Krishnamurthy IIT Academy Founder Mr. Krishnamurthy shared the following views with us in regard to engineering education in India.

1. Is India producing more number of engineers than jobs available today?
  
This is a question which is being discussed from the past few decades.  The ratio of the number of graduates to the number of jobs available was always inconsistent. A few decades back, the phrase “getting a job”, was a big challenge for any graduate. It was believed that this issue would get settled as time progresses and globalization occurs. Today, the situation has undoubtedly improved, but not to the extent that was talked few decades back. It is a fact that number of companies offering jobs have increased, but, at the same time, it should be noted that the number of engineering graduates also increased. But the quality of such graduates has not increased. Companies are still looking for able young engineering graduates it means jobs are still there. But, there is a reason for anyone to say that India is producing more number of engineers than the jobs available today.

2. With many autonomous Corporate colleges, with high infrastructure and fees entering the scene, what will be the role of affiliated colleges with limited infrastructure and fees?

It is a fact that autonomous colleges have an edge over the affiliated colleges. But saying that autonomous colleges are doing better than the affiliated colleges; is not always acceptable. High infrastructure and fee might be a reason for the autonomous colleges to do well, but it may not be a drawback for affiliated colleges. For instance, few colleges that are affiliated to OU and JNTU are working neck to neck with the autonomous colleges and are giving them a good competition. So, it is possible that the affiliated colleges can be on par with the autonomous colleges in spite of the limited fee and infrastructure constraint.

3. With the shortage of competent teaching faculty, what can be done by existing and new colleges to offer quality engg education? 

Shortage of teaching faculty is a big problem in the field of education. The norms kept by AICTE  are adding problems to it. It is becoming impossible for the college managements to get competent faculty as per the norms of AICTE. It should be accepted that, with the increase in the number of software companies, many graduates prefer to work with  software and other companies, as they are getting attracted by the salaries and amenities provided by them. Also companies give priority to the talent, than the qualification and experience. Very few graduates show interest in the field of teaching, thus causing a shortage in this field. Colleges should take few steps to overcome this hurdle and AICTE should relax some norms understanding the prevailing situation..

The existing faculty should be trained in their field so that they can do better. For example, there are a few GRE coaching centers which follow this method. No matter how experienced, qualified the person is, he must undergo a training before joining the organization. This always helps. There are also few other methodologies like using the software, that is, online lectures/CD’s by professionals, making the subject interesting by using software like Interactive learning ware, stimulating the circuits on the computer using software(for EEE/ECE students) and many more. Colleges can also  invite the people working in industry, for guest lectures.

4. What are the new branches in Engineering that offer good future prospects?

Experts are saying that Bio Technology has a bright future. As the field of construction is growing day by day there will be good future prospects for Civil Engineering also. Some new courses like Agricultural and food processing engineering and paper and pulp technology etc, provided by  IITs  also come in the same line.

5 What are the most preferred branches in engineering? And why?

Electronics and Communication engineering, Computer Science Engineering and Electrical Engineering  are supposed to be the most preferred ones. This is because, for the past few years, our country has been showing tremendous improvement in these technical fields. Most of the top companies overseas like Motorola,Qualcom,Microsoft etc  have  branches in India. Thus, as a result of this, the jobs in these fields are more when compared to other fields of engineering which is a reason for these branches to be preferred.

6 Do you think recession in the US economy has affected the computer sciences and IT branches?

As said earlier, most of the software companies in India work in collaboration with the companies in US. So, the “dollar rate”, can be a factor which decides the economy of these companies. Thus, the recession of US economy might have caused few uncertainties in the software companies, but this can’t be one precise reason which affected Computer Sciences and IT branches. There are some more reasons like the establishment of some of the above mentioned Electronics companies as well as companies like Caterpillar, Schneider which provide good jobs for mechanical engineers.
 
7. What are the career prospects for the large number of girls joining engineering? Do the branches like mechanical and civil offer proper scope?

It is a fact that there are a lot of software companies in India. But, it cannot be said that they are the only ones who rule the economy of the country. There are many companies like some mentioned above which hire mechanical graduates and pay them on par (sometimes even more) than the software companies. At the same time,  the girls who prefer to stay back in India after their under graduation, have good prospects in civil engineering. So, branches like ,mechanical and civil also offer good scope for girl students.

8. Engineers in spite of having the required skills are unable to push themselves across in the market due to lack of soft skills. What do you think could be the reason and what is the solution for that?

It is true that almost all of the engineers have a really good technical knowledge about their jobs. But, traits like language, friendliness, optimism, human values etc are missing in most of the engineers today. Due to this reason many engineers are unable to perform well globally. When comparing a group of people, many drastic decisions are made among these people based on the soft skills, and people with out these skills are being eliminated. Many people are not able to clear their job interviews, visa interviews, etc because of the lack of soft skills in them. Many reasons can be attributed to this. Overlooking non technical subjects like English, Communication skills, etc during the engineering course can be one of them. This issue can not be solved overnight. Right from  under graduation level, students must be asked to develop their soft skills by speaking  English in the college campus, attending mock interviews, attending spoken English classes, etc. This will surely help most of the engineers to acquire soft skills before graduating from the college. Some IITs and IIITs are also offering soft skills as a course which is a good step.

9. Should there be any structure/design for the orientation programs conducted for the students in the first phase of their college life?

Orientation programs are generally conducted before a student joins a particular college. These programs should be conducted in such a way that, they not only provide detailed information about the course and the college, but also about the future prospects in the course, like job opportunities, research opportunities, etc. They should also arrange college tours, interaction programs with seniors, which help the new students to get used to the atmosphere of the college and study without any fear.

10. The placement wing is playing a crucial role in each college in helping the students find suitable jobs.

Placement wing has a vital role. The subjects in engineering are totally different when compared with those of high school, and intermediate. Most of the subjects require practical training along with the theoretical knowledge that is provided in the class. Especially, the branches like Electrical/Mechanical engineering need a lot of field work. Most of the subjects in these branches require a practical knowledge. It is the role of the placement wing  to take care that the college arranges industrial tours. Industrial orientation is very important at the under graduation level and it highly helps the students who want to work after  graduation.

11. When should the campus interviews begin? Will the students still continue their studies with same enthusiasm even after their placement?

It would be ideal if the campus placements/interviews begin when the student completes his third year, and again after when he completes his fourth year. This gives two opportunities for students to get a job. Student should realize that even if he/she gets placed after completing third year, he/she should continue studies with same enthusiasm. Students should not forget that though they are placed, they will be hired only after completing their graduation.
 
12. Are there any particular career related magazines you would like to refer to the students?

There are many career related magazines which many engineering students can and should refer to. This magazine Career Guide is the best for general purpose; similarly Electronics For You (EFY) can be very useful to students studying Electrical/Electronics and Communication engineering. PC Quest magazine can be very useful to Computer Science and IT students. Reader’s Digest can be very useful to improve the English vocabulary for the students.
13. How much time in a week does a student need to spend in the library?.

Next to the class room, library is the best place for the academic growth of a student. But what matters is the amount of  knowledge that a student gains by sitting in the library and it is not the amount of time.

14. What is the role of a research wing in an Engineering  college- will it be used by faculty as well as students properly?

Research wing plays an important role in the life of an student. For the students who really want to go in depth in learning the subject, research could be a best option. Highly qualified professors who have an interest in research can make their work easier by appointing students under their guidance and train them by providing them with some stipend. These students are called  research assistants. In this way both professors and students can gain a lot of knowledge. Some of the colleges in India are following this method, but this should  spread further and be used by all colleges.

15. What are your suggestions for further post-graduate studies for engineering graduates to pursue high studies?

One thing, I can  say confidently is, post-graduation or Phd is not a compulsion for getting a good job, unless one is interested in teaching  profession. However,  definitely they add the feathers in the academic cap of a student. If a student gets a job in a good organization, after the completion of  engineering degree, he/she should take up the job first, gain some experience and decide what is his/her field of interest and later go for post-graduation or research. In my view, two years of job experience in a good organization is better than two post graduations. But  most of the engineering graduates prefer to do M.S in US, to get an entry, in to that country.
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