Most students are no longer confused about career goals but are aware of exactly what they want after college, writes Sohini Chakravorty
When it comes to college life, the first few semesters seems to come straight out of Archie Comics. There is a Archie in every college muddled between Veronica and Betty, the lazy Jughead, the annoying know-it-all Reggie and silly Moose.
While it's all about bunking college, breaking boundaries, making and breaking relationships, in the final semesters these students are suddenly asked to snap out of their perfect comic world set up and asked the question “What next?”
Then starts the scramble for credits, attendance, to complete projects and get the certificates in order and befriending the nemesis in the form of lecturers.
Forgoing their grunge look, these students embrace sobriety in the garb of formal wear to convince the companies that their wild days are over and they are ready for all the responsibilities that life throws at time. But the situation is no longer similar to that of Hrithik Roshan from the film Lakshya, most of these students have figured what they want and how they will achieve and therefore placements mean much more than just getting the best pay package.
“Though the final pay package matters but more importantly the portfolio of the company should match our area of interest,” says Prince Gupta a third year Electrical engineering student.
He says that someday he would like to start something on his own but at this stage he just wants to get as much experience as possible.
“I feel with a good work experience and the brand of the company will open a lot of doors for me in the future,” he says.
While most colleges provide the final year students with career counselling and train them through mock interviews, the short listing of companies and deciding on the offer is a student's prerogative.
Though teachers and parents stresses on good grades in order to get a good job, placement coordinator and a B.Com third year student Hazel Rashmi says as long as the students clear all the papers they are eligible to sit for placements.
“In fact, every company has a specific cut off, if the students clear it they are eligible to sit for the placements,” she says.
The past record of the college and its brand name matters a lot when a company short list a college for placements, says A. Shruti, HR executive of a MNC. “If the company is happy with the performance record of the students hired in the previous placements, they normally go back to the college for the next hiring process,” she explains.
Apart from the aptitude tests, it's the extra curricular activities and their performance at the interview matters when it comes to hiring a fresher.
“I am satisfied when a student clears the 60 percent cut off. It is qualities like eagerness to learn, out of the box ideas, attitude of the student that matters more when it comes to hiring,” says Amrita K. an interviewer. “I have often seen that if a student is ambitious their resume shows a healthy balance between marks and activities,” she says.
G. Madhu Sudhan a Mechanical engineering student adds, “During placements all the students are on the same platform. In fact a lot of the toppers don't get placed while the average performers land up with the best offers.” Sometimes, personal recommendations from professors also help students with the placements though none of it is official.
There are also some students who prefer not to sit for placements and have figured their own career plan. “I have always wanted to get into research and I have decided to do my masters in Robotics in Zurich,” says D. Krishnan Manaswi another engineering student.
It is no longer about marks and the rat race or securing a job but students are pursuing their interests and planning it well which even makes Rancho from 3 Idiots a little outdated.
