As a part of our campus outreach program, we have been interacting with students from various engineering colleges all across India. On of our primary objectives has been to understand the mindsets of young graduating engineering students’ vis-à-vis their career aspirations, expectations and needs. We are in the process of compiling the findings and implications from a very extensively commissioned ethnographic research and we hope to share it with you soon.
Meanwhile, i would like to dwell upon a few very interesting observations and revelations that came out in the process.
One very heartening trend we noticed is a strong 'anti-IT' sentiment that is brewing among most students. I could never fathom how and why half my mates from regular engineering disciplines ended up with a software company! Perhaps the economic recession and saturation in the IT sector are accountable for this change. But most students we spoke to were pretty uncluttered in their minds - they didn't want to pursue a career where their core academic expertise had nothing to contribute.
Students today take a much more proactive role in planning their careers. The Internet epitomizes information for them and they are adept at using it for academic and professionals reasons too. They have increased awareness of career choices coupled with better exposure and understanding of most industries. They consequently seek information that will help them make more informed career choices. However the Energy industry still seems to be in an information black hole - they encounter only a few sources on career related information and none of them is detailed and credible enough.
Another finding of the research was the emphasis students placed on maintaining an equitable work-life balance, even though they haven’t entered the workforce yet! Money is important, but they also feel the need for quality time to actualize themselves. Students also rate work satisfaction as more important than remuneration packages and are keen on seeking out challenging work environments and getting to a personal sense of fulfillment.
To be continued...
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
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2 comments:
Although this observation may be largely true, but from my interactions with the student community I still feel and realise that there is a scarcity of turn-key information / interaction zones which would help them visualise their future in a particular vertical with clarity, especially ones related to mechanical engineering, energy and other traditional ones. What is available in plenty is info and a lot of junk info on new age engineering verticals such as Software & IT, and to the extent that one often tends to doubt their authenticity. However that, I also feel is a success measure of sorts for the IT vertical - it gets talked about!
If information exchange & conversations happen around the core engineering verticals too in a more accessible fashion, it will be of immense help to the students. I hope you guys are taking effective steps in this direction.
I agree. The problem here is of plenty and the absence of credible sources of information. Students from core engineering disciplines need to know more about the numerous avenues and prospects other than mismatched profiles in the IT sector. And yes we are trying to develop models of information delivery through multiple channels. Will publish all updates on our blog
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