In India, 2.5 million students pass out of school every year and a whopping 60% of them opt for Engineering as a career. Is India a country which can give 'true' employment opportunities to these 1.5 million engineers every year?
Class 12 is a very crucial academic year and we see students struggling in this period. The pressure from schools, tuition centres, parents and peers is just too much to take. Under this immense pressure, students fail to get enough time to even rationally think what they need to do next in life. Studies show that engineering has been the prominent choice for students, followed by medicine. The latter, requiring very high marks and given the fewer seats available, witnesses lesser number of students. What is it that makes engineering the most favoured choice among the students?
Firstly, the boom in the number of engineering colleges in India and the role played by private players has increased the availability of seats to a great extent. India is home to 3,393 engineering colleges with 14.86 lakh seats. The quality of education rendered in many of these institutions is of course questionable and debatable.
Secondly, the common perception that an engineering degree can fetch one employment easily is widespread. It is true that an engineering graduate gets employed easier, but the question is if the employment is proper and worth the four years an engineering graduate spent in college.
Thirdly, the social status associated with an engineering degree holder is more when compared to arts, commerce and home science degree holders. An engineering graduate is looked upon with much respect in the society, the reasons for which is unknown.
I bet to disagree with this Engineering Rush.
The state of engineering courses offered in India is abysmal and need huge changes for its revival. Lack of quality research and true innovation is writ large in our engineering institutions.
Most of the engineering graduates, irrespective of the stream of engineering they had graduated in, opt for software firms for employment. This, for the simple reasons that presently India is in much need for software developers or workers and these firms offer a better package than the other mainstream engineering firms.
These days there are many other courses in arts and commerce that gives a more enjoyable employment and social respect than engineering. Economists, lawyers, sociologists, charted accountants, journalists, statisticians, etcetera are well placed than engineers.
The only thing that makes engineering distinctive is that, a mere engineering degree can fetch one a job, but in other professions, like the ones mentioned above, one needs to be in the top creamy layer to get a reasonable job. This factor has been the driving force behind this engineering rush in India.
The students and the parents must realize this, and stay away from this rush. Only the students with true innovative, technical mind and passion should opt for engineering as a career. Else, we are not just doing injustice to the profession, but also to the nation as a whole because the statistics of engineering graduates and engineering innovations would show huge contrast.
Schools should play the lead in making the students understand the role of different professions and guiding them rather than just being an institution to conduct classes and examinations. It would be worth the investment if every school employs a full time career guide for this task.
Private players should invest more in educational institutions other than just engineering or technical institutions and bring in good teaching faculty. With the money invested to raise a normal engineering college, one can raise an excellent quality arts or science institution.
Engineering is not the only major option available to school leaving students, it is just one in many available options. Status quo may suit the students who blow with the wind and opt for engineering, but in a long run, the ones who resist the wind and take the path less taken by would benefit.
Jai Hind!
Class 12 is a very crucial academic year and we see students struggling in this period. The pressure from schools, tuition centres, parents and peers is just too much to take. Under this immense pressure, students fail to get enough time to even rationally think what they need to do next in life. Studies show that engineering has been the prominent choice for students, followed by medicine. The latter, requiring very high marks and given the fewer seats available, witnesses lesser number of students. What is it that makes engineering the most favoured choice among the students?
Firstly, the boom in the number of engineering colleges in India and the role played by private players has increased the availability of seats to a great extent. India is home to 3,393 engineering colleges with 14.86 lakh seats. The quality of education rendered in many of these institutions is of course questionable and debatable.
Secondly, the common perception that an engineering degree can fetch one employment easily is widespread. It is true that an engineering graduate gets employed easier, but the question is if the employment is proper and worth the four years an engineering graduate spent in college.
Thirdly, the social status associated with an engineering degree holder is more when compared to arts, commerce and home science degree holders. An engineering graduate is looked upon with much respect in the society, the reasons for which is unknown.
I bet to disagree with this Engineering Rush.
The state of engineering courses offered in India is abysmal and need huge changes for its revival. Lack of quality research and true innovation is writ large in our engineering institutions.
Most of the engineering graduates, irrespective of the stream of engineering they had graduated in, opt for software firms for employment. This, for the simple reasons that presently India is in much need for software developers or workers and these firms offer a better package than the other mainstream engineering firms.
These days there are many other courses in arts and commerce that gives a more enjoyable employment and social respect than engineering. Economists, lawyers, sociologists, charted accountants, journalists, statisticians, etcetera are well placed than engineers.
The only thing that makes engineering distinctive is that, a mere engineering degree can fetch one a job, but in other professions, like the ones mentioned above, one needs to be in the top creamy layer to get a reasonable job. This factor has been the driving force behind this engineering rush in India.
The students and the parents must realize this, and stay away from this rush. Only the students with true innovative, technical mind and passion should opt for engineering as a career. Else, we are not just doing injustice to the profession, but also to the nation as a whole because the statistics of engineering graduates and engineering innovations would show huge contrast.
Schools should play the lead in making the students understand the role of different professions and guiding them rather than just being an institution to conduct classes and examinations. It would be worth the investment if every school employs a full time career guide for this task.
Private players should invest more in educational institutions other than just engineering or technical institutions and bring in good teaching faculty. With the money invested to raise a normal engineering college, one can raise an excellent quality arts or science institution.
Engineering is not the only major option available to school leaving students, it is just one in many available options. Status quo may suit the students who blow with the wind and opt for engineering, but in a long run, the ones who resist the wind and take the path less taken by would benefit.
Jai Hind!
