‘If I am planning to pursue computer science engineering, should I study biology at the pre-university level?’ ‘Will job prospects in all fields of engineering be affected by the advent of artificial intelligence?’ ‘Do I have to write the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical colleges even if I have to obtain a management quota seat?’
These were some of the questions raised by students and parents at The Hindu EDGE Career Counselling Session 2018, at Jaganmohan Palace Auditorium in Mysuru, that were addressed by a team of experts including Ameen E. Mudassar, Chief Executive Officer, CIGMA Foundation, a Bengaluru-based Career Guidance company; B. Sadashive Gowda, principal, Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering (VVCE), Mysuru; M.D. Ravi, Professor of Paediatrics, JSS Medical College; and Suresh, a resource person deputed by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA).
If a student aiming to pursue computer science engineering is completely ruling out medical or dental courses, she or he can choose either computer science or electronics in lieu of biology at the PU level, suggested Mr. Ameen. However, if a student is in two minds or wishes to keep the option of studying medicine open, then she or he should study biology, he added.
Higher standards
The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) that is rendering many jobs obsolete has been telling on recruitments. Not only have certain jobs become obsolete, the industry, which is going slow on recruitments, has raised the bar on standards expected of students, Dr. Sadashive Gowda said.
A leading IT company wanted to recruit 15,000 students this year. “However, they could not get more than 10,000 students of their choice. Industry standards are going up. Earlier, their expectation was a 60% of marks in all the semesters from first to eighth. Now, they are expecting more than 70%. Also, they are looking for aptitude and communication skills among students,” he added.
Job opportunities
However, he sought to address the anxiety of the students over shrinking job opportunities by asserting that jobs are aplenty, but are available only for skilled aspirants. For instance, Japan alone requires 2 lakh engineers in the next decade and the country is looking towards Asian countries to meet its requirements.
The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has revised the syllabus from the next academic year 2018-19 making three months of internship mandatory for students – one month every year during the second, third and fourth years in college. The focus on theory has been reduced while more emphasis will be on hands-on experience. Hence, students joining engineering courses can expect more practical work over theoretical study, Dr. Gowda said.
Limitations of AI
Dr. Ravi, however, said artificial intelligence had its limitations in the field of medicine. “For instance, it will be difficult for a robot to read an X-ray. There will be several outliers that will be missed by artificial intelligence. A robot can only assist a doctor, but can’t take over her or his functions,” he said, before adding that each individual patient has her or his own parameters that are determined by their pharmacogenetics. “For instance, one person reacts to a drug like paracetamol differently from another person,” he said, and added that it was beyond artificial intelligence or robots to completely substitute doctors.
To a question on admission to a medical college through management quota seats, Dr. Ravi said NEET was mandatory even for admission via management quota in private medical colleges. After writing NEET, a student appears for counselling based on the ranking or directly contacts the college authorities for a management quota seat, he said.
CET rank list
Mr. Suresh, the resource person deputed by the KEA, said the CET rank list may be announced later this week. He said the students, who had appeared for CET this year, had till May 25 to edit the various options they had entered in the online applications. They should take a print out of the edited application and appear for counselling along with the challan of payment made for CET examination and the CET admission card.
