Evergreen Engineering!

In addition to writing and talking about corona during this corona period, we also provide career counselling for children in 10th and 12th grade. For the time being, I can only talk to one or two children a day because of the rush at work.

Children's circumstances vary according to excellence in learning, interests and parents' financial situation. However, one of the most frequent inquiries is about the study of engineering. "Sir, my daughter/son has A+ in all subjects and good marks in Maths, but he/she does not want to opt for Engineering. Can you suggest another suitable course?"

But there is no clear answer to the question of why the child does not want to go into engineering.

There is no clear answer as to what course the child wants to go to either.

Why are so many smart kids reluctant in choosing engineering as a profession?

The increase in the number of engineers, the mass defeat in engineering colleges, the proliferation of engineering graduates in bank clerk exams to the PSC exams, the large number of unemployed engineers around, reports that eight out of ten engineering graduates who have studied and passed in our engineering colleges have no job skills and all the jokes and trolls about the winners as well as losers of engineering give children the impression that the days of engineering has come to an end.

We believe that children who have the skill and interest to study and pass engineering should definitely consider it as a career even when such conditions exist. There are many reasons for this.

1. The world is entering the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The framework of technology is going to guide and sustain this. Engineers will have to deal with automation and the use of artificial intelligence in areas ranging from the court to the hospital, where engineers are less involved now. Engineers have the greatest basis for preparing to become the workforce of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The need for engineers will continue to grow in our economy. The reflection of this will also be evident in the value of engineers in society.
2. An engineering degree in one country is generally a basic qualification to do jobs in any other country. In some countries, you may simply have to register with their professional body. A degree in other professional subjects, including medicine or law in one country, will not allow them to practice in another country. It will require more training and new exams. Thus, engineering is the most suitable degree for those who want to have a global career.
3. Most degree courses in India have a duration of three years while in many other countries degree courses are four years. Therefore, our degree is not recognized as equivalent to that in many countries. This is a barrier to pursuing higher education and obtaining a work visa. But this is not a problem as the engineering course is for four years.
4. The syllabus of an engineering degree has a broad base. A person studying Civil Engineering also studies Chemistry, Physics, Economics, Materials Science, Management and Mathematics. It is because of this broad base that engineers can work and excel in management or administration beyond engineering after graduation.
5. In the post-Corona world, when jobs can be done anywhere in the world, it will be the jobs of engineers that will cross the borders the most. This is because engineering jobs use mostly technology and have the least interaction with the customer on the front line. Jobs from many countries (Japan, China and European countries) which are currently inaccessible to us due to visa restrictions will now come to Kerala.
6. The growth of 3D printing technology and the fear of global supply chain disturbances caused by Corona are going to make manufacturing more localized. We are not too far away from a time, when an international brand car that we need, with all the components required, designed by ourselves, will be made in a 3D printing company in our state. All of this increases the potential of engineering and the opportunities for engineers. From the situation where after getting an engineering degree, one had to leave Kerala in search of work, engineering would become the most lucrative profession in our locality.
7. The number of girls opting for engineering is relatively low in developed countries. But in Kerala, girls also love engineering. Engineering will provide more opportunities for girls who want to pursue higher education abroad.
8. Many of our gifted children have tended to join more advanced degree courses such as environmental science, biotechnology, forensic science, cybersecurity and disaster management instead of engineering. There is nothing wrong with those who have a keen interest in such a subject. As mentioned at the beginning of this article, the tendency to opt-out of engineering and join such undergraduate courses, just because of some reasons, even though there is an aptitude for engineering is however not good for a career. The above courses are good subjects globally, but their employment potential has not developed in our state. There are many obstacles to studying and working abroad too. It is often seen that many geniuses who would have had a good career if they had studied engineering then take up the aforementioned subjects and get into trouble.
9. Another situation I have noticed is that some students have a good interest in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and English that they want to learn those subjects only. This is a good thing. But many of the students who join to graduate from our regular arts colleges are not there out of interest in the subject. But because they did not get an admission to study engineering, medicine, Ayurveda, or the law. Rather than understanding mathematics deeply, their main goal will be to get a degree somehow and secure a job in the government sector by clearing the PSC exam. So, when someone interested in the subject comes to such a class, it does not facilitate a good learning environment. Those with a keen interest in basic subjects should go to reputable institutions including IIT and IISER. I have seen a lot of people who could have gotten admission in engineering with high merit during their studies, but who were compulsorily studying basic subjects in an arts college in the country and later worrying about not being able to make a career in it.
10. This does not mean that our engineering education is the best. There are many problems in this field such as the curriculum, learning methods, not teaching the language adequately, not connecting well with the field, not having a system to give enough advice to those who are not able to pass the course to then send them to other courses, and not having enough teachers. As I have said many times about it, our efforts to modernize our engineering studies should continue.

Despite all this, when there were six engineering colleges in Kerala in the 1980s and today when there are 160 engineering colleges in Kerala in the early 2020s, we do not doubt that engineering education is a good career choice for talented students.