Many alternatives to computer engineering

Higher education courses in demand keep changing regularly. It was philosophy or literature long ago, then the law was considered prestigious. Subsequently, the focus shifted to engineering, initially civil and mechanical, then electrical and electronics, and by the turn of the century, it was computer science engineering.

Until a few years ago, a computer science engineering degree was a guarantee of campus recruitment in a good IT company, with salaries higher than in other fields, a luxurious air-conditioned working environment and frequent foreign travel. As a result, hundreds of engineering colleges were set up in all states, particularly in South India. Maximum seats were allotted to computer science, information science, information technology etc., while seats in other branches remained unfilled at times.

With the flourishing of data sciences, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, cyber security etc. the employment scenario is slowly but significantly changing. There is an increasing demand for specialists who can actually deliver results.

Many engineering colleges are producing graduates who are of no use to the industry. Companies do not want to invest time and money to train them. Some universities have started specific courses in data sciences and related fields, but it will take some time before they fine-tune the curriculum, get competent teachers and provide the right technology support. Students passing out of these courses currently may need to do a significant amount of practical up-skilling to become employable.

Hence the question now is, whether every bright and ambitious student should opt only for engineering. Success in technology requires certain fundamental skills like sequential, analytical and mathe-logical intelligence, and the ability to sit isolated for long hours on the computer doing purely logical and at times repetitive work. Not every bright student has that inclination and characteristic. Hence when a student has to make career decisions at the 10th or 12th level, it is worth exploring wider.

What to explore?

Very rewarding professional courses are now available in the fields of law, hospitality (including travel and aviation), paramedical sciences and various branches of design, mass communication, finance, marketing, life sciences, education, and even liberal arts. Each of these requires unique skill sets and personality traits. Most of them offer good remuneration and job satisfaction.

If students can identify their areas of strength and their aptitude by the time they come to Class 10, they will be able to select the right optional subjects for Plus 2 (since there are equally good careers in commerce and arts too), and start preparing for the degree course they would like to take up, based on their long-term career goals.

On the other hand, engineering graduates from mediocre colleges with average marks neither get campus placement nor a well-paying job as they do not have the aptitude and skills required in technical work. Such students would have given up good opportunities in other fields thinking that only engineering has good ‘scope’.

The future is going to be an era of specialisation. Those who find niche areas of expertise or a combination of two skills are likely to do better than those who get general degrees. Also, with innumerable colleges aggressively selling their courses, it is very important that a student selects a reputed, established institution which has a good track record, committed staff, hard-working classmates and good infrastructure.

Graduation from a top institution inevitably gets good career prospects. But having a long-term vision and not getting carried away by the ‘scope’ is important. The youngsters of today will have a productive working career of at least 40-50 years and they should be helped to plan accordingly.

(The author is a career counsellor. Send your queries to [e-mail] with Study in India as the subject.)