9 CH: 8 Apply to DEC Company

8 Apply to DEC Company

At around 9:25 am, Henry and Bill arrived at the DEC Boston office to participate in the application process. Sure enough, DEC sent a helicopter to pick up the candidates and transport them to the company headquarters. It's evident that DEC places a strong emphasis on talent, which explains why it's positioned to become the number one challenger to the blue giant, IBM.

In this era, IBM is the deserved king in the computer field, the Overlord! The combined market share of all computer manufacturers in the world is less than one-fourth of IBM's.

There are not many applicants in the Boston office, but at the headquarters of DEC, Henry is surprised by the fact that there are more than two hundred candidates. Of course, these people have different positions. The people who applied for computer engineering were taken to a hall. Henry and Bill counted and there were 37 people. Henry and Bill were the youngest of the group.

In the hall, there were 50 tables with papers on top. After a brief introduction, the group was instructed to begin the test. Scores below 80 would result in elimination. Henry and Bill found the test surprisingly straightforward and completed it swiftly.

"Good morning, gentlemen. To streamline our hiring process, we've decided to administer a test to identify the elite candidates among you. Anyone scoring below 80 will be eliminated. You have one hour. Begin now," the proctor announced before taking his seat at the examiner's table.

With that, the room buzzed with activity as candidates hastily began the test. Bill, eager to succeed, dove into the exam without hesitation. Meanwhile, Henry calmly assessed the questions and swiftly filled in his answers, finding the test to be surprisingly simple for both of them.

_—_

After 1 hour.

"Time is up, hand over your paper." The examiner claps his hand as he commands them.

A large part of people have slight regret expressions as they can tell they are not going to pass the test as it's too hard! So with self-knowledge, many people took the initiative to leave the hall as they already know the result.

The examiner sees it but he doesn't care as DEC only needs elite. It's good that they have self-knowledge so as to avoid wasting my time. Then he checks the papers of people remaining in the hall. And he was surprised by the fact there was a perfect score! This test was created to aim at the professional engineer, so it's a bit of a skill to perfect the score.

After a 10 minute check, the examiner finishes the check and tells the result to them.

"I'm sorry gentleman, it seems only 5 people passed this test as the rest of you failed it. The one who passed the test came with me." The examiner tells the result while he pointed his finger to the 5 people who passed the test, of course, that includes Henry and Bill Gates too!

Henry and the group followed the examiner to a room filled with the computer. And then the examiner says, "Congratulations gentleman, all of you are elite! but there is still some little test you must do." The examiner pointed to the computer on the table and said: "There is a procedure on the top. If you can finish it in 10 minutes, we can talk about the treatment of the company!"

After 10 minutes, the first person tried it and did not complete the procedure and went out of the room with frustration.

The second person began to try it and it took 9 minutes and 25 seconds to barely pass.

The examiner smiled and said: "Good job! You will be a member of DEC company in the future, with an annual salary of 30,000 US dollars. What do you think?"

"No problem, no problem!" The man promised with pleasure.

In 1970, the average annual salary in the United States was only $9,400. The annual salary of $30,000 is a very good income. The DEC company is rich in money, pays attention to talents, and has a higher salary is also normal.

The third person took 8 minutes and 07 seconds. The examiner gave him a thousand dollars and a salary of $31,000.

Then it was Bill Gates, who only took 6 minutes and 05 seconds, and could not help but shock the examiners.

"You are Bill Gates? a computer genius from Seattle. I heard that the software of the HSD State Power Network automation and computerised TRW project has gone wrong and it was solved by you and Allen?!" Examiner Jerry Phillips questioning Bill Gates.

"How do you know?" Bill Gates was shocked as he concealed the matter so as not to be known to his parents.

"I have a friend who goes to work there and once recommended two of you. Well? You wrote on your resume, "You are now studying at Harvard University ?"

"Yes, that's right. So I can't be a full-time employee of DEC, but I can do better than the full-time staff of DEC! The school has a computer, I can use the school computer resources to complete the company arranged projects! I have a phone in my dormitory, you can call me, or send a fax!"

The examiner thought for a moment and said, "Okay, but since you are working half-time, the annual salary will be less than the full-time staff..."

"It's no problem." Bill Gates agrees as he wasn't short of money as his family is actually quite wealthy, so he didn't lack the little money that DEC offered. He mainly came here for the experience, not the salary.

Jerry Phillips laughed and said "Okay then"

After Bill Gates signed a contract, he left the office with a triumphant smile, and several other examiners in the office praised him.

"Bill Gates is a rare computer genius! And he is very stubborn and confident!"

"Yeah, the DEC company is lacking such talents. When he graduates, we must recruit him to our company!"

"The annual salary of 50,000 or even 100,000 US dollars is no problem!"

"..."

Finally, it was Henry's turn.

As Henry entered the office, the examiner instructed him to complete a programming task on the computer within 10 minutes.

Rather than immediately diving into the problem, Henry inquired, "How long did it take for Bill to solve it?"

Perplexed, the examiner asked, "Why do you need to know?"

"I'm curious to compare. I believe I can solve it faster than he did," Henry explained confidently, his perfect test score boosting his assurance.

With a chuckle, the examiner replied, "Bill took 6 minutes and 5 seconds."

"In that case, I'll aim for 3 minutes," Henry declared.

"Very well, let's see, then you start to solve the problem, we will wait and see!" Examiner Jerry Phillips couldn't help but laugh, and immediately told the assistant, "Charlie, give me a cup of hot coffee, while I drink coffee to wait for !"

"Okay!" A young assistant quickly gave Jerry Phillips a cup of hot coffee.

The coffee was too hot and Jerry Phillips didn't go drink it right away.

At this time, the sound of typing on the keyboard has already sounded in the office. This sound is like percussion, and it's smashing and lingering.

However, after a while, the sound came to an abrupt end!

"I'm finished!" Henry announced, turning to face the stunned examiner, Jerry Phillips, who was holding a coffee cup and taking a sip. Startled by Henry's declaration, Jerry inadvertently forgot to blow on his coffee before drinking, resulting in a burnt mouth.

Wincing in pain, Jerry hastily set the cup down on the table and glanced at the computer screen.

2 minutes and 49 seconds!!!

Jerry's eyes widened in disbelief. Henry had not only completed the task in record time but had surpassed his own estimate by a significant margin. It was a feat that left the examiner utterly astonished.

When Henry saw that Jerry Philips was burnt by the coffee, he couldn't help but ask "Are you Jerry Examiner ?"

After Jerry Phillips returned to God, he looked at Lee to cover the sky and praised him: "Not bad, you performed very well, the best among all! The resume says You are also studying at Harvard University. Are you planning to work part-time?"

"Yes!"

"Well, whether you are working or not, if you can complete the company-designated project ahead of time, I will give you an annual salary of $36,000, which is $10,000 more than Bill Gates annual salary, but if the project is not completed in time, the company will deduct a portion of the money accordingly. Well, do you still have questions?"

"No problem." Henry promises him as he mainly came for the experience.

During the period, Henry and Jerry Phillips signed a temporary work contract. There is no personal restriction and no time limit. Henry wants to resign when he can, but there is a confidentiality agreement, and the company project should not be disclosed.　

Jerry Phillips said at the moment: "Do you live with Bill?"　

"Yes, we are roommates!" Li said.

"In the future, you will work together to complete the projects that the company has sent to you."　

"Well I don't see any problem with it!"