To be or not to be

Engineering is a beautiful profession. It has helped create wonders in the world. Whenever, I think of any engineering marvel, it’s Konkan Railway (India) that comes to my mind. At least once in our lifetime, we should travel through this magnificent route; an engineering marvel. But engineering as a profession has been hit by many factors.

In the global report commissioned by the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering revealed that 20 per cent of students in the UK, 30pc students in US and almost 80pc students in India wish to opt for Engineering stream after graduating from senior secondary school and 30pc out of the 80pc students who wish to take up engineering as their profession; do not pursue it fully.

It is said that in India, an engineer is born before he/she takes birth! The attribute towards this profession is the inclination of the parents to make his son/ daughter an engineer. Majority of the students who opt for the science stream do so with the sole purpose of pursuing engineering. A student who opted for his graduation in Physics after his Grade 12th examination says, “People around, look at me as if I have committed a grave crime! They just cannot digest the fact that I did not join engineering in spite of scoring good marks.”

Few on condition of anonymity have even confessed that they took up engineering due to parental pressure. Their parents feel pressurised by the relatives and people around if their ward is not an engineer. Engineering has therefore become the profession of compulsion. A recent engineering graduate who got campus selection into a multinational company adds, “Engineering is purely logical. It is not everyone’s cup of tea unless one has the flair for it.” To add to this the pride attached in saying that my son/daughter is an engineer adds significance.

A worried mother said that her son does not prefer to pursue a career in engineering but she had no choice but to enroll him for the same as his father feels that engineering is the only profession that will help anyone survive in the market. She feels pity for her son who has not been able to make a choice. Studies reveal that engineering colleges in India are mushrooming all over. Almost 1.5 million engineers join the workforce market every year. It is estimated that around 20 to 36pc of the engineers graduating in India are unemployed.

Out of the employed engineers almost 18 to 20pc are underemployed. These engineers end up taking jobs or in sectors which are not connected with their basic learning at all. The supply of engineers is more than the demand. The market economies suggest that companies are not able to create the necessary jobs for engineers. The entry-level salaries are sometimes far low too! The salaries offered by leading companies reveal that many of them are still offering the salaries that were offered as the base salary 10 years back! Employability skills must be acquired in the process of studies. Some of the best engineers with excellent brains are not in a position to express their ideas.

Communication, presentation and language skill development is a key requirement along the process. It is equally important for engineers to acquire these soft skills so that the employability factors are high. Indians study for employment and end up seeking jobs. But our entrepreneurial skills are amazing too. Colleges should be able to create the necessary skills and aptitude required for startups. Engineering educational institutions can tie up with banks and financial institutions for startup training including financial training and support.

The ability to make an engineer an entrepreneur is still lacking in the Indian system. The latest process is to complete engineering and then go for MBA (Masters in Business Administration) and then still land up taking up odd jobs available in the market. Engineers out of choice rule the world and engineers out of compulsion are ruled by the world! That’s the only difference!!!