Lessons I Learned in Engineering

Hello Reader! It has been a while since I wrote an article here in GDSC or otherwise. Why so? Firstly being in my final year I was truly swamped with projects, internships, coursework, practicals, placements and whatnot. Secondly, I did not know what to write about. The second reason is apt :) Well, now I feel pretty relaxed about having completed this rigmarole. I’m three months from graduation and lately, I had a thought-provoking conversation with a very wise man. It went on as follows.

Wise Man - So Shreyas, What did you learn from engineering?

Shreyas - Sir, I learned about OOP, Data Structures, Theory of Computation, Discrete Mathematics, Operating Systems, Networking etc.

While I was blabbing this answer for a minute or so I realised this man was gazing at me with a heedful smile.

Wise Man - What did I ask you?

Shreyas - “What did I learn in engineering” right?

Wise Man - I asked you “What did you learn from engineering?”. Think about it.

I realised the gravity of this question. It was not about regular academics, it was a bigger question than that. After giving it a thought I have come up with six lessons that I learned in engineering.

I have completed 12th in CBSE and we merely had 70 students from all the science sections combined, cut to mid-July in 2018 when I joined campus we had a batch of 80 students in one section and 13 such sections. For a couple of days, I thought I have landed myself in the wrong place. Here, people had already made friends, formed groups, became petrol partners, uploaded selfies on Instagram on the very first day whereas I was having a hard time remembering their names. This 2018 batch of roughly 1000 students had come from various parts of the country which translated to the vast diversity in campus. They weren’t bad in any way it was just that it was difficult for me to climb the wall of this pre-existent social group. It was in my best interest to mould myself and interact with all of them. It was certainly a step out of my comfort zone, but comfort is the enemy of achievements. So I decided to improve my networking skills.

Let’s understand the math first. We had 4,000 students on the entire campus if I meet two new people every day I would have been able to interact with 2920 people only missing out on roughly 1100 people! 1100 is a very very big pool, I couldn’t risk losing a prospective best friend. Rather than interacting with them all, I thought of joining clubs and participating in competitions in order to find like-minded people. Here I was solving the social adaptability problem and networking with a lot of students through First Year Forum, Departmental forum, GDSC and finally instrumental in raising the IEEE CIS chapter. Working in these clubs not only helped me interact with like-minded people but also enhanced my management skills, confidence, composure in stressful situations, time management and emotion management.

No one is a stranger to engineering students ranting about how busy they are. For those of you who don’t know these students complain relentlessly about the internals, externals, practicals, viva, minor projects, major projects, no time to play, no time to socialize and this list goes on. Honestly even I was a part of the ranting party in the first year. Like a sincere junior, I consulted my seniors and apparently, everyone was facing the same problem and no one had a solution. A slight change in perspective was needed here. Agreed that it was a lot to handle but it wasn’t impossible. This problem could be solved with a structured routine. This way I was able to take part in forums, GDSC, IEEE, GDG whilst maintaining a decent GPA of 9.

Being a jack of all trades is different but maintaining interpersonal relationships is a whole new avenue so let’s talk about relationships and emotion management. Yes, I can see you making smirk faces already. I’m not going to talk about what you are thinking right now. So far I have shared mantras of adaptability, networking and time management. These hacks would be a path to meeting new people and learning from them. Friends: This small seven letter word adds a new dimension to life. I take my time while making friends but when I did believe me I met one of the most amazing people from researchers, toppers to singers, dancers and social butterflies. You can meet them at unexpected places e.g. library, TBD (add something funny)

1. Senior Bond: 80% of the tech knowledge I possess is by the virtue of connecting to the right people at the right time through GDSC. It is truly an awe-inspiring experience when a senior nurtures you and makes you a better technocrat and a wise leader. They are the reason you are propelled in the right direction.
2. Junior Bond: For someone who was always guided by seniors, I took it as my duty to make sure my juniors are trained well. Many of them are still in my contact, they chuckle and remember the days I gave them a hard time later to realise it was for their betterment and transformed them into people who can handle anything.
3. Professors: Initially few of my seniors warned me about super strict teachers but when I met them they were as good and helpful as other teachers. There I realised all teachers are good, they want to see us improve. We just have to be sincere in our work and decent in our behaviour.

I carry a big bag of memories from all the connections I have.

With great power comes great responsibilities. There were times when I was presiding over an interview panel and some of my friends turned up for the interview. As a friend, I really wanted to select them but as an interviewer, I could not because they weren’t fit for the position. Personal and Professional relationships have their own territory demarcated by a thin line, any decision you make might set the ball rolling for a lot of repercussions be thoughtful, rational and impartial while making any decision. As far as my friend was concerned I did not select him, he got angry. I gave him the reasons for not selecting him. We still are good friends even after these road bumps. It is not easy to implement, but what is?

I won’t demotivate anyone but there are hurdles, disappointments, heartbreaks, tension and all sorts of problems when you transition from a 12th standard student to a graduate. There are highs as well as lows, these are the straight facts served for you. But my perspective is the more problems you face, the more solutions you create, as you solve problems your thinking power and mental stamina increase. Being stuck in a problem is 100% justified unless and until you keep trying and don’t quit. I read this somewhere “If it is good, it’s wonderful, if it is bad it’s an experience. When you win, you win, When you lose, you learn.”

This is the exact answer of “What I learned from engineering?”