Completed B.Tech…Now What?
Many of us native to India have faced this question or never really wanted to face it. It is at that point in life where things start to fall in place, you find your inner discipline, what you seek merges with responsibilities and an excitement to earn some money and respect. Being a fresh graduate, you fall into this little space of confusing times - when made the right decision would take you to great heights or leave you disappointed in life.
You would say, “Alright, we know all this. So, what do we do to achieve what we want?” Well, I don’t know. I am in the same place as you. It is equally confusing to me. This blog is a discussion that we shall have together and see what we arrive at. No conclusion, no wisdom just a tread on options and opportunities that we are faced with at this juncture.
From the interactions I’ve had with friends, professors, parents and well-wishers, I have mainly found four different paths that seem to exist. M.Tech/MS, MBA, Placement, Passion. I will try to discuss neutrally, in detail each path that I have mentioned and possibly in the end be in a better place than before.
M.Tech/MS:
Having a master’s degree on your resume adds weight to your character, opening many doors that would otherwise be unavailable. It is a program that allows you to expand your horizon in any area that you choose to be your major. To geeks, enthusiasts, and researchers, this is just the opportunity that would fetch you not just the knowledge but a chance to apply it and experiment with fields that you have always wanted to.
There are 2 ways to go about this. You can either do your master’s in India, for which you will have to appear for GATE exam and obviously score well, or you can write GRE and opt for further studies abroad. It is worthwhile if you pursue your master’s in India only if it is from the top institutes like IITs or NITs. Any other university for master’s is not as good as what these colleges would offer.
When we talk about MS abroad, many factors come into picture. You should be financially willing to take this step. You should be ready to merge into a culture that you were never part of. You should be ready to take the responsibility to grow holistically to bring justice to everything that was put in to making your time abroad a successful one. If all this is not a problem then going abroad is an exciting and valuable experience. Prepare hard for GRE and crack it to the top institutes like Stanford, Yale, Oxford and be part of an amazing experience which some can only dream of.
MBA:
This is the most chosen path. It is considered supreme to have managerial skills with technical skills. It is a proven combination that is supposed to take people to great heights in a company. Then what is the problem? There are many who choose this path. This increases the competition in field and challenges you to be impeccable at what you do. When there is lot of competition comes chaos but makes you go out of your comfort zone to make you a better person.
For Indian colleges of business and management CAT exam is the one that fetches you the ticket to the cream layer of institutes — IIMs. It is arguable that one can be successful irrespective of the college they study in. But what these cream layer institutes do is they not just provide quality education and resources but also provide number of opportunities which is extremely important to excel.
Campus Placements:
This is the immediate straightforward route that stands in front of you at this stage. If placed in a good company, you would get fair amount of salary. Earning money and saving something that is yours entirely is a magical feeling. It gives you a sense of independence and responsibility. After 18 years of education this will be the first time that you will be truly thrilled which leaves you with the thought that finally after all these years of grinding, it has helped me to earn money with which I can do whatever I want!
While any college would guarantee you a good placement it is not so easy. There is a fair amount of hard work that you must put in. Often these days classes have become superficial. Technical education is key to be able to work in a firm. It is important to be thorough with all the key topics of a particular branch to be able to ace the interviews and get your job and remain in the job. Time has become such a valuable currency and we seem to be bankrupt all the time. However lifeless it may seem, one must take out time, consolidate all that you have learnt in 4 years, be complete and competent in all the concepts.
Passion:
This option is my personal favourite. This is the most disregarded route that exists, especially in India. Most of our parents are worried about this considering many issues like security, income and societal status. Yet what I feel is, ultimately what matters is not how many digits of bank balance you have, but the amount of happiness you get in life. Everything should be about that. It is what drives you everyday.
There are so many career options these days in the creative field. Talent and creativity is being encouraged across the world. Insane amounts of monetary benefits await in this way. So, it is important to discover yourself in the process of college. Travel, Sing, Dance, make friendships, interact with strangers have moments that last forever. Once you find what brings you inner peace, you have found the goal of your life. Strive towards that and money will follow. Hustle and success will be at your doorstep.
“If you don’t love what you do, you won’t do it with much conviction or passion.” -Mia Hamm
