Engineering !!!

Before you read ahead, here is a word from me. This not a well-written article or so. These are thoughts that I have been getting over years and are put just like they are - totally messed up!!!

Soon after I joined std 11, started preparing for engineering entrance exams that I had to face 2 years later. Which coaching class is good?.. which books are good?... which correspondence course should I take?... how should I study?... should I focus on board exam or ignore it?.... and lots of such questions were there in my mind. and I am very sure all others also were facing same questions. Whenever we come to know that someone cleared some entrance exam, run to the person and ask about method of study, books, coaching etc etc... Dad also was asking his friends to preach me to study else I would not get a seat in engineering. there was a big questions - Would I be able to get through any of the exams? and frankly, I didn't want to answer this question myself as it would scared me. I screwed up std 11 exams completely and still happy that I am preparing for JEE. One year later I realized the coaching I have been attending is not going to work for me and I need some other classes. So, joined another class that I hated always. Reasons - about 250 students in each batch.. how will the teacher help me doing better. Still, went to the class with the crowd and attended it. I am not sure what did I gain or loose. At the end of 2 years, I applied for many entrance exams and started taking them one after another. Results also started coming and result was same.. not selected anywhere. I was completely broken. I was worried.. what will happen to me? would I be like any other guy on the roads? what will mom-dad think who had so much of expectations from me? and many more killing questions. Then I decided to drop the year and prepare again for next year. Few days later, I had to apply for one more exam under pressure from my parents. Even bigger pressure to go and write the exam. Though I didn't expect, fortunately I was selected and managed to get a seat in REC Warangal. I never ever heard also about this college before that day. But, i was so upbeat about this college as if I knew this since ages. Isn't it funny !?!

Joined REC Warangal in 1994 and started my journey for engineering degree. I didn't have any idea what it would be. All I knew was, I will definitely complete it. Year after year and hence 4 years passed. Completed it, got a job in campus and finally, I became an engineer. What a great achievement. Should I be proud of this? Definitely yes. I was different from others in the crowd.

Joined job and sailed through it for 2 years. First taste of professional experience was full of learning. Thought of launching the career again on a fresh ground and joined another company. Since then it has been 6 years, I learnt a lot of things. Not only myself, but also from many other friends of mine. Thanks to everyone for making my journey so far a learning experience.

At this stage, I think what did I learn in Engineering and how much I am using it. I feel I wasted my time in college. But, is it true? Got a chance to meet the professors at college and then they started asking what changes we should do to make it more effective. Specifically, what changes we should do in the syllabus to make it more effective. The question I ask to myself, would any change in syllabus going to make it really effective? And I am putting lots of my thoughts here what I answered to myself.

First of all, here are few things that I learned in college has been very handy in life:
1. Going out of the closed circle and meet new new people. A diverse crowd is a boon.
2. Sustain and result under pressure.
3. Honor time.
4. Eat whatever you get. you can't get mom-cooked food everywhere.
5. Have some dreams.
6. If there is something worth doing, it is worth doing the best way. Some of my seniors inspired me to study well if I am whatever people say.
7. How to handle conflicts of various degree.
8. How to maintain health even without eating home made food.
9. Learn anything and everything quickly and be ready to work with it.

and there are some more. I don't think it is required to mention here.

But, the point is.. is this what I came to engineering college for? Is this what the syllabus designed for? Is it the true intention of Engineering?

If you talk to some professor, they will say no. There is more and better. You should learn the concepts that will help in working on it later. etc etc

But, do we really work on those concepts? or use them in anything we do in daily life?

My answer is a big NO. Though I learned lot of things there, very few of them are being used and that too rarely. What a funny statement !

OK. let me take a small break and divert a little. More practical studies, e.g. Research oriented studies, MBA etc etc are designed little differently. It gives opportunity to everyone as per their need and interest. If someone wants to take specialization, they can. If someone wants something general, then also one can go ahead. Every person, is happy about it and tries to gain maximum out of it. Quest is to know more in whatever one is doing, not to compete with next person. I think this is a healthy environment for studies.

When I think about design of engineering course, I get a strong urge to suggest something like that. Why can't engineering students are allowed to take the course in the same way i.e. those who wants specialized studies, they can go for it. And those who want otherwise, they can also go for it. Computer Science, Mechanical Engg, Electrical engg, Civil Engg etc etc .. I feel these are not branches.. they are fields of study. If we make branches out of them, it will be unfair to some who want general studies. So, here I propose a new branch called, "General Engineering". I know, something similar we studied in first year. But, there on all specialized only. Even if some other things were introduced, they were never stressed upon. So, current design of engineering course (not the teaching method) is good for those folks who wants to go into research. people like me who wants to use this in real world, need the general engineering more just like general management in MBA.

So, General Engineering should have lots of courses on communication skills, stress skills, people skills, finance, some engineering concepts from all the fields that can be used without those heavy or funky instruments etc etc. Lots of discussions should be part of it. Event organization should be part of it. Most of the students join the main stream jobs that we least research oriented and this course is going to be for them. Basically, they should be able to fit everywhere and proceed further except research jobs.

I realized that this will solve my problem of "Modern Education" and make all general engineers "jack of all trades". I am sure, professional environment will be a different place. A place where one doesn't feel those 4 years of engineering is wasted. A place where people are more at home, learn further and contribute more effectively.

Cheers