Why so serious ?

We were counselled by 'wise' people to shun any shortcuts to graduation and insist on engineering/medical. Commerce/Arts were regarded as liabilities on our career path, with a sole purpose to qualify us as graduates. Never had I thought that blind pursuit of common judgement will make me see such a day. A day, when engineers are unwanted. A day, where any association with A(Arts), B(Business) or C(Commerce) word will make you a preferred choice.

The summer of Twenty10 is a witness of such mishaps(perhaps). The subprime crisis will change the world so drastically was unexpected. Time is a great leveller I think. Every stream must get its due importance and it was high time when the mirage of Engineering was discovered. Theoretical knowledge, myriad of students and shortage of practical skills sum up the inadequacies and hence, the increasing unpopularity of engineering courses. At many private colleges, students do not get enough exposure and are literally studying there to buy a degree.

What more, the unstructured and least interactive teaching methodology ensures dearth of sound communication skills. Students are engaged in conceptual understanding most of the time, so the brain thinks most of the time before they speak. The aahs and umms prevail over smooth speech delivery. Hardly anybody address a sizeable audience. In future, if any such opportunity arises the mind is confused.

Infact, faculties do discourage students from interacting and gaining insights into the interpersonal dimensions. They feel that they are helping the students by encouraging self-monitoring and discipline. Students develop a peculiar work habit during the four years and in turn, become opaque to the new experiences. They feel odd when confronted by any deviations from the perceived correct approaches. They are not receptive to the idea and potential of a group discussion. How can a person, who has formed a tiring and difficult approach, search for an agreed upon solution in 10 minutes.

Problems in management do not involve formulas only. They also involve resources, constraints and time. This becomes an unprecedented scenario for our Engineering guys. They struggle to collaborate and synergise with others. Moreover, they are not sure whether others will reciprocate to their thought processes, which are rather different.

I did study about 'Change Management'. Certainly, we can follow certain practices to bring about a change in ourselves. Reading articles profusely, interacting with people meaningfully will help. Creating a good base of diversified knowledge and nurturing the same will enhance our chances in GD.

Engineering guys, known to be hard workers and good analysts, can accomplish any challenge. It's only time which has to give some chance so that we can prove ourselves.