Author:

Dr. SR Pandey

Director, RCE

Making good use of an engineering degree needs careful thought before and after making the decision. We are committed to excellence in education. Make in RCE, made for the world. Successful career through a quality education is the motto of RCE. R means Regular, C means Committed and E means Excellence. To satisfy the need of the consumer, there has been a huge advancement in technology. Engineering industries are offering a wide range of products and services to meet the demand of the consumer.

Looking at the number of engineering colleges in India and the number of engineers coming out of these colleges, the questions that form in everyone’s minds are, “Does India need so many engineers?” Are they all employable? The negativism brought forth by such questions has crippled engineering education in India.

In this global era, rather than focus on India, the question should be whether the world needs so many engineers. The answer is a big, “yes.” Is there a need for scientists? The answer is again, “yes.” The world needs plenty well-equipped, talented graduates with the right attitude. There are job opportunities for those who have the potential. In addition, opportunities for self-employment are also plenty for innovative and energetic minds.

I will look at the Indian education scenario from the point of view of parents whose wards are applying for admission to colleges. As the trend goes, most students would like to pursue professional programs such as medicine and engineering. Since fewer seats are available for medicine, getting an MBBS seat has become extremely difficult and the majority is left with the next popular option—engineering.

Our school education system offers combinations of courses in the higher secondary level such that a student by choosing these groups can pursue engineering or medicine, even though these two streams call for entirely different aptitudes. The ideal higher secondary system would orient the student towards evaluating their aptitude and choosing to pursue one of the two streams. This would ensure that the chosen stream matches their aptitude. This is not happening now. Technology is a process, which combines different methods and techniques to produce engineering goods, which can be used for the betterment of society.

In the absence of proper orientation in the system, parents and their wards follow an inappropriate procedure while selecting their branch of study in the college. During counseling, we notice that the selection of a branch of study is based on the following:

  1. The most sought-after branch in counseling
  2. The branch having good job opportunities as seen by the previous year placements
  3. Parental pressure and
  4. Peer pressure

This is not the right practice. The correct way will be to spend some time assessing one’s interest for a particular branch and check if it matches well with the aptitude one has and the chosen branch of study. Science is the systematic study of the system or the natural world by observations and experiments resulting in new innovations. Technology is the product of science, to invent something from science; proper observations and techniques are always required. Engineering is the process, which requires both science and technology for designing and production of components or tools.

It is because of such practices that we face problems of employability and dissatisfaction in existing jobs, which can lead to high turnover rates, low productivity and increase in the stress level of employees. An airplane can fly itself by switching to autopilot. Robots are being created to make-work easier. Robots can work as a substitute to a human being with high efficiency.

Myth and reality

Having understood the education scenario, parents should free themselves of a few myths that surround them, and make a fair decision concerning the future of their ward.

Myth 1: One should be a professional such as a doctor, lawyer or engineer to be successful in life. Other degree programs are not useful.

Myth 2: Marks scored in higher secondary are a true reflection of one’s intelligence, and the one who has scored 95 percent is more intelligent than others.

Myth 3: Those who studied higher secondary education in the vernacular medium cannot shine in professional courses taught in English.

Myth 4: Unemployment is high, so campus placement is everything.

Myth 5: An engineering degree in the most popular branch, with 8.0 CGPA and above will definitely fetch a job.

How to make the choice

There are some thumb rules to be followed in choosing an engineering education.

  • The interest of the candidate and his/her choice of the branch should be the criteria for admission.
  • Every parent should orient the child towards finding out their natural interest and the aptitude for the particular subject or branch of study.
  • Parents should avoid deciding for the candidate.
  • For a strong-willed person, if the choice is made based on his/her liking and natural taste, then studying that branch will be the best thing rather than joining any other branch, for whatever reason.
  • It is not wise to join a branch of study because it is popular or because the job opportunities are high.
  • The choice of institution is also critical.

The other option is for the students to take the branch of study available in a reputed college and start liking that branch, plan well and work hard. What is critical is students’ interest in the branch of study and the efforts put in by them to equip themselves adequately enough during their studies.

Earlier, human beings could not live without food but at present, the situation has totally changed. Now human beings cannot live without technology such as mobile phones, computers and other gadgets, which are required on daily basis by an individual. The advancement in technology has led to saving time and cost of production of IT and Electronic industries. Advancement in technology has also led to a significant change in the quality of life. As science can produce many new ideas but to harvest those ideas, technology is required. Engineers are the ones who design different technologies to get the best output. They may be three different terms but each of them requires each other to discover or invent something by doing scientific research. Advancement in technology has also led to a significant change in the quality of life. A very common example is an advancement in 3G and 4G broadband services; different companies small or big are facing tough competition from each other due to less cost of advertisement through Internet services. Earlier in the past, only big companies had the budget to advertise products through T.V or any other source. But with advancement in technology, small companies with fewer budgets can advertise their products via Internet services. The invention of the car and with advancement in technology with each passing decade has resulted in super-fast cars, covering distances at the short time frame. You need to know that top university doesn’t matter, what matters is what you want to do.