Simplifying the process of counseling and decoding the criteria for a career in engineering
Introduction
The entire process of engineering admission is a time consuming task. Students are often left in a dilemma about the choice of a good college. In the first stage itself, they are unsure of the journey that they are going to embark on during the course of engineering. The process of counseling complicates the matter even further. Although a number of opinions and advice are available online, they do not answer the questions from the students point of view. In this article, we intend to provide a systematic study about the process of counseling and also decode the criteria for a career in engineering. This article is also accompanied by advice that guides you about the engineering journey at the undergraduate level.
The process of counseling
The process of counseling is extremely essential as it helps to guide the students in choosing the perfect career. It is not a coincidence that after taking admission into the engineering college, students have to go through a process of counselling to select the perfect branch or stream. The problem with the process of counseling is that it lacks subject matter experts who could guide students and give them appropriate career direction. Although some educational consultancies have taken up the job at a localised level, we still don’t have an institutional structure to cater to the gravity of the problem. It is in this context that sufficient online research needs to be carried out by the student himself so that he gets a rough idea about his future career journey.
For instance, let us assume that the basic interests of a student fall in the categories of physics and mathematics. In this case, a career in engineering branches like civil engineering, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering would be suitable. If a student is interested in information technology and has sufficient interest in programming languages, then the engineering branches like information technology and computer science would be more suitable for him. Similarly, if a student has more inclination towards subjects like chemistry, it is more likely that the engineering branches of chemical engineering and metallurgical engineering would give him an appropriate career direction.
We conclude that the branch of engineering that is to be selected by a student should take into consideration his inclination towards related subjects rather than unrelated ones. It needs to be noted at this point in time that a related branch of engineering can not only rekindle interest and fascination of the student in that subject but can also make him excel by leaps and bounds in that very field. On the other hand, if there is a mismatch between interest of the student and skill required in a particular engineering branch, it is likely that the student would become demotivated during the long course of four years.
A career in engineering
Engineering is no longer a career that it was a decade ago. It has slowly transformed into a parent branch from which different streams of study emanate. Needless to mention, engineering in the present time is no longer restricted to four core branches but each branch is now subdivided into various domains and dimensions. In addition to this, various branches of engineering are now offering specialization in different subjects so that the mismatch between educational curriculum and industrial skills is completely resolved. The aim is to train a class of students who are sufficiently skilled to take on the reins of the industry as soon as they graduate.
It is important to look at some of the sub divisions and specializations that have recently emerged in various branches of engineering. The branch of computer science engineering now offers specialization in data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning and the like. Similarly, the branch of chemical engineering now offers specialization in petroleum engineering, mineral engineering and renewable energy engineering.
Engineering journey at the undergraduate level
Engineering journey at the undergraduate level would be largely driven by your interest and inclination towards related subjects. It is in this context that choice of a perfect branch can fuel motivation, passion and innovation during the course of four years. It can enable you to become an enthusiastic engineer who can then serve in a related industrial ecosystem and contribute to the long term goals as well.
Hence, it is highly advisable to conduct a full fledged research and seek sufficient counseling so that you secure your career at an early stage.
