only 1% of coins are in circulation.  So that is not significant.

But what does it cost to create 1000 Bitcoins? Bitcoins are created using electricity. So they consume last amounts of electric power to produce Bitcoins. And this energy is consumed in the process. It is lost, no one can recover anything from it. So for society, net result of creating Bitcoins is always -ve. As the price of Bitcoins are increased now from $1 some years back to $90 now, more and more people will start converting real power into some numbers.

I have not done any statistics on this but rough estimates is more than 10% of the value is already consumed.

As a person who does not much like waste of natural resources, I do not like this. The people who created it should have found some other way to limit the availability of them.

I may be wrong in lot of assumptions I made above. I have not found anyone talking about this issue. What do you think?

Sending some one to jail for a crime they committed 20 years back is illogical when they are willing to accept their mistake and can afford to pay penalty.

We need to punish people for crimes, but all punishment should be in a way that society becomes better as a result. And if we are sure that society does not become better due to one way of punishment, then we have to find other way.

For example, one Hero is being sent to jail(or at least as it seems). I believe he could have ordered to pay 20cr just to avoid going to jail for 5 years. And I believe that that 20cr would have made the society much better place than he going to jail. If 20cr for him is less, then make it as big as possible but still with in his reach. And let him choose the option of going to jail or paying that money.

If the court can come up with an arbitrary number as 5 years, I am sure it can come up with a number like 20crores.

Post: Friend

Eligibility: Known reference

Application: Just send a mail or call me

Process & Details :
During the Friendturnship you are allowed to stay with me in my house for 24 to 48 hours(along with other members of my family). You will be like a family member during that period.

I believe, every one wants to make friends. But we want to make friends, who actually make us happy with their presence. For finding a good friend we need to see how they act in their normal life. And staying together even for one or two days will greatly improve the chance of understanding each other. We will have plenty of time to talk about each other and all the background information to judge a person. Once we know each other we will anyway decide how to take it further.

We may like each other or not. But we will know that we have tried.

You may be doing a job or got married or what ever situation. For that Friendturnship duration you can consider my home as your home.

For more details: Contact me

I am going to do some praising and blaming here, so don’t read if not interested.

People: Good that people responded soon to move the victims to hospitals. I hope people to keep reacting in such a fast way in all future incidents.

CM & Politicians: What is the need to visit the area after the blast? Did we elect you to do police investigation? or to run after culprits? Your visit will block traffic, interrupt investigation. And what if there is another bomb nearby? Are you out of your mind?

People: Why we are expecting the politicians to visit us? What are we going to get? If some politician does not visit, then we blame them saying they do not care. And they come to visit due to fear of your vote. Not because they want to.

JP: I heard that you also visited the place. Come on. Why you need to visit? What did you achieve?

People: I see FB posts saying there is one camera, or no one watching for these events. Do you think anyone can protect you from a random bomb blast in this much big country? Are you out of your mind? Do you want govt to install crores of Cameras in every street and hire lakhs of people to watch them? Then you will fight about privacy.

People: This is the price we have to pay for the inability to leave religion. It is not about one religion. Every one please convert to Atheism, soon people from those hard core religious fundamentalists will also convert. That is the only way I see to accelerate this process. Next time don’t do strike because some one did hurt your feelings.

People: ROI on expenses for protecting these random acts of violence is very poor. Don’t ask govt to increase that spending. Instead ask Govt to put that money in education and improving reason.

Me: May be I should control my anger and not post this one.  I see more ROI in posting it.

I haven’t seen single recommendation by other people which includes any -ve remark. That means every one expects recommendations to be all +ve things. And I don’t think it is reasonable to write only +ve things about a person. It every one is writing only +ve things, what is the need of a new +ve recommendation?

If they have to be of any value, we must be able to write openly about that person. But how many of us can take a open comment about ourself? Can we dare to keep them in our profile?

Also I have seen recommendations which are written by arbitrary people. A write about B, but they never worked together. They may have worked in same company, but never together.

There are exceptions to this rule. I do write recommendations when I feel to write. And for that there has to be a very special characteristic that stands out always. If I say “X” about A then, every one seeing A should be able to see that X easily.