In the internet-driven knowledge era, information is available at the click of a mouse or the touch of the mobile screen. Advice on courses, even unsolicited at times, is storming in full flow, adding to the confusion of students standing at their career crossroads.
The Hindu EDGE offered them the required information in the right proportion, with no strings attached, which was hailed by students and parents alike. At a time when the higher education field is spoilt for choice, The Hindu EDGE career counselling session conducted at Hotel Regalia in Tirupati on Saturday helped clear the dilemma over various streams of engineering, their higher education and employment prospects.
K. Nagendra Prasad, vice-principal of Sri Venkateswara University College of Engineering (SVUCE) and a professor of civil engineering, called it as an ‘ever glamorous’ field, given the huge response received in the 800 engineering colleges in the two Telugu States. Prof. Prasad bet big on creativity and innovation, in view of the largescale construction activity taken up in the country in the form of national highways, irrigation and metro rail projects.
Opportunities don’t depend only on one’s alma mater or grades, but largely on one’s hands on experience and practical approach, said S.S. Ramakrishna Gorthi, associate professor of electrical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Tirupati). He predicted boom in renewable energy and IoT.
V. Diwakar Reddy, SVUCE mechanical engineering head, saw industrial engineering and fabrication as the growth engines.
Learning beyond classroom
SPMVV CSE head P. Venkatakrishnan said the new-age learning spread beyond the classroom, with the all-pervasive internet bringing lessons from across the globe. He said cyber security and Big Data would rain jobs in the near future.
SPMVV biotechnology professor R. Usha spoke on bright prospects in vaccine production, pharmaceuticals, animal husbandry, genetics, quality control, textiles, agriculture, forestry and so on.
K. Dorai Rauj, general manager (HR) at Srikalahasti Pipes, explained why academic toppers failed to see the industry’s needs and suggested the candidates to possess poise, assertiveness, self-esteem and the ability to motivate a team, apart from core skill sets.
Students and parents got their doubts clarified by shooting queries to the resource persons. TV5 acted as the TV partner for the event.
