“Once I finish my engineering course, I definitely don’t want to be a
chemical engineering trainee. I want to be absorbed by an IT company,”
Nautiyal said.
“There is nobody in my class who wants to become a chemical engineer. I
attribute this attitude not just to a trend, but also to the simple
truth that while as a chemical engineering trainee I will get a stipend
of about Rs 16,000 (about $350) a month, as an IT trainee I will earn
twice or thrice that figure. My prospects of going abroad too will be
much better as a software engineer than a chemical engineer.”
That attitude has resulted in a situation where electrical engineering
firms are finding it hard to make good hires.
“A common problem I seem to share with executives from firms like
General Electricals and ABB is that there are not many talented fresh
electrical, mechanical or civil engineers around,” said Rajesh Jain,
president of the Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers’
Association (IEEMAM).
"Almost all engineering students, no matter which discipline they have
chosen, are joining the IT industry.
“We try to visit colleges and inform the students about the bright
prospects in other fields. But since we cannot match up with the IT pay
packets, the students don’t seem to find us very convincing… IT is
swallowing all the young kids.”
However, the IT revolution may yet prove to have more casualties than
success stories. Jobs in the United States are disappearing every week,
and there are countless stories of Indians who get trained in software
only to find jobs nonexistent or low-paying once they enter the
workforce.
One possible solution is for those in other engineering fields to
convince students that they can use their software engineering skills in
more traditional fields. It could lead to higher-paying jobs down the
road.
"Not many seem to realize that engineers who can combine conventional
engineering skills with programm
· E-mail it · Set E-mail Alerts
But Who’ll Build India’s Bridges?
by Manu Joseph
2:00 a.m. Mar. 27, 2001 PST
MUMBAI, India – As revolutions go, the IT revolution was said to be
relatively bloodless. But in India, it’s killing other disciplines like
mechanical, chemical and civil engineering.
Bright young students are opting for courses that will take them to some
Silicon Valley or another. The situation in almost all technical
colleges in India is that even students who study mechanical or chemical
engineering eventually learn programming skills so that they can end up
in an IT firm in India or the United States.
Get Wired News delivered to your inbox or hand-held device.Get The
Wired News Toolbar. It’s so free we’re giving it away.
C U L T U R E
Today’s Headlines
8:40 a.m. Mar. 28, 2001 PST
A Little Winter Music Debauchery
Library Card Catalog, R.I.P.
Animated Response to Security
But Who’ll Build India’s Bridges?
Did Smuggled Meat Start Epidemic?
When in Doubt, Believe in Self
AOL Europe Taking Its Time
Sex, Drugs and Electronica
Color: Pink Elephant in Shootings
School Violence Denial in 'Burbs
S.F. on 360-Degrees a Day
High Drama at Game Festival
Making Senses Out of Games
Gore Tiptoes Around the Valley
Restoring the Sistine Website
010101: Art in Blackout Times
See also:
Great Indian IT Jobs: $20 a Month
Sad Plight of Fired H-1B Workers
China Threatens India Eminence
Discover more Net Culture
Infostructure strengthens your backbone
Manoj Nautiyal is a good example of what many see as a trend. A
third-year student in the chemical engineering department of the premier
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mumbai, Nautiyal is simply
biding his time, hoping for the day he can move into an IT program.
His entrance exams were good enough to place him into the chemical
engineering department, but not good enough to find a seat in computer
science.
He’s taking his classes diligently, and in his spare time studies
software programming by himself, from books and CDs.
“Once I finish my engineering course, I definitely don’t want to be a
chemical engineering trainee. I want to be absorbed by an IT company,”
Nautiyal said.
“There is nobody in my class who wants to become a chemical engineer. I
attribute this attitude not just to a trend, but also to the simple
truth that while as a chemical engineering trainee I will get a stipend
of about Rs 16,000 (about $350) a month, as an IT trainee I will earn
twice or thrice that figure. My prospects of going abroad too will be
much better as a software engineer than a chemical engineer.”
That attitude has resulted in a situation where electrical engineering
firms are finding it hard to make good hires.
“A common problem I seem to share with executives from firms like
General Electricals and ABB is that there are not many talented fresh
electrical, mechanical or civil engineers around,” said Rajesh Jain,
president of the Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers’
Association (IEEMAM).
"Almost all engineering students, no matter which discipline they have
chosen, are joining the IT industry.
“We try to visit colleges and inform the students about the bright
prospects in other fields. But since we cannot match up with the IT pay
packets, the students don’t seem to find us very convincing… IT is
swallowing all the young kids.”
However, the IT revolution may yet prove to have more casualties than
success stories. Jobs in the United States are disappearing every week,
and there are countless stories of Indians who get trained in software
only to find jobs nonexistent or low-paying once they enter the
workforce.
One possible solution is for those in other engineering fields to
convince students that they can use their software engineering skills in
more traditional fields. It could lead to higher-paying jobs down the
road.
“Not many seem to realize that engineers who can combine conventional
engineering skills with programming skills have a great future,” said J.
Vasi, a professor in the electrical department of IIT.
: 
When was i for real?
I am myself a dream
I always see you
watching me tenderly