Blog

On the ethics of having children

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

On the ethics of having children

While most aspects of childbirth such as pregnancy, abortion, and child rights and custody involve passionate debates, the very act of producing offspring has escaped such scrutiny. In this piece I seek to explore if it is ethical to consciously have children at all.

When you ask someone why they had children, most reasons go something along these lines -

I wanted to experience the joy of having children
I want to live a fulfilling life / I hoped it would help me find meaning in life
I need to have someone to rely on for my future
Birth and death is the natural course of life / it is instinctual
I wish to continue my lineage / continuing the homo sapiens as a species
A dozen other reasons including saving your marriage, as a lottery ticket out of poverty, as a model for the life you could never have, and to gain satisfaction from seeing your kids achieve things you never could in your life

Most of these reasons can be described as “self-centred” reasons. You want to change something to be in a certain way. This could be either for survival or the potential to increase your standard of living or happiness. 5000 years ago, having kids could increase your chances of survival. Given an option between dying at 40 unable to work and having a few kids who can hunt/farm while you retire; most people will choose the latter. However for an increasing number of humans today, this is not the case. Our survival is not dependent on us having kids, though they might aid in our aspirational goals. Or you see yourself playing a role in the survival of our species. You want humankind to flourish - and your children will be a means to achieve that vision.

If you choose not to reproduce, you would be breaking a 3.5 billion year long chain starting from our single celled ancestors where everyone reproduced but you. Surely your hundreds of millions of ancestors couldn’t all be wrong? If you believe humans are no different from animals this is convincing. In the recent past though, we have strayed significantly from our animal brethren. Kill or be killed - which is the rule of nature - is not how we live our life. We recognise basic inalienable rights every human possesses. We have a framework for what is moral and ethical. Humans have the ability to shape their life and world according to what they believe is right. This sets us apart from animals. We use higher order thinking to override our basic instincts. Our developed brain ensures we are not a slave to our primal desires. We respect the rights of individuals. Even in times of war there are some protections we confer to enemies of the state on humanitarian grounds. Our current understanding of ethics should hence be applied to having kids - instead of blindly going with what is “natural”.

Life is often described as a gift and parents are compared to gods for having bestowed it upon us. But not all gifts are created equal - some require investment on the part of the receiver and can feel cumbersome once the initial excitement has worn off. Just like gifting someone a live animal would entail handing over massive responsibility, the gift of life shouldn’t be given carelessly. In cases where the recipient is not equipped or enthusiastic about the gift it would be impertinent to present it to them anyway. The key here is the “consent” of the recipient. Taking this analogy to that of childbirth, we can see that the recipient here is not born and it is thus impossible for them to give consent to being born. If you want to borrow your neighbour’s lawnmower and they aren’t home (i.e. they are not available to consent) it would be ill thought out to take it anyway. If the person from whom consent is sought is not in correct state of mind (say, drunk) or under a certain age, the law dictates that the action that requires consent cannot be carried forth. This applies to sexual consent, consent for medical procedures, laws related to property ownership transfer, to name a few. In cases where there is a probabilistic factor involved (either your child is grateful to you for having given them life or curses you for having signed them up for something they couldn’t care less about) we tend to err on the side of caution.

In simple words, it is not about what you want as a parent. A person should have entire control over their life. No third person should decide when they are to be born or to die. Yes, you may end up with a child who doesn’t care, and who appreciates life. Or one day that child might read this article and walk up to you to ask some hard questions. You better have some good reasons because I doubt they would find satisfactory the fact that they are meant to be a vessel to fulfill your personal desires. And to be fair the world is pretty shitty place. Some have fun, some find pain. Some are able to trick their brain into believing all of it has some “meaning”. Even if such a meaning exists, relatively few are able to find it while the rest take the strategy of trying not to think about it.

While morality and ethics can be deemed somewhat subjective (killing chickens is ethical for some, unethical for others), there are some things we universally recognise as unethical. You are not allowed to kill another person no matter how much meaningful that would make your life. Their right to life takes precedence over how much happiness taking their life would provide you. The moment you sign your child’s birth certificate, you condemn them to a life they may not have asked for and the reaper signs the death certificate with an as yet unknown date. While it is a famous meme among millennials about not wanting to live, it serves as a coping mechanism for the large number of issues people are facing. If you choose to have a child, be prepared for a scenario where they say they don’t want to live because they didn’t ask for it. It is not possible to reverse the action of birth. Suicide is against the human survival instinct (and the law) and is likely to inflict a great degree of emotional stress on the person involved. And unlike the summer camp your parents signed you up for without asking, it doesn’t end in two months.

So are there any reasons to have kids? If I want to carry a gun I need to have a strong reason for it. This is because other humans could potentially be harmed as a result of my decision. We decide to exempt some humans from this rule to carry weapons. In interest of preserving law and order it is necessary to give guns to police - there is a strong reason. In a similar way, by choosing to have children the burden of proof should be on the parents who decide to have them as to what strong reasons they have for it. A person who chooses not to have children shouldn’t have to explain why. You could also proceed if you dont care about ethics and want to have kids for self-centred reasons. Alternately, and I think this is a large majority - you simply follow the herd and don’t think about hard things.

To be fair, going against the status quo is hard. Not everyone can pull off a pink shirt in the office. You choose to pay the bribe since you want your work done even though you’re against it ethically. Societal change takes time and humans take the default road 99% of the time. Most of us live cookie cutter lives (school->college->job) so it isn’t surprising that most follow the herd in this matter. We wouldn’t be able to deal with the far reaching consequences of going renegade on this matter. Also, logic dictates that such ideas are self-regulating. If these ideas become mainstream and a large portion of the population stop having kids, they would eventually die out. The only ones still reproducing would be the ones who want to have kids and they will end up dictating the status quo.

This makes me wonder if The Great Filter could be an ethical one. Our current ethical framework is riddled with paradoxes which are impossible to reconcile. To counter this, I envision a future where we genetically engineer our species for less existential dread and more subservient individuals who dont question the status quo.

To conclude, the matter of creating children is not as cut and dry as it appears to be. A lot more thought needs to go into the act of creation by each aspiring creator. Be sure about what goals are, and what you intend to derive from the action. You will be answerable to your creation, so be prepared to face the consequences in case your creation doesn’t share your thought process.

STUPID-19

Sun, 05 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Your STUPID-19 test results

Hey man,

It’s your doctor. I’ve got bad news. You’ve tested STUPID-19 positive. Which one you ask? The big one of course. Please find below your diagnostic test report -

Test	Observation	Comments
Mental input	Presence of imaginary conversations in unlikely scenarios observed	Remedy at the earliest by reading a book, learning a new language or starting an online course
Mental output	Patient exhibits problematic activities like partaking in political debates on meme page comment sections	Strong intervention of da homies with philosophical discussions and intellectual masturbation sessions required
Physical input	Stuffs face hole with maggi, sugary drinks masquerading as “fruit juice”, and foods that have gone through 17 stages of processing	Skip the delivery foods like you do the workouts and go for home cooked whole foods
Physical output	Maximum daily movement seen was walking to the door to collect food delivery	Get that ass moving with dance, running or some home YouTube workouts #FlattenYourCurves
Creative input	Severe deficiency of the following was observed	Watch those old classics in your list, read an autobiography, listen to music other than Nicki Minaj
Creative output	Alarmingly high concentration of TikTok videos and Instagram stories	Advised to paint, play a musical instrument, cook (also helps in survival), dance, write a blog or take a pottery class

Final diagnosis - Tested positive for STUPID-19

Please undertake corrective action immediately to prevent permanent damage.

Yours truly,

Dr. T

The above is a work of fiction. All ideas are pure conjecture and all propositions can be assumed to be thought experiments.

Hospital Hauntinental

Sat, 12 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000

“10:55PM” I read on the locked screen of my phone as I lay on my bed. Being confined for days in a hospital room can be utterly boring. And bored I was. Despite having stayed there for 4 full days I had explored nothing beyond the immediate vicinity of my room.

Hauntinental Hospital was an imposing building. A dour, soulless look. Ironical for something so closely involved in the exchange of souls. New ones coming to life in a burst of energy. Old ones breathing their last in quiet desperation.

I was stationed in room 407 on the 4th floor. The last few days had been a blur. Long periods of nothing between the occasional visit by a friend or a relative. A sad way to spend Navratris while all my friends were out playing dandiya. At least they get me gifts I thought as I grabbed a box of chocolates from my bedside table. It had “Get well soon chicken :)” written on it, with no name on it. I had no recollection of who among the numerous visitors got it. Nonetheless, I decided to munch on one of the bars as I strolled out of my room.

Right in front of my room was the nurse desks. They were usually occupied in the day but at this hour there were few people on the floor. I moved ahead toward the ward entrance door. I was greeted by the helper who stood guard outside the entrance. “Where are you off to, so late in the night?” she enquired. “Nothing, just looking around” I mused. “Okay, dont stray too far from here” she replied. I nodded as I proceeded to walk ahead.

To my right was the lift lobby and straight ahead was the visitors area. Nothing of interest here. I glanced to my left where there was an open window. The cool evening breeze was soothing. In the distance I could see the other hospital wing. It was supposed to house the operation theatres and other restricted areas. As I was scanning the landscape my vision fell on one particular window on the 4th floor. There seemed to be a silhoutte of a woman standing near the window. She appeared to be middle aged with hair tied in a bun and looking straight at me but from this distance it was impossible to tell for sure.

I walked slightly further and noticed a door to my left. “HOSPITAL STAFF ONLY” it said in bold letters. I was tempted to peek in but I looked behind and saw the helper still keeping a watchful eye on me. I knew she would never let me go inside. Thankfully a few seconds later there was a phone call at the nurse’s desk. No one else being around, the helper went in to answer. This was my chance. I sneaked into the room stealthily closing the door behind me.

Unexpectedly, this was not a room at all. It was a corridor. A long, dimly lit one with nothing on the walls and doors on both sides. It was probably used to transfer patients quickly from one wing to the other. As I walked forward I could hear nothing except the echoes of my own footsteps. But as I neared the middle of the corridor, I saw the door from where I entered fling open. In came a posse of nurses and a doctor hurrying forward a woman lying on a stretcher. I stood to the side to let them pass but my eyes wandered to look at the patient. She seemed to be in her mid 40s. Her mouth was open and her eyes stared into the distance as if the soul had left her body. None of the hospital staff seemed to pay any attention to me - obviously having more important matters to tend to than scold a traunt 24yr old girl.

I stood still until the group had exited the door to other wing, then slowly followed behind on the same path. As I entered the new wing, I noticed the eery silence that was palpable. It was interspered with the distant chatter of person likely talking on the phone. There were numerous rooms on my left and a single door to my right. I tried to open it but it was bolted shut. Resigning, I started moving to the left while noticing rooms with boards like “Chemotherapy” and “Radiology” on them. Something about the place was so unnerving - the dead silence, the metallic odour. Imagining the number of blood curdling screams, near-death experiences that had taken place inside these rooms made the hair stand on the back of my neck.

Trying not to ponder on the dismal surroundings, I quickened my pace until I reached a turn. My breath tightened. Right beyond this turn would be the window where I had spotted the woman from the opposite wing. I took the turn and there she was, still staring out the window. “Taking in the evening breeze?” I asked her, trying to create conversation. Initially she seemed to totally ignore my question. After what seemed like 15 seconds “Why did the chicken cross the road?” she uttered ominously. What an odd way to begin a conversation I thought. “Uhh… I don’t know?” I voiced meekly. I could still not see her face. “To get to the other side” she said while turning around slowly. To my horror it was the exact same face I had seen on the woman that was being hurried on the stretcher. Only this woman was neatly dressed and had her hair tied back neatly, unlike the mess that was the woman on the strecher. I took a few steps away slowly while looking at her, then slowly turned around and started to run at full speed. “STOP!” shouted the woman from afar. But I would not. I closed my eyes and kept running. This was not the smartest move as I tripped and fell. But instead of crashing hard on the ground I seemed to fall into an expanse of darkness that slowly surrounded everything around me. It felt like falling into a large body of water until I realised I couldn’t breathe. I started fighting with all my fight. I wanted to breathe.

With one big gasp of air I awoke, still in my hospital bed. There were several doctors around me. One of them shouted “She’s back!”. After taking some time to reconcile what had happened I asked them “Am I gonna be okay?”. “You ate the chocolate and flatlined. You didn’t breathe for the last 5 minutes but are normal now” he answered. Heaving a sigh of relief, I thanked god chickens aren’t slaughtered on Navratri.

New form of Google banking scam

Fri, 19 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000

A few days ago, a cousin of mine called me. He had just had INR 9000 (~$125) wiped from his account to a telephone banking scam. So how did this educated and tech savvy guy in his 20s, well aware of such scams end up in this situation?

He had fallen prey to an innovative type of scam that is plaguing multiple businesses listed on Google. Often when you search for a business on Google, you will see a card for it. It contains details like address, timings, and a phone number with the option to call them directly from the browser/app itself. This is similar to what my cousin saw when he searched for his local bank branch on Google.

Business card of the bank visible on Google

Pay close attention to the phone number listed on the screen. (Do not call it! It belongs to a scammer.) Upon calling that number for help regarding a failed online transaction, my cousin was greeted by a person pretending to be a bank employee. After a short conversation where my cousin explained his issue, he was asked for his card number and CVV. Trusting the scammer, he ended up giving the details and subsequently lost the entire sum in his account.

Now I do understand that most would blame the person giving out his card details for being foolish enough to do so. I concur. However, in this the victim is not as much to blame for trusting the scammer as he is for trusting Google to provide him accurate information.

As we grow ever more reliant on technology, there is a subtext of trust that underlies every interaction we make via any app or website. When you see any information listed on a website, your first reaction isn’t to immediately question whether or not that information is accurate. It is to blindly trust the technology that has helped you unfailingly countless times in the past. That is precisely why this scam is so potent.

On further investigation we realised that the same scammer had his phone number registered for multiple bank branches in the same region. This is partly because of how easy it is to claim a business on Google. I did not want to do anything illegal or harmful for the sake of an article so I did not try it out myself. But as explained in this video, it is fairly easy and there seems to be little to no verification. I am sure Google has resolved such conflicts in the past where an original business owner had his/her business falsely claimed by someone else. However their method seems to be to appeal to the current owner to add you as an admin / transfer ownership. In case that doesn’t work, you appeal directly to Google to transfer ownership to you. It does seem to be a mess but I hope it works in most cases. Again, there is a lot of trust even from Google’s side that people won’t claim businesses they don’t own. There does not seem to be channel to report fraudsters such as these - you can only request ownership transfer if you own the business.

What can be said of an Indian public sector bank though? Technically they cannot be held liable for any incorrect information that does not appear on their own website. I doubt they’d care enough to go through Google’s appeal process. My fears were further confirmed when I decided to look up my local SBI branch on Google. Business card of my local bank on Google

There are multiple reviews claiming the listed number is fake. As of now, both fake numbers are still listed. A lot of information you see on Google is user contributed and often not vetted by any human. So do think twice next time you trust any information listed on Google. And if it’s a bank phone number, definitely don’t.

Know of any other such deceptive scam methods? Tell me about it.

EDIT (26/11/2018) : Since the time of publishing of this post, reports of this scam have been published by multiple news outlets-

When a word starts to mean the opposite

Mon, 02 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000

It sometimes happens that a word begins to mean (roughly) the opposite of what it was initially defined to be.

This is the definition of manufacture in 2018 -
manufacture | /man·u·fac·ture/ | verb
To make (something) on a large scale using machinery.

However, the word dervies from the latin words manus (meaning hand) and factus (meaning to make). The definition of the same word in 1618 was probably -
manufacture | /man·u·fac·ture/ | verb
To make (something) using hands.

As of 2018, the word self-driving car means the following -
self-driving car | /self-drɑɪ·vɪŋ-kɑːr/ | noun
A robotic vehicle that is designed to travel between destinations without a human operator.

Perhaps in 2118 it will mean the following -
self-driving car | /self-drɑɪ·vɪŋ-kɑːr/ | noun
A vehicle that is designed to travel between destinations while being controlled by a human operator.

Any other words come to mind? Let me know.

Two browser extensions everyone should be using

Tue, 25 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Every minute you spend on the internet, you are being watched. Each site you visit tracks you and tries to sell your information to the highest bidder. It is known.

So what tools can you employ to keep your internet browsing private? As a wise man once said, a browser needs extensions as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge:

uBlock Origin

Best ad-blocker in the market. Period. Other major ones are making money selling your browsing information.^[1] Or allowing companies to bypass ad-blocking by paying them, effectively holding you for a ransom.^[2]^[3]^[4] What do we say to websites that collect our information to sell us ads? Not today.

Download for Chrome, Firefox

Privacy Badger

For a basic explanation I (more or less) quote the makers of this extension, the Electronic Frontier Foundation:

When you play the game of viewing webpages, you remain private or you die. Each page will often be made up of content from many different sources. (For example, a news webpage might load the actual article from the news company, ads from an ad company, and the comments section from a different company that’s been contracted out to provide that service.) Privacy Badger keeps track of all of this. If as you browse the web, the same source seems to be tracking your browser across different websites, then Privacy Badger springs into action, telling your browser not to load any more content from that source. And when your browser stops loading content from a source, that source can no longer track you. Voila!

Download for Chrome, Firefox

What other extension do you think deserves a place in this list? Lets have a trial by (verbal) combat in the comment section below.

Dubai Review

Tue, 04 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Three hours post arriving in Dubai, I was depressed. Why the hell is the traffic so orderly? Why is everything so clean? It felt eerily robotic. If I was supposed to behave this way, I wasn’t ready for it. As an Indian, it was almost as if my free will had been stolen from me.

I walked into my hotel lobby and heard a bunch of Chinese tourists yammering. The receptionist shouted to the security person “Abbe inn logon ko chup karwa” (Ask these guys to shut up). This is when I realised two things - one, a large part of the Dubai workforce is Indian. Two, there are a lot of Chinese tourists. How do I know they were Chinese and not Japanese or Taiwanese or Korean? Moving on.

So, quick intro- Dubai is one of the seven states of the UAE (United Arab Emirates). Abu Dhabi is the biggest and richest state of UAE and also the capital. Dubai? The second largest, second richest. Rest five? You’re not going to remember it anyway so let’s not delve into it. When the UAE was being formed in 1971, two states opted not to join - they were Bahrain and Qatar.

December 7 2016: Day 1 on my itinerary was to have dinner on a traditional boat called a Dhow. Dubai is divided into two parts - Bur and Deira by the Dubai creek which is where the Dhow cruise operates. Though nothing exceptional, it is worth a casual visit. Watch out for the pesky photographers.

Dubai is the city of the rich. But before 1966 it wasn’t. The founding fathers - who were fishermen and pearl divers - decided to settle close to sea to keep watch for incoming intruder ships. On day 2, I visited the Dubai Museum and noticed it’s small size. Small is not usually a word you’d associate with Dubai. Compared to India, the cultural history is essentially inexistent. It was just a bunch of fishing villages, with a bunch of good people, which a bunch of bad guys used to keep attacking - regular stuff.

Before I continue I would like to lay to rest one myth about Dubai which several people (including my tour guide) are guilty of perpetuating. The price of water is NOT higher than that of oil. I was able to purchase a 1.5L bottle of packaged drinking water for 1.5 AED (about 30 INR) - this is similar to the rates in any other country. I went to a petrol pump and petrol was selling for 1.68 AED a litre while diesel was 1.81 AED a litre. So there you are folks.

Just a regular tall building

Dubai is home to some iconic buildings which I witnessed on my city tour (also day 2). The Jumeirah beach is right next to the Burj Al Arab - an exceptionally fancy hotel. Legend has it that Sheikh Mohammed was unimpressed with the existing 5 star hotel on the beach front. So he called his construction company, “Can I have a better hotel on the beach? Make it tall. Yeah, tallest in the world tall is fine. Now what do I colour the walls? Forget it, just cover it with gold. Oh, and put that on an artificial island 300m from the shore.”

In Dubai you have malls every 500m. It has been ensured that in case you get a sudden urge to splurge, you won’t be left hanging. So where’s Burj Khalifa? It’s right next to the world’s biggest mall of course. The Dubai Mall has an area of more than 1 million sq.m (that’s 1km square) and the store of probably every brand in existence. There are 5 Starbucks outlets and you need a map to navigate.

Another tall building, but with a twist

My last stop for Day 2 was At The Top, Burj Khalifa - which disappointingly, is not at the top. It is at the 124th floor. The elevator is FAST and your ears will pop from the sudden pressure change. The view from the top is beautiful. Despite the height, it doesn’t “feel” tall. It is like being in an aeroplane. Though an airplane is not something you want to see close by when you’re there. I asked my sister to keep watch for any incoming planes while I went to find an engineer to enquire about the melting point of the steel beams used in the construction.

The Khalifa, for all it’s sophistication, couldn’t rid itself of those annoying Chinese salesmen and women who keep shouting “SAAAAR PHOTO!!!” Seriously guys? I just paid $50 for entry to this thing and now..? Nevermind, I’ll just write an angry review somewhere and pretend my opinion matters. If you plan to visit, book in advance for an evening slot (post 6pm). Then wait for the Dubai Fountain show which takes place every half an hour and looks even better from the top.

Ye Burj Khalifa hai Mia

The entirety of Day 3 was spent exploring the waterpark at Atlantis Hotel on Palm Island. 10/10 would do again.

Coming back to the oil. That’s where UAE gets the money from. The rates are almost half we have in India. This is why cars are something Dubai loves. I prepared a list of the most common cars I saw on the roads -

Toyota Corolla: Most common taxi. You will realise why it is the largest selling car in the world when you see their number on Dubai’s roads.
Toyota Land Cruiser: This is logical because even with a small nuclear family of two wives and two kids from each, a guy would need a car with 7 seats to accommodate them. This is where the third row seating of the Land Cruiser comes in handy.
Land Rover: When you’re rich with a small nuclear family but don’t want to go the mainstream Land Cruiser way. This is also the car used in the Desert Safari. (Day 4 for me).
American muscle cars (Dodge Challenger/Charger, Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro): Quite common. When you’re kinda rich but not rich enough to afford a real sports car.
Hatchbacks: Small is not a word associated with Dubai. This is also the reason why there are almost no hatchbacks.

A large part of the credit for the success of UAE goes to the rulers. The President (who is always from Abu Dhabi) is Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, while the Prime Minister (who is always from Dubai) is Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Their family basically owns the whole country, and they command everything while sitting in palaces of gold. Yet unlike a lot of rich kids, they had the sense to use the money to develop the country as a tourist destination to ensure their relevance when the oil runs out. YOLO - hence responsible future planning. While the Sheikh and his family are indeed rich beyond imagination, they have done quite a bit to share some of the prosperity with their brethren. And as is required for tourism, they also graciously allowed in immigrants to work, setup their own companies, practise their own religion. There are caveats though. You can only own land if you’re a citizen, oh, and it’s impossible to get citizenship. And if you’re looking to setup a business in Dubai, an LLC, you need a local sponsor. Despite the name, he will not invest anything in your company but you need to pay him several thousand dollars a year for no reason. Undeterred by the strict laws, Indians love it. There are several Hindi TV and radio channels. Bollywood actors are often seen in advertisements on hoardings and Indian companies are everywhere.

Finally to recap the itinerary (Dec 7-11 2016) along with my ratings for each -

Day 1: Arrival in afternoon, Dhow cruise dinner (3.5/5)
Day 2: City tour (including Dubai museum, Jumeirah Beach)(2.5/5), Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa(4/5)
Day 3: Lost Chambers aquarium and Aquaventure waterpark @ Atlantis The Palm (4.5/5)
Day 4: Desert Safari in Sharjah followed by entertainment and dinner in desert camp (3/5)
Day 5: Return
Cost: 60k and above (depending on itenerary)

So would I recommend visiting this place to anyone? Definitely. Yes, it’s artificial. But it’s fabulous. See what man can make out of nothing (with a bit of money for motivation). Come and witness it while it lasts.

A student's guide to freelancing

Tue, 20 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000

This article is a follow-up to the freelancing session conducted by Abhijit Tomar and Harshit Manocha at IIT Bombay on 17th of September 2016. It is intended to be a primer for any student looking to work as a part time freelancer. Two paths will be covered- those of a developer and a designer. This post will cover the broad topics of:

Why freelancing?
A student’s approach
Opportunities overview
Online freelancing
Avoiding common issues
Staying grounded
Getting the right client
Before a deal
Into the deal
Tips

Why freelancing?

You may want to get into freelancing for three reasons:

To learn

As a student, freelancing can be a great way to learn. It can provide an insight into how companies work. Working on live projects with actual goals and deadlines gives you a real-world experience that is not easily achieved in the safe, classroom setting.

To earn

Even if you are not short on cash, freelancing can be a way to earn some pocket money. The feeling of independence it provides is worth putting in the hours for.

Skill building

While working, you are simultaneously building your technical skills. This can open doors to bigger and better opportunities in future.

A student’s approach

As a student, the right approach is to optimise learning, rather than monetary returns. For instance, if you are an experienced frontend web developer, the logical move is to venture into backend developement - even if your immediate earning potential is higher in frontend. A similar ideology can be applied in the design side. If you are experienced in UI/UX design, try exploring things like branding or social media. By working on varying projects, you will gain a diverse, heterogeneous skillset that is more valuable.

Opportunities Overview

The following are the kind of opportunites currently seen in the market:

Web (frontend)

Every start-up or small business needs a website. And making those websites needs web developers.

Android & iOS

I’ve never seen a jobless Android developer. The current market demand for Android developers is too damn high. As long as Apple is in business, every company will also need an iOS app. Since iOS development requires an iDevice, the supply of iOS developers in the market is less, and are hence valued higher.

Backend (web and app)

To get work as a backend developer, you need frontend and Android dev friends who will recommend you :)

Blogging / Content Writing

I could give you 17 reasons why anyone can be a blogger these days. However, demand for serious bloggers and content writers also exists depending on your domain expertise.

Creative Design

I am using this as an umbrella term for the various creative services required by business. It may include UI/UX design, poster and logo design, video editing, branding etc. In this field, it is difficult to build a reputation. But once you’ve earned a name for yourself, it can be very lucrative.

Online freelancing

There are several websites that serve as platforms for freelancers to meet clients. For a small percentage of your earnings, these websites will get you clients, and implement some form of an escrow system to ensure that both parties are treated fairly.

Freelancer

This happens to be among the popular ones. Here, you need to compete against other freelancers to get your proposal selected. A series of rejections can get disheartening since your work on the bid goes to waste.

Upwork

This may be a better option for someone looking to make a stable income. You make your profile and list your hourly rate. Start at low rates, rack up good reviews and earn your way to a larger hourly rate.

Toptal

If you have reason to believe that your skills are better than the majority of professionals in your field, then this is the place for you. Toptal advertises itself to host the crème de la crème in the freelancing world. You can naturally expect to be paid higher than on other platforms (given you are able to clear the selection process). However, it is only for full-time freelancers. So, if you want to make a career in freelancing this is what you should be aiming for.

Avoiding common issues

There can be many issues (pesky clients) you may run into while working as a freelancer. Some of them are:

Technically challenged clients

I have worked with clients, who even after several months had no idea what I really did (I work as a backend developer). You will often meet who will have difficulty wrapping their head around what you work on. Since they have zero knowledge of technical matters, it can be difficult for them to understand what is easy, difficult, or impossible to accomplish. It can also get difficult for you to justify how much you should be paid. Some view everything technical as the same black box and may have unreasonable demands (“Okay it’s almost done, but we just add a chat feature to this website? I’m sure it’s easy - every website has it these days.”). You will run into problems with this client due to not being able to communicate effectively (which may not be the fault of anyone in particular).

The future billionaire

He is convinced his app / website is going to hit it big. His favourite sentence is “We are going to be the Uber of X”. Delusional is the word to describe this person. He will not feel stupid dropping the line, “This is a billion dollar idea…” on the first meeting. Unless he has a past record of creating multi-million dollar business, this is the point where you fake an emergency and promise to get back next week (never).

Sleazy start-up guy

Hey! I can’t pay you right now, but you can be the CTO with X% equity in my startup. This may or may not be the future billionaire’s partner in crime. The first question you should ask yourself is, “Why did he so easily offer me 15% of his self-proclaimed billion dollar startup on the first meeting?” This can be for two reasons- either he knows the shares aren’t worth anything, or he believes they are and is gullible enough to give them to you on the first meeting. Dealing with such an insincere / slow person, you will only end up wasting your time. Avoid this person at all costs.

Staying grounded

From the above representations you may think no one could fall for such obvious mistakes. However in real life the prospects offered can sound convincing and tempting. Most clients you deal with will have some degree of the above listed attributes. In such a scenario, it is important to keep a professional relation. Stay an arm’s length and do not get involved into the start-up more than your job requires. If you do get involved, do remember that most (even genuinely good) ideas fail for random reasons in the real world. You have better odds hitting it large in the powerball. Even if you have a great team with a clear gameplan, you will only likely be mildly successful at best.

Getting the right client

As a student, the act of freelancing is essentially brought down to choosing the right client. Try to get a client with the following qualities:

Has skills

There is no better to enhance your skills than to work with a more skilled team. Getting such a client can be made easier if you leave out the goal of making profits. If your only takeaway in the project is money, your takeaway in the long term is zero.

Someone you can trust

I cannot stress how important this is. While working on real projects, there is a great deal that can go wrong. There are people out there who will screw you over at the first opportunity they get. Trust your instincts, if it doesn’t feel right it probably isn’t.

Someone you can learn from

Learning can be not just technical. Most of the learning you will derive as a freelancer will be implicit and non-technical. You need someone with strong ethics and fundamentals in the field he/she is working.

Someone with brand value

Working with a company / person who has already made it large in life can set you up for good things in future.

Before a deal

Write. Everything. Down. Making a website isn’t the same as knowing HTML/CSS. You need to write html/css/js code, get hosting, configure access controls, set up a webserver, set up software for production deployment, set up and configure the database, set up admin accounts and controls, get a domain name, configure dns, install an ssl certificate, install failsafe measures for the production server, ensure data backups at intervals, log activity, implement abuse prevention safeguards and test to ensure the website doesn’t contain vulnerabilities (non-exhaustive).

If it isn’t obvious yet, you need to be very clear about what you’re going to go and what you’re not. Do the following:

—> Define scope of work clearly to prevent being exploited. Eg- “I’ll give three iterations. Every change from there is going to cost more”.
—> Discuss the schedules and timeline. Run them through the client.
—> Describe the deliverables for formatting / compatibility.
—> If possible, show a demo deliverable from previous projects.
—> Lay out the payment schedule. Prefer to be paid weekly, or partly in advance.

Into a deal

—> Don’t hand over the work until complete payment has been made. Your service is worth nothing to the client once he already has it.
—> Be professional - use online tools for drafting proposals and invoices.
—> Communicate with the client. Most problems can be solved with just a small chat.
—> Notify progress and keep the client updated. Send out mail at least once a week.
—> Be honest. Is it going to take you a day more? Most clients will be accomodating if you’re honest with them from the start.
—> Undercommit and overdeliver. Don’t promise anything you can’t keep. The client would have been with two weeks, but you said one. Better to say two and surprise him.
—> Even if the client asks for something extra later, just do it (given it doesn’t take too much time).
—> Hand over work in proper format (git for developers, Dropbox / Google Drive for designers).
—> Own the project. Work on it like it’s your baby. If you can do anything to make it better - even if it’s not your job - do it (again, time matters).

Tips

—> Look into forming a binding contract with the client (even if you trust him).
—> Get a web presence (personal website / behance / dribble / facebook page).
—> Just because they’re paying doesn’t mean you’re a slave. Lay out contact hours.
—> Feel free to fire clients.
—> If you don’t know how to do it, say yes and learn later :)

Intern Experience at Microsoft IDC, Bangalore

Mon, 20 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000

As a Mechanical engineer interested in software development, the internship season put me into a bit of a quandary. Since software companies seldom open for non-CS students, weeks had passed by without me signing a single IAF (Internship Application Form). In mid-August, Microsoft India Development Centre (MSIDC) came along. I had stood runner-up in code.fun.do (the Microsoft university hackathon) the previous year. Consequently, Microsoft invited me to participate in the internship selection process (which is otherwise open only to CS students) and I cashed in on the opportunity. This was my first insight into how well thought-out the Microsoft internship program is.

Getting There:

The selection process involved two rounds of coding. Shortlisted candidates were then invited for multiple rounds of interviews. Knowledge of algorithms and data structures is a prerequisite, where having done CS-213 (or equivalent like EE-717) would come in handy. Being familiar in backend development, the interviewer asked me several questions related to my field of expertise in addition to the standard data structures ones. I also found this knowledge to be highly useful during the course of my internship.

MSIDC hires for two locations in India – Hyderabad and Bangalore. I was assigned to the Dynamics CRM team at Bangalore. Dynamics CRM is an enterprise CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software. Not being a mass-market product, I had never even heard of this arm of Microsoft before. I was stumped to know that it makes over $1Billion in revenues and is still growing at a massive rate. It has now taken the second position in the segment, right behind Salesforce.

About the Company

While I was sitting at my workstation with the source code, trying to figure out how this billion dollar application works, I knew that my work was the only thing I needed to worry about. Microsoft literally took care of everything else. It is rare, even among the best of employers to offer full provisions for accommodation, travel and food throughout the duration of the intern. The office was bang in the centre of the city. All interns were provided accommodation at a luxurious service apartment within a walking distance from the office. The food at the office was healthy and delicious. This is in addition to their well-stocked 24×7 pantry.

What impressed me the most about Microsoft was their work culture. All the rules (or lack thereof) are an extension of pure logic. There are no in-out time requirements. You can work from home, or from the office for as long as you want. All you have to ensure is to get the work done in the allotted timespan – it’s that simple! People who are used to working independently would feel at-ease working here. There is no dress code over here – you can wear anything you feel like wearing (You will, however, feel awkward in formal clothing when your manager walks in wearing a tee and jeans). The organisation is extremely agile for a company this size. The focus is on getting the work done, than on frivolous rules or procedures.

For my intern, my team gave me a completely new project to develop. I, and a fellow intern were the only people working on it. Due to the nature of the task, I am contractually bound to not disclose even a vague outline of the job description – at least until the feature is released to the public. The team was very open to inputs and we were given full freedom to suggest features, or methods to implement those features.

All my co-workers are extremely approachable. One of them was nice enough to even give me his own team jacket (thanks Tarun)! The managers, even at the highest levels have a good idea about the specifics of what everyone is working on. You will often have co-workers randomly challenging you to a game of carrom or foosball when you need a break. Not to be missed are the facilities for gymming, badminton, basketball, cricket, in addition to the tons of Xboxs lying around at every corner of the office.

Bangalored!

I had been allotted two very helpful mentors who guided me throughout the intern. One of them was possibly the coolest mentor an intern at Microsoft ever got (PM for more). I was also blessed to have been allotted the team which was most prolific in outings. I went out with my team for several lunches, dinners, a movie, and even an IPL match!

The cherry on the cake was that since the intern is in Bangalore, where the largest chunk of students from IITB is interning, I went out with friends almost every weekend. There are several places to see around Bangalore – Coorg, Nandi Hills, Ooty; the list is endless. We managed to explore many of them. Bangalore is a trekker’s paradise. You can rent a bike/car and head out on the weekends on your own with traveller blogs and ~~Google~~ Bing Maps coming to your rescue. There are also quite a few tour operators who will provide you with guides (recommended for medium to difficult treks). The weather in Bangalore is pleasant like that of Mumbai. It rained frequently throughout my intern right from May beginning.

Overall, the internship has provided me a great insight into the software development industry. Knowing how the biggest and best companies pull off their work has been a valuable experience. Given the scale Microsoft provides, you know you’re working for something that is going to impact an enormous number of people (albeit, in an indirect, subconscious manner). Knowledge of this fact gives a very unique feeling of satisfaction that is difficult to describe. To sum it up – Microsoft consists of a bunch of really cool and smart people who live a way of life worth an experience.