Work experience with top firms appears to have trumped higher education among students of top degree colleges.
Graduates are choosing to work with established firms before deciding whether to go for higher education. Placement officers and career counsellors said that this trend was seen mainly among students vying for a seat in the top B-schools in an attempt to bolster their resumes. But now, students who have graduated in pure sciences, humanities and commerce are also following this trend, say counsellors working in some of the top city colleges.
Sahana Das, head of Communication Studies Department, Mount Carmel College, has observed students taking a year off from the rat race to explore what they want to do. “However, during the gap year too, they are working or preparing for competitive entrance exams and take time to understand what they want to pursue. Sometimes, students are confused about their career options and use the year to decide on the ‘what next’. A planned gap year helps address this,” she says.
Students who take a year to work or do other things are usually those in streams such as history and English that are not directly industry-oriented
Tanya Chabria, a final year B.A. student who has got into film school and also bagged internships, is contemplating taking a year off from academics. “College is really strenuous. Taking a day off helps you decide your priorities career-wise, but you need to be clear about the kind of break you want to take. I really like film making and advertising and I want to decide which of the two I should pursue, and whether I should gain experience or pursue academics,” she says.
Colleges also feel that staying a year off academics helps students understand what they want to specialise in.
Claudius Venkataram, placement coordinator for undergraduate courses at Christ University, said that normally 35 per cent of the undergraduates tend to opt for placements.
“Companies ranging from finance and software to startups visit our campus for placements. Students prefer well-known brands and a majority are not sure what they want to do and figure out after working for a couple of years,” he says.
Shivkumar Matada, Registrar, Alliance University, which has five undergraduate programmes, says that there is a ‘significant’ number of students who tend to chose to work for a year before to get clarity on what to pursue at the masters level. “Students now are very particular about what they want to specialise in. Also, since the competition to obtain a masters seat is high, students want to be sure of what they want to do,” he said.
Some students are confused about their career options and use the year to decide on the ‘what next’.
Sahana Das,
Head of Communication Studies Department, Mount Carmel College
