It will be a matter of time before hundreds of Class XII students will go on to decide which road to take in higher education. While choosing the right institution is important, students should also keep in mind the future growth and prospects when choosing their careers.
For Jayaprakash A. Gandhi, career consultant and analyst, the top notch engineering courses are Computer Science, Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) and Civil Engineering.
At The Hindu Education Plus Career Counselling 2015 held at VIT University, Vellore on April 12, Mr. Gandhi vouched for Computer Science and Information Technology having good opportunities for students even today. In institutions such as VIT University, thousands of students have been placed in IT companies such as CTS, Wipro and Infosys.
“Information Technology sector offers growth and fantastic opportunities. Computer Science and IT engineering still fetch jobs today. Select a good college and focus on getting placed through campus recruitment,” he said.
Students need to develop good communication skills in English, IQ level and thinking ability. Those keen on pursuing M.S. in the United States or get into teaching should not take IT. One can take IT if one is keen on working in Indian IT companies. But Mr. Gandhi has a word of caution — if you do not update yourself, you will be out-dated in the IT sector.
He deterred students from choosing mechanical engineering as there are lesser requirements in the industry. “Not even 3,500 mechanical engineers are needed in India. Last year, 35,000 students opted for mechanical engineering during the counselling. Many end up doing whatever job they get,” he added.
For those keen on the branch, he advised that they should be prepared to specialise in areas such as safety engineering in which jobs are available. Students should not expect huge salaries.
Upcoming avenuesConsidering the growing opportunities, it is EEE that is going to be an evergreen discipline. Electrical engineers are much sought after including in construction and automobile industries. With increasing investment in infrastructure by the government, including projects involving smart cities and elevated highways, civil engineering too offers many prospects, said Mr. Gandhi. The least preferred course, according to him, is aeronautical engineering. “Do we manufacture aircraft in the country? We need only a limited number of aeronautical engineers,” he added.
Students can pursue biotechnology if they are eyeing higher studies and research, while engineering courses in marine, robotics and mechatronics, which are specialised subjects, have limited industrial requirements.
Mr. Gandhi noted that medicine had tremendous opportunities. He also mentioned that there are many opportunities in architecture as there are no candidates for interior design. Similarly, law, B.Sc. agriculture, horticulture, mathematics and B.A. English Literature too have scope. Experts also laid emphasis on the importance of selecting a good college, the need for students to go beyond the syllabus and improving communication skills. They laid stress on choosing a career that has future prospects.
Bodhi conducted a psychometric test for students. The programme was sponsored by VIT University and co-sponsored by S.K.P. Engineering College, Tiruvannamalai; Fly High Canada; and Galaxy Arts and Science College, Chennai. Indian Bank was the prize sponsor for The Hindu Quiz.
