Ever since he got his EAMCET score, 18-year old K. Prithviraj was torn between choosing Biomedical and Biotechnology Engineering given his passion for biological sciences. On Monday, he walked out of The Hindu Education Plus engineering counselling, his mind made up.
“I will choose Biomedical Engineering. The session helped me understand both courses and make an informed choice. I have also been guided well to decide which college I should choose,” the teenager said, visibly relieved.
Scores of prospective engineers like Prithviraj obtained valuable advice from speakers who discussed all aspects of engineering admission and study. The speakers stressed that students opt for core engineering programmes like mechanical, electrical, electronics, civil and computer science engineering courses instead of specialised courses which should ideally be considered while pursuing post graduation.
Dr. S. Ramachandram, Principal, Osmania University College of Engineering said Computer Science Engineering (CSE) and Information Technology (IT) courses were sought after given the large employment potential.
He, however, said that there was no difference between CSE and IT either in course structure or employment opportunities. He also focused on what CSE course is all about and the core skills students need to benefit from it.
Explaining about chemical engineering, Dr. N.L.N Reddy, Placement Officer, CBIT said that students pursuing the course have several opportunities within India and abroad.
“Chemical engineers have opportunities in their domain and IT sector. Several organisations hire them as safety engineers and in other roles, irrespective of which sector the organisation itself operates in,” he said while referring to Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Make in India’ programme that is expected to increase opportunities for engineers.
When many in the gathering asked whether gender decided course selection, Dr. S. Nagabhushan Rao, Director, Annamacharya Institute of Technology and Science (AITS), a civil engineer, who worked with the government, said that courses like mechanical and civil engineering are not restricted to boys.
“Today there are many women doing well in the civil engineering professions and there is no reason why girls should not be encouraged,” he told the gathering.
Dr. Sudhakar, Brand Director of ICFAI University, threw light on engineering courses and the skills needed in the larger context to be successful. One should look at the laboratories the colleges established as well to decide their quality. He said international-tie ups by the colleges indicate their seriousness and choose institutions where students get to study along with people from across the country.
Indicating its growing popularity among students, many enquired about careers in Biotechnology.
Dr. Sudhakar said that though there are several pharmacological organistions in Hyderabad that would hire experts in Biotechnology, only the highly-educated become eligible. Opportunities are more with masters and research experience,” he said.
Dr. M. Venkata Reddy, former Director of Drug Control and Administration said that students interested in Biotechnology can pursue bachelor education in Pharmacy which makes them employable immediately after graduation. If they still wished to pursue Biotechnology, they can then opt for masters in Pharmacy with biotech as specialization.
Students need to be strong in Mathematics and Physics for pursuing Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) as well as Electrical Engineering, said Dr. Koteshwar Rao of ICFAI and added the ECE course opens a wide spectrum on opportunities as every new invention was linked to electronics and communication.
Dr. M. Sreenivas Reddy of ICFAI asked the parents to encourage their kids’ interests and said those opting for Civil Engineering can explore niche areas at the post-graduate level.
