A large number of students and parents turned up at the The Hindu ’s annual career counselling event, the second edition of which was held at Chowdiah Memorial Hall in Bengaluru on Sunday. The event is being held in eight other locations in the State as well.
T.N.Sreenivasa, CEO, AMC Engineering College said with nearly 50% of engineering seats remaining vacant in Karnataka, seat aspirants need not panic. “But, do proper homework before filling your priority list because you might end up getting a seat you do not deserve if you neglect these procedures,” he cautioned.
On how to prioritise choices, he explained, “If you are course-specific, then choose different colleges with the same course, but if you are college-specific, then enter all engineering programmes offered by the college. The most important aspect to take care of is to make sure your rank matches with the previous two years’ cut-off ranks of the colleges you are choosing. Otherwise, there will be a mismatch.”
Explaining in detail the complete procedure followed by Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) in allotting engineering and medical seats in the State, E.S. Ravi, PRO, KEA, said, “The documentation verification process will begin by the first week of June and will go on for about a week in 28 nodal centres of the State. The documents to be carried for the verification depends on the class codes under which the student falls.”
The second step — option entry — can be completed online by logging into the KEA portal using the secret key issued after document verification.
The third step is mock allotment, which is a trial allotment of seats to provide students a rough idea of where they stand. Thereafter, they would be provided two days to rearrange their options if necessary. Only then, the first round of seat allotment list would be ready, he added.
Prakash Yadwadkar, Vice Principal, Nettur Technological Training Foundation (NTTF), spoke about the new vocational engineering programme for class 12/PUC pass students, which provides hands-on training and makes them industry-ready. “After the three-year programme, students will be examined by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). This is a must-take programme for those who seek an industrial job soon after their bachelor’s,” he said.
Responding to a question about the best programmes in various disciplines today, Ameen-e-Mudassar, Career Counsellor and Founder, Cigma Foundation said, “There is no best programme. It comes down to whether a programme is suitable for a candidate. If you get into the right career, you will become a leader in your respective field. For choosing the right career, it is not just interest. Ability, personality and skills also matter. Do that which you are good at, love to do and will be paid for. The right career lies at the intersection of these three,” he said.
P. Balakrishna Shetty, Vice Chancellor, Sri Siddhartha Academy of Higher Education, Tumakuru, who was the chief guest for the second day of counselling in the city, echoed the same sentiment: “Unless a person enjoys his work, he will not reap happiness even if he is a billionaire, the president of the most powerful nation or a saint.”
