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How Indian Engineering Students Spend Time?

Harry — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:07:52 +0000

Interesting piece of research work we’ve carried out at HarryJerry. Although the data varies as we move from upper level universities down to the you-know-what-level engineering universities in India. This pretty much gives a not-so-rosy picture but then truth is always bitter, or whatever.

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Engineering College Placements – The Salary

Harry — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:07:28 +0000

While sitting for an interview at an Indian B-grade engineering college you don’t talk about the salary. No sir, no way.

Interviewer – Alright you can go now. We’ll let you know if you’ve been selected soon.
Interviewee- But sir should we discuss salary now or after the selection?
Interviewer – [with a puzzled look] Salary?
Interviewee- Yes sir I believe I must sort it out so I can choose a company accordingly.
Interviewer – Just where do you think you are? You’re not sitting inside an IIT mister! This is not a 500,000 grand a year job we’re talking about here. You need to take off that thinking cap of yours and come to terms with the reality here. You’re the ones who chant unemployment slogans when you don’t get jobs. You’re the kind of people who would commit suicides for not making it to the top. You’re the ones you curse IITians. You’re the one who gives the whole engineering graduates a bad name. Just what in this world do you people think? Is it the movies that’s corrupting your brains or what? [and he went on]

As reported by Mr. Trehan, an upcoming software engineer.

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Prometric Sends Letters to CAT 2009 Aspirants

Harry — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:14:23 +0000

It appears that Prometric has sent letters to CAT 2009 aspirants. It appears that the letter contains a personal note on why Prometric failed at providing a perfect student experience and also possible chances of a re-test. We’ve got hold of one of these letters and posted them here. We wish all the students good luck for their MBA entrance. Check out the complete letter here.

Disclaimer – It’s just a joke. This is NOT the official letter from Prometric.

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10 Fresh Words from Urban Dictionary

Harry — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:42:18 +0000

Face base

The point in a romantic relationship when pictures of the couple begin to appear on Facebook, and or when the relationship status changes to “In a relationship”.

Airplane mode

When someone cuts themselves off from the world by not logging on to Facebook or checking their cell phones. Usually occurs after a breakup or a rough work week.

Facebookable

Content is considered appropriate enough to be viewed by the general public of the facebook community i.e friends/significant others/family/coworkers without having to worry about explaining a sketchy situation

Facebook Official

The ultimate definition of a college relationship – when on one’s facebook profile it says “In A Relationship” and your significant other’s name.

Facebook Foreplay

Writing increasingly sexy messages back and forth using facebook, or a similar social networking site, as a medium.

Facebrag

To use Facebook as a platform to brag. Normally about a job, internship, trip, purchase or anything else that nobody really needs to know but you’d like to tell everyone because you’re awesome.

Facebook Crush

A crush on a FB friend is characterized by the unexplainable urge to revisit the friend’s Photos tab repeatedly and checking to see if other friends have written new messages on their Wall. Usually afflicts users who are only somewhat acquainted.

Facepalm

The act of dropping one’s face / forehead into one’s hand. Usually accompanied by a “thunk” or a cry of “D’oh!”

faceoholic

An individual who has no other point in life but to add information to people’s wall, comment on everyone’s images,presume that everyone cares about their specific point in life.

Faceover

Similar to a hangover, in that it occurs after a night of drinking, although the symptoms are not a headache, etc. but rather that the individual facebook friends all the people they met the previous evening.

From: Urban Dictionary

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Online CAT 2009 – Blame Game

Harry — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:55:16 +0000

To all those who signed up for CAT 2009. May God…err Prometric be on your side.

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Engineering Graduates Are Unemployable. Duh!

Harry — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:37:45 +0000

A recent survey carried out by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the World Bank suggests that 64% of the surveyed employers find engineering graduates of no use. Or in simple terms fresh engineering graduates are dumb asses. The report claims that a major skill gap exists which requires engineering colleges and institutions to focus on the employability factor.

The results of the survey are not surprising. In a country where engineering colleges are producing tens of thousands of fresh engineering graduates every year, there’s a clear understanding that somehow these factors shall remain untouched. Private engineering colleges have become roadside dhabas. There’s one after every few kilometers on either side of the road. It’s easier to get admission in an engineering college than anywhere else provided your Dad has a bank balance.

Curriculum is a major factor here. Most IT companies demand advanced computer skills and good communication skills. As per the survey, the companies are satisfied with the communication skills part whereas they find it difficult to hire a fresh engineering graduate with skills in modern programming languages and platform. That’s so obvious. How many programming languages are covered by most universities’ curriculum? Two? In some cases three? Even here the part that is ‘covered’ isn’t anywhere close to the level of solving real life problems once you get on a job. This is why companies like Infosys, HCL, TCS and Accenture hire fresh engineering graduates and throw them into a six month extensive training period. Only if someone could come up with an updated curriculum it could save everyone time and money.

This report is yet another slap on the face of our education system. I wonder if the relevant authorities even get a copy of this survey let alone reading it.

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The Great Indian GRE Dream – Part 1

Zordy — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:33:21 +0000

As I sit here writing this article I’m sure there are thousands if not millions of students back there in India who are currently preparing for their GRE/GMAT exams. The urge to go abroad just never ends. Studying abroad is simply an excuse. At first thought when you thought of going abroad for studies, the only thing that could come in your silly mind was not studies itself but hundreds of those green things, those chicks, that life, the life we download every single day in episodes as sitcoms and sit in front of our PCs laughing away and hoping one day you’ll get your own ticket abroad. Here’s a reality check for you kids. The Great Indian GRE dream is nothing close to what you’d imagine it to be. It’s a whole new world out there. There are so many misconceptions that are hard wired into our brains by fellow students, agents, so called immigration consultants etc. that we just don’t use 1% of our brain to think real. So Zordy, the lord of the good world, had to issue an advisory. I’ll cover it in 2-3 parts as long as I can find time from my busy schedule (I like using the world schedule here, it sounds I have something real to do).

Eureka! The idea of preparing for GRE/GMAT

In any normal scenario an engineering student starts preparing for a GRE exam just when he’s got that I’m-screwed feeling. This normally happens by the mid-third-year-period when campus placements have been like Monsoons, CAT seemed like a hard animal to capture or your girlfriend started preparing for it too. You browse a couple of sites, Google your way through universities and it seems pretty much a walk in the park. You make up your mind and tell your parents about your decision to rock the west and they waste no time in throwing parties, telling everyone that their bright kid has a sun-bright future abroad. Everything looks green great. Your blood circulation and bowel movements reflect your happiness. All set?

Reality check: This is the point, a very important one I must say, where you need to think a lot. A lot doesn’t mean that you google harder but a lot means that you really put your brain to test. This is where most people go wrong. Going abroad to study just because the next door Chunnu-Munnu or that distant relative’s son/daughter laid their flags abroad isn’t entirely a reason. Just because you think you’ll study abroad you’ll also get to settle there isn’t always correct. Give it a proper thought. Ask yourself all those WH questions. If you can satisfy yourself with the answers only then decide on studying abroad.

Some of these questions are a must;

Why do you want to study abroad?

Which course would you take up?

Will the course help you in your career plans?

How long will it take?

How much will it cost?

Is there an alternative to studying abroad?

These are just few of the questions one must ask himself before actually deciding on studying abroad. I shall cover more in the next part. Thanks for your patience.

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A New Semester, Same Old Story

Harry — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:08:19 +0000

Today was officially the beginning of a whole new semester at college. I would have used this line if I had written this post about a week ago. It still doesn’t make too much of a difference. One week into the new semester, college has just begun. The first few days of a new semester are simply to re-adjust your body clock, get used to the way college smells and of course get back to your college buddies.

The best part of the semester system is new subjects, new lecturers (well most of them) every six months. It’s like taking birth again. You don’t remember anything from the past and you come across a whole new world of knowledge (or something like that). So we’ve got some pretty interesting subjects this semester and some pretty darn boring too. We’re being made to sign some crazy affidavits that lets the college screw us in case we’re found ragging the new kids.

Somehow God wanted to make this semester ‘colorful’ (as Pratik puts it) so he blessed us with an insane daily schedule and some brand new love birds to enjoy with. The icing on the cake is the big project thing we’ll find ourselves indulging in during this year. As per some sources it’s something that’ll shape our career. Yeah! Like the International University thing hasn’t done enough ’shaping’.

Well let’s be positive about the new semester. All the best to everyone. Let the party begin!

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Stuff they mostly lie about at Engineering Colleges

Zordy — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:33:57 +0000

We have a great infrastructure

Apart from the IITs and a few good colleges here and there, there is no such thing as an engineering college in India with an infrastructure. What they really mean by that word is that they have an a decent looking structure built that looks so amazing when you look at it that it makes you wanna get an admission here. Once you cross the Lakshman rekha or whatever, that’s when you realize the dingy inner structure of the college. For the first whole month you’re keen on searching out the entire campus area for that great infrastructure and those things they showed you on the glossy college prospectus during admissions. Expect engineering colleges in India to have computer labs without computers, workshops without electricity and classes without teachers, desks. The tall claims of ISO certifications and approvals by AICTE are clearly bought using large sums of money.

Admissions are only on merit basis

This is one line they don’t mind printing in bold letters. However it’s the biggest lie engineering colleges tell to the world. Getting an admission in such engineering colleges in India is as easy as getting popcorn during the movies. In fact easier than that. A huge number of engineering colleges have cropped up across the country so there’s no shortage of seats in such colleges. If your parents have enough money to spend on you then you might just buy your own ticket to an engineering college of your choice near your home. Management quotas in private self financed engineering colleges are all about making money and giving out admissions to the least deserving.

We have the best faculty

For any good engineering college the faculty is one major factor that plays an important role in shaping up the image of the college. It’s important because teachers have a direct role to play in imparting knowledge to students. Most engineering colleges here face shortage of staff in the faculty. As a result you’ll find one teacher tied to several subjects and sometimes the teacher isn’t even qualified to teach such subjects. So you end up in a class of about sixty students staring at an unqualified faculty member who is as clueless as a chicken in a strip club.

We have a 100% placement record

Almost all engineering colleges especially the private ones claim they have a 100% placement track record. Most of them totally lie about it. Who cares? Some even place their students for a salary that’s lower than what you pay your gardener. It’s a fact that mostly the top 20% of the cream in these engineering colleges make it to the top companies.

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The Complete Guide to Campus Placements 2009

Zordy — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 16:53:19 +0000

Are you a final year engineering or management student? Have you already been placed in a company or are you looking to get placed in the last semester this year? Or are you a pre-final year student looking to get placed in a company this year in 2009? If the answer to any of these preceding questions is a ‘yes’, chances are you’re already shitting in your pants.

The great American recession bought a slowdown to the Indian economy and then Satyam happened. Everyone around you is talking about how people are losing jobs everyday and you feel the pain when you read the newspapers. So what should you do now? I say you’ve got two options. One, the easy one, find yourself a filthy rich girl and get married to her. Two, the get-real one, embrace yourself, be prepared and hope for the best. There are still jobs out there, companies are still hiring and you still don’t need to get out and ring those bells at temples like they do in Bollywood flicks.

Here’s a snappy little guide to help you survive and prepare yourself for the campus placements scenario in 2009.

Embrace yourself

No I don’t mean to scare you at all but if you realize the gravity of the situation, you shouldn’t be surprised if you find yourself without that dream job immediately after graduation. The pay scales to freshers have gone down considerably along with the number of offers. It’s a tough time but you’ve got to stay calm and strong. The situation will tend to ease in the next couple of months hopefully.

Carry on with preparations

A few odd companies would still be visiting your campus for placements in 2009 and there’s no doubt about that. Don’t expect sugary packages or big companies for now. Keep up with your preparations and make sure you are ready for such placement sessions. It’s time to hunt for those aptitude books and start solving those puzzles too. Start reading more and more. This should help you with your language skills as well as boost your general awareness. Send those formal suits to the dry cleaner and keep them shining bright. Be prepared to run to other colleges for placement tests as well.

Explore alternative career paths

Most engineering students in India feel that once you’re into a particular stream, you can’t switch between another in the industry or if you’re into a particular career path, you can’t go another way. Wrong. If you always wanted to become a network administrator but you’re finding it hard to survive in the market you can always switch to another line easily. You can choose to go for a short term specialization course in the field you’re interested in. It’s advised to pick up unexplored territories if you’re looking to make it big in times like this. I mean if you want to be a Java developer but can’t stand in the highly saturated market then try your hands on developing mobile phone based applications. It’s all about thinking global.

Go for further studies

Pre-final year engineering students who are already pissing in their pants have opted to go for further studies. This is a very good choice. Start preparing for getting admissions to various post-graduate courses you might be interested in or prepare for CAT. If daddy’s got a great deal of money then you can choose to study abroad. Make sure you choose a course that’ll help you grow on the ladder of your career path.

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