Post Education SCENARIO
for Science and Engineering Students.
Introduction: There are certain sequence of events that the students of Professional course in Engineering & Science.might observe,
in order to get a foot-hold in the industry. Such a trend started with the entry of several transnational IT outfits to India, in late 90s and the same continues till date.
(1) While in the campus, Students wait for campus selection, This could be typically during the final years of Engineering education.
When an offer letter is received from a hiring company, some of the students think that they have reached their dream destination. The result is that they stop serious learning, if at all there was one.
This is dangerous.
Do not take any thing for granted: There were and will be changes to the Global Economic situation (more often now than before the globalisation started). This would force the hiring companies either to put-on-hold the offers already made or withdraw the job offers pending favourable changes in the global economic situation. In essence, till one joins the company and performs well and recognised and rewarded, nothing can be taken for granted.
Some new trends: In recent times, the new trend is that. the companies hire the students without much scrutiny and offer employment on contract terms.
It is said that, there is minimal or no mentoring and yet the recruit has to prove his worth during the first annual review. Those who performed marginally and under-performed are shown the door.
(2) Stage II of job hunt. After the students complete the prescribed course of study and they enter into a strange world that they never knew before. A few lakhs graduates are there to compete with, for a small number of new openings. Now the methodology of job hunting is different.
They fall into the category called Fresher job seekers:There are institutions where Campus selection by IT and other tech companies are not routine. Even if there is a campus recruitment, it is not that every one of the eligible student get hired. There are many who are left behind. The student, then moves to the next phase of getting an employment for himself.
Fresher-selection. Most IT companies prefer testing the candidates thoroughly with several, sequential processes.
The tests and interviews are conducted to assess the level of knowledge. Especially the Aptitude tests are used to shortlist a small numer of aspirirants to a small numer.
Aptitude tests: There are the others who seek to apply tests in mathematical aptitude test to select / shortlist a smaller number of people to screne them further. Aptitude tests are not the end of the selection process while, no doubt, it is the first process, for one to cross.
Subject knowledge and good Project work. The two more steps are still indispensable. They two will, utimately, influence the final result. Good depth in subject knowledge and a good efforts in the Final year Project are indispensable.
Very high competition: I have witnessed, some 4000 plus fresher assembled for taking-up the aptitude tests, fighting their way to gain entry to the test centers. I hear a lot of sad stories on the pandamonium prevailing there.
However, the number of people hired subsequent to such a test and many other steps to follow such as - Technical interviews,
H R interiews, signing bonds, confistication of original certificates, the pay offered is very small. Still worse is that the number of candidates for selection finally hired could be as small as FIVE (5).
Experienced professionals:At the end of one year from the time they left the academies, the students loose the fresher status.
Job seekers run around the streets to drop their printed CVs. Soft copies are mailed off to any mail ID one gets to know. Now they realize that besides knowledge and aptitude they need the skills.Now they flock training institutes. Many are frustrated without a job,
Training Market place.
In late 90s hundreds of training outfits have sprung-up all over major cities.
Many who think it fit to acquire IT skills rush to these centers. It is not time still they realizs that merely listening to a lecture one cannot get the skill. They need to be absorbe (learn) what they hear and apply (Practice).
Most of the campuses do not impart IT skills.
Students seek to acquire IT skills from Training institutes. That is no harm. But there is a catch. These institutes can introduce you to one or the other of the IT skills that is expected of from a candidate.
It is the student’s hard work to pick those basics and spend the mid-night oil to be able to successfully produce a product or service using those skills.
This calls for learning abilities. Hours of hard work with a limited guidance.
The level of skills that the institutes can impart to students with varying extent of learning capabilities is questionable.
Most students have not made an attempt to learn by themselves. They have no need felt to practice LEARNING. Many will now be trying to learn for the first time and that too under peer pressures.
I routinely inquire to the young job seekers on various aspects of the training program. What I hear was shocking.
There are many among students who have been taking-up one course after the other, for periods up to four years after their engineering / IT related UG / PG.
Smarter among them, when failed get a dream job and career, settled down as instructors in those Institutes.
There are course fee as low as Rs 100 for Programming skills in C. and hundreds stand and listen to it. They do not realize that listening doesnot lead them to skills.
There are institutes of a different variety
These the ones with expensive interiors with career couselors taking to students seeking to learn. They demand high fees and givingout statistics of how many got the job after their training..
There are centers where they give you employment, directly, for a hefty fees. They issue Flashy appointment orders, visiting cards and Badges to hang them around their neck.
The condition that is attached to this employment is that they should find a job with thess inputs as an experienced professional and they cannot stay longer than six months. The so called IT outfit will have a few personal computers. There will be no work or guidance. Whatthe trainee will do to find a proper job is his look- out.
Not many wants a tough path:There are also a few genieun ones. There admissions are based on atleast some programming skills. They give a lot of assignments to do.
Those are considered tough institutes and most youngers avoid them, for they are looking for easy ways of getting a job without putting in any hard work.
There are several other smaller pockets in the cities offering project training and job-oriented training to different segments of the students.
Advice to every one!
* Life as a student is very critical and should be made the best of, to acquire knowledge and skills.
* The freedom you enjoy should be put to good use.
* This period of four or five years will decide what would you make in the future.
* Cultivate the habit of learning.
* Acquire skills along side the knowledge, while in academies.
* There is no short-cut to success.
* Sincere efforts never fail you.
* There are tons of learning material available in the internet space.
* That too, for free!
The following photo shots were taken on a Bandh day in one of the busiest training market. These photographs show a very small portion of the training centers. There are several large comlexes housing several institutes.
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