First of all, teaching must regain its respect. Teachers must be given privileges. In the current scenario, professors and lecturers are not well paid - at least when compared to industry. Also, most of the institutions are deprived of funds. This must change. Teaching must be made as the most sought after dream career. We must motivate students to become teachers. This will create excellent universities and colleges in India. This will keep and bring back the bright minds from USA. But.... will we ever wake up?
I am in USA now for PhD and did masters in IISc ,Bangalore last yr.I think the present trend is only due to increasing number of software companies,like those who dont mind doing any job (like I have see people from metallurgy,chemical engg...going for software jobs)are not even trying GRE,TOEFL and good softaware companies apys well too,but however everybody dont like software and they stick to their own stream and try for higher studies. Well it is a waste of knowledge gain to join software when you complete studies in mechanical engg but then students should go in every direction according to their own taste and decision,otherwise it will be more difficult in a highly populated country.
I do not neccarily agree with the views of the author here. I am graduate student in the US and I left India 5 years ago. I would defenitely want to come back to India, but unfortunately for me to do so means giving up what I am trained to do which is research in a fundamental area such as Physics. While India is flourishing in the software sector, unfortunately no development has taken place in other fundamental areas of science. And this means there is no end to the US's world domination in the near future. Its amazing the amount of money the govenment funds reseach and development in the US. The attitude towards research and higher education, sadly does not even exist in India. For a population of a billion 5 IITS ans 1 IISc and few other scattered research inistitutes around the nation is not enough. Even in these prestigious insitututions (barring IISc) there is hardly anybody doing a PhD, meaning hardly any research done at all!! How can a nation claim to be a superpower or even think of becomming one when we live on borrowed ideas?? When there are no jobs for such skilled people in India, how can there be a reduction in the percentage of brain drain?
I can accept the brain flow to the abroad. Hopefully it wont continue no longer as if we compare to the previous days. Now india became a opportunities, knowledge hub. Most of the MNC is looking for INDIA. Since one year there is growth we are seeing in Indian market. When will get swing the brain flow will be reduced.
This is because now people IN US have started using their own home brains instead of foreign brains. So they flushed and drained out the foreign IIT brains.
When I joined IIT in '99, I remember going abroad was the first thing in everyone's mind. Those who stayed either could not make it or had a strong reason to stay back. In some fields upto 80% people joined US universities. By the time I finished last year, the trend reversed completely. Except the few toppers and hard-US-minded, almost everyone in my batch and friend circle decided to stay back. And their decision seems to be paying off. Some of them are saving more than the ones in US.
There are several reasons: First, there were indeed high paying companies in the placements. Second, the futute clearly seems bright. Many parents, under these circumstances, advis their kids to opt for jobs back home. Third, the MBA option is going strong. Fourth, the 'dual-degree' program has influenced a large number of students. Not only the option of an MS is lost (which leaves one with a PhD of several uninterested years in most cases) many people are finding 'dual degree' a good reason to join jobs in their academic fields instead of IT. Finally, the number of offers have drastically gone down. All due to the increased panic after 9/11, which is inclined to grow. Hence, more homeward moves.
I am 24 & live in US, work for the biggest software company in the world. I hail from bangalore & been here since 3 yrs now. In my experience its not important just to stay back in India after (MBA/ENG), very important to learn to perform. Challenges are every where. 1 thing I find good about US is that there is no politics invoilved @ work & u r rated on your skills & performance.
