We are rolling out 1000s of graduates stamped as engineers who fumble miserably in real world. 3 out of 4 unemployable is a shame for the educational institutes. Something has to be done to create and environment of producing better quality engineers. One aspect which has huge influence on a fresher's success in corporate world is his attitude and soft skills. It is pathetic to see hoards of young professionals joining industry who do not have an inkling on how to carry themselves. Most of them act like junior school students instead of professionals. The integrity, committment and willingness to learn in a job is very important in the first few years. Instead it becomes a rat race to find out who is paying Rs1000 more and jump. Learning becomes secondary and thats a dangerous thing for an young pro.
RE:Quality of engineers important
by timepass on May 01, 2008 11:10 AM Permalink
At the same time, the work culture needs revamp. It is inexcusable on part of managers to demand subordinates work for more than 8 hrs a day. It can not improve efficiency and is detrimental for everyone in the long run. High time some managers learn how to nurture pros. Most of the western world has much higher productivity compared to India even though they work 8 hour days.
RE:Quality of engineers important
by crux er on May 01, 2008 11:19 AM Permalink
You are hitting the point, but not highlighting it correctly - productivity
Working for 8 hours with the correct productivity is the key here. In our country, if there is no boss around, people tend to relax and there goes the work for the day. So, Integrity & commitment(like how timepass has mentioned) are key to move away from the image we have at present in India
I am 32 years an engineer old and head a product division of an MNC, I didn't get here overnight. i knew my engineering results were not up to the mark and took whatever came my way initially, made sure I left no stone unturned, whether i was asked to count refrigerators or stack up washing machines, and then demanded a profile I wanted once the time was right.
On the contrary i see fresh graduates walk in to my department and say within 2 months claim they are being underutilized, I try not to laugh, why do engineers from third rate institute with a "donation" degree feel they are gids gift to engineering.
And this is an attitude not just confined to the workplace, as a counselor I was asked by final year students why a 60% in 3 sems out of 6 was not good enough for Stanford.
The second party responsible for this are parents, who play no small role in bloating the egos of their children, time for a reality check everybody, 30 years back there were 100 graduates applying for a single medical representative or clerks position. Reality check " Beggars cant be choosers" if you can choose then leave don't crib.
And as a last word I doubt if Ms Smita Rajan' father wud have done the same if smitha was a boy. For all psuedo feminist cant stand the heat dont blame the kitchen.
RE:lazy generation
by akash mehta on May 01, 2008 11:22 AM Permalink
I agree with Saikat, you don't get lunch for free. I too have started by workin in call centre's, never took that job as low, infact motivated myself into it and now manage an IT Location for one of the Top 5. Having a right attitude, taking each responsibility as a learning experience is more important than MBA or Engineering Degree. I have many people who are double qualified that me working for me. Above all, if one can't take pressure, quit and if you are so capable then crack IIT or IIM or find a job which you think is to your level. You reach the sky by starting at the ground level. Also there is no hear in observing human behaviour (tea habits), that skill will help to be a better manager when you do have to observe you teams. Neither is taking a call at the call centre at 2 AM, it helped me to appreciate what customer service is and how imp the customer is. You can either crib or learn and grow. Choice is yours.
RE:lazy generation
by Priya Jagat on May 01, 2008 11:23 AM Permalink
You nailed it right! Half-baked so called engg or B-school grads with very little knowledge of how things work in real life, mis-led by goebells media are led to believe that if you are say a mech. engg. you probably will have to work only at the shop floor and anything other than it is assault on one's dignity. Real world business is totally different and success in career comes only with overall experience & that includes engg. counting stock in a godown also
RE:lazy generation
by Ashish Arora on May 01, 2008 11:24 AM Permalink
I absolutely agree to the same, we own a placement agency in hyderabad and a number of Engineering graduates come to us looking for a job in any MNC/BPO/Marketing, when asked why they are not looking for a job in their field the standard answer is "i have a low % in my degree so I am looking for a job in a call center", when asked why a call center? their answer is "because it is a easy job and doesn't require hard work"!!!!!!!!!
Beat that - these guys require a job which doesn't demand them to work hard.
Some people come to us looking for english training, their grammar is not in place, neither is their pronunciation skills. When they are asked to brush up on their grammar basics like nouns, preposition, tenses, they have a very apt answer " I engineering graduate, I know english well, don't teach I basics" (this is an actual answer by one of the Job aspirants"
The problem with a lot of people is that they don't realize that no job in the world is demeaning, earning a degree doesn't make one fit for a higher position or a highly skilled work. Position and responsibilities come with experience.
In the article by rediff, they say this is the dark side of jobs boom in India, they don't realize that this is just a couple of people complaining about how they thought they would get more responsibilities but what they got was a starters Job which requires them to prove their worth. In the case of the lady working in the bank, it was her choice to take the loan.
To who we have to blame, no doubt we should blame the government which is ruling this nation since 1947. When the Brish was ruling, the Nalanda University in Bihar was world famous university where foreigners also were studied at that time. What is the position now? Today, Bihar is ruled by BJP and they should also bear some responsibility for this. The Congress Party is whole responsible for this.
RE:Education in Bharat.
by Ram Sharma on May 01, 2008 11:07 AM Permalink
U must give correct data in yr message. Nalanda Univ was destroyed by Muslim invaders, much before the British colonisation. Today Bihar is not ruled by BJP, but by BSP.
RE:Education in Bharat.
by Avinash Kumar on May 01, 2008 11:26 AM Permalink
It neither BJP nor BSP, but coaliation of JDU & BJP. Get your GK brushed up again!!!
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THE ARTICLE. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS. SIMPLY GETTING A DEGREE WOULD NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM UNLESS THERE ARE REALLY GOOD EMPLOYERS. WE NEED TO CREATE GOOD EMPLOYERS NOT JUST EMPLOYYES ONLY IF THERE ARE POLICIES, INCENTIVES, LOANS, FACILITIES, TRAININGS FOR NEW YOUNGER ENTERPRENOURS WHO CAN BE GOOD EMPLOYERS AND TREAT INDIAN YOUNGER EMPLOYEES WELL . PRACTICALLY SPEAKING WE ARE STILL SLAVES AND ASKING OUR NEXT GENERATIONS TO BE SLAVES OF THE AMERICANS AND EUROPEANS BY WORKING FOR THEM OVERNIGHT WHY FOR JUST 10-15000 RUPEES WHAT IS GROWTH AND MEDICAN CONDITION OF THESE CHILDREN AFTER THEY REACH MIDDLE AGE. THEY WILL DIE EARLY WITH SO MANY MEDICAL PROBLEMS. EVEN AS A CHILD EVERY BODY SO EARLY TO BED EARLY TO RISE MAKE HEALTHY WHEALTHY AND WISE ....IS THIS APPLICABLE IN BPO..CALL CENTRE WHERE OUR CHILDREN WORKING STIL AS SLAVE SLAVE....AND WE ARE PROUD OF BPO INDUSTRY.......INDIA SHINING? FOR WHOM POLITITIANS ONLY....
RE:JOB BOOM IN BPO AND CALL CENTRE
by emani v.kondala rao on May 01, 2008 11:18 AM Permalink
ONE DO NOT BECOME A SLAVE IF HE IS EXPEXTED TO PROVIDE SERVICE TO THE EMPLYER FOR WHCH HE WILL DRAW SALARY.YOUNG EMPLOYEES SHOULD START THEIR CAREER WITH A LEARNING ATTITUDE. DO'NT COMMENT THE EDUCATON SYSTEM. IT IS LIKE THAT IT WAS LIKE THAT AND IT WILL BE LIKE THAT, WITH SET OF POLITICIANS LIKE A SINGH R AT THE HELM. I FEEL THE RESERVATIONS ARE THE SOLE REASON FOR THE DEGRADATION OF THE EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS IN INDIA. THE GRADUATES BY VIRTUE OF THEIR CASTE ARE THE ONES WHO COMPLAIN AS MENTIONED IN THE ARTICLE.
RE:JOB BOOM IN BPO AND CALL CENTRE
by Bhajiya on May 01, 2008 11:14 AM Permalink
Friend, The youthfullnes of young Indians has been sucked by education system and fearse competition for admissions and competitive exams and what ever energy was left Indian industry and economy has stolesqeezed out of them. with this circumstances explained above reveals our youth never enjoy their youth due to over budoned of earning and career issues and they directly move to middle age from their teen age because youth life has been vasted in education, admissions, competitive exams and mechanical life. This is not the situation at all with any europians, africans or middel easterns youths but only happens with Indian youths. THey are most unfortunate youth on this plannet.
its is better to become a self employed person then doing this odd jobs after after aquring such a higher education. even a angootha chap can do this jobs
American workstandards per federal law is 8 hours the boss can take it or leave it. Indian work standards is slaving for 18 hours with unreasonable targets. It is a typical forced labor camp where maximum juice is sucked out of a person. The thing is Indians simply dont refuse and are passive victims to corporate rape.
This is one of the reasons for outsourcing in IT not just cost effectiveness.
This drudgery is present in most industries but more so in the IT industry where it is speculated that people dont cross 40 as per the WHO survey. You cannot listen to the music you love for 18 hours where is the question of working for 18 hours.
People shine the boss's shoes by staying in the office for 18 hours and this creates a bad blood for others who are more sincere and efficient and who dont need to do so.
As rightly said the outsourced job market in india is just the leavesa and flowers which can fall down. The trunk of the tree is abroad.
It is the precise slavery in IT companies and foreign banks which indians take a pride in and a salary which is a pittance in the US standards
RE:Work standards
by banda singh on May 01, 2008 11:12 AM Permalink
go to europe, you have to work 35 hours a week and no one can force you to work more..you come at 8 am go back at 5 pm and have minimum standards of salary compulsory,add toit the social security the country provides....India is way behind and dosent seem will get corrected in anytime soon,. this is no way of becoming a superpower,anyone saying this is a fool...
I have been interviewing engineers for last 26 years and find that the quality of average engineer has gone down. Most of them do not know basics of engineering. If by mistake some such engineer is appointed, what type of work can be given to him? This of course does not necessarily mean that all the persons mentioned in the article did not have relevant knowledge.
one should be worried about the situation. the much hyped indian employment boom, just causing failure to confidence and health of the employee and over earning company spending lods of money after professionals for doin nonprofessional things... it just shows the ill development of the countrey... will there be self improvisations, or one has to raise his voice for this? thats the point to discuss..
