What do I do next?

I have couple of month’s time before my college starts. I would like to do something productive during this break, please advice. - Rahul, Raipur

This is a good chance for you to explore the following:

• If you like travelling, leave your comfort zone and go to different places alone or with your dear ones. You can meet people from different cultures and understand their way of living. Find happiness doing small things and help others wherever/however possible. The experience of going to new places, meeting new people, will teach you a lot about life which can be used in the future. But make sure your absence during this gap do not disturb your dependents.
• Attend meetings/events/workshops and interact with experts from different background which will help you understand your status and grow further by taking the desired steps.
• If you like to spend time reading books, then read Awaken the giant within - Tony Robbins; You can heal your life - Louise Hay; Eat that Frog - Brian Tracy; The Success Principles - Jack Canfield; Rich Dad Poor Dad - Robert T Kiyosaki; The Secret - Rhonda Byrne; The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari-Robin Sharma

These books have some great lessons about life.

• Do an Internship in a start-up to understand how things work in real life. By doing so, you will get an idea of the corporate world and will help you discover your interest and strengths.
• Spend time to learn new things - Photography, adventures, playing new games/sports; cooking; singing; playing music instruments, etc. There are a number of courses being offered, you can do a crash course in any of the above.
• Explore more details on the area of your choice through web and experts.
• You can meet your old friends or relatives with whom you're not in touch because of your busy schedule. Understand how they've grown and faced challenges in that gap.
• Explore online courses from MOOC, Coursera, Udacity, etc. and science /technology/innovation related videos from TED, YouTube, etc.
• Read and follow news and other updates through print, TV and
• web media.
• Go for thought provoking shows/movies.
• Write answers or post questions in Quora, keep yourself engaged.
• Participate or contribute in social service activities, there are several NGOs which will value your support, you can teach children or engage in other social needs.

Why a lot of engineering students are experiencing difficulty with employment? I studied engineering and I’m one of those who are having difficulty in finding a suitable job. Please suggest. -Supri, Hyderabad

The reasons are many, read on to understand few of them.

Not industry ready

This is the biggest problem faced by many engineering students in our country. They are not ready with the required skillset to that of what industry demands. Industry needs talented people who can take up the job immediately with minimal training. But companies are facing difficulties in hiring fresh talented engineers!!

Demand vs. Supply:

In India, every second student is pursuing engineering because everyone in his/her network (relatives, friends, etc.) is doing the same; even parents suggest them to do the same. Hence, there are about millions of engineering students entering into the battle but the need is not increasing at that speed.

Remain as job seekers

Many students just want to get a job; many do not try to explore business opportunities. They might have skills but may not focus or work on them to start their own business. It could be because of financial support or insecurity feeling. If you have a business idea, there are banks which can support you financially.

Marks vs. Skill

Scoring well will not get you a job; you must possess the required skillset in your area so as to impress the employer to win the job.

Students' attitude

Students are being dependent on colleges, their faculty which is affecting students' aspiration and also their attitude. One must be flexible, adaptable and willing to unlearn and learn.

Fee reimbursement

It could be one of the reasons for everyone showing interest to join engineering courses. With the rising number of engineering colleges, several colleges are offering free seats, seats at reasonable fee structure and a few states are offering fee reimbursement.

Course curriculum

Students should be encouraged to think out of the box. There are many universities in the world which have special courses designed to help students think creatively.

Colleges running as a business center

It has become a commercial center and many with political support are erecting colleges without basic infrastructure which is affecting students’ education. There are no proper facilities or labs for students to get a practical experience of what they are being thought.

Solutions for above problems

• It’s good to see some universities are not giving permission to new colleges nor renewing those colleges who are not maintaining the desired standards. It should be continued, bring in strict regulations for university/institute affiliation.
• Industries and institutes should come forward to collaborate and thereby reduce or remove the gap between them.
• Every industry should be ready to take on some students for part-time jobs, workshops and also for internships.
• Not just students, colleges should send faculties to visit industries and understand practices so that students are exposed to real environment from time to time.
• Changing and updating the course curriculum - bring in application oriented rather than theoretical subjects.
• Suggest, guide, and develop students from the very first semester rather than rushing in the last minute (or final year).
• Facilitate students to understand business opportunities rather than just searching for a job.
• Encourage students to do projects/internship; it will help them in the long-run.
• Parents should think, understand and encourage their children’s interest while admitting in any course. Also they should not force kids to just score well but have a practical understanding of what they are being thought. Encourage them to gain more skills rather than marks.
• Develop students’ skillset to read, write and speak and thereby improve their communication and presentation skills.
• Students should leave comfort zone and be ready to remain in self-learning mode.

By:kamal pabba