We all have to make choice decisions as to what we want to do after we pass out giving our senior secondary education examination. Most prominently the Engineering aspirants and perplexed parents have commonly 2 questions in mind:

1. Which college is best?
2. Which branch is best?

Welcome one and all to the admission season; In addition to weather seasons, people in India also have to acclimatize with this additional season. It is long considered that engineering is the most preferred and “rest assured” choice for a professional career. It has time and again been proven that engineers are highly versatile when it comes to stretching into various employment fields. Lots of people with engineering background have gone into other career ventures like telecom revolution, becoming an actor, cricketer, politician or even a magician.

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Getting an engineering degree in the yesteryears was considered a dream achieved, today it’s a mere afterthought and has become a lucrative profession to pursue. The story behind most engineering colleges these days is not very heartwarming. The newly pass out engineers are not given jobs automatically. This, in turn, raises a question that needs answering as to why so many engineers are unemployed year after year.

Those students who select the right academic slot are bound to get opportunities. Pythagoras once said that “Choices are the hinges of destiny”. It emphasizes more when one is on crossroads of career and the decision taken today decides the future course of action. Last week a parent paid me a visit and requested me to career counsel their ward. The father was a reputed builder and desperately wanted his son to join the business. He asked me to guide their son to become a Civil Engineer. The father had not given any other alternatives to his son. On first look, I had my doubts whether the young lad even had an aptitude for engineering let alone civil engineering. The lad expressed his thoughts of getting into computer science engineering but his father was pushing the civil engineering profession down his throat. In spite of all my conscious counselling efforts, the boy is afraid will have to digest the course of civil engineering education.

What out of Mechanical, Mechatronics, EEE, Electrical, Computer Science or IT? Or something else? There are many varieties of engineering branches and sub-branches available in the prospectus to choose from. It is too tricky for both parents and children to narrow down and choose the right engineering Branch. The focus should be to choose the branch keeping in mind the interest, ability and aptitude of the student. Another factor upon which the selection of the branch also depends is students career planning. It is very important that a student evaluate his inherent personality traits and match it against those which may be compulsory determinants for success in any particular engineering branch.

What to keep in mind when choosing the right branch?

Here are a few points to be mindful of when choosing the right branch of engineering:

1. The Big Dilemma: Branch or College?

My opinion is that both are important and you will really be fortunate to get both. However, in a situation where one has to make a choice, my suggestion to the students will be to first weigh the options available with them and go through the credentials of the institute thoroughly. Research the college website and ensure the basics of accreditation etc. to be in place. A student has all the rights to ask for these details. Inspect the past performance of the institute in fields of placement, teaching faculty and infrastructure. Even if an institution that may across not be top notch, it is advisable to give more numbers to the branch of your choice.

2. Stick to your interest

Many students get pressurized either by parents or by peers to choose a particular branch of Engineering. All such students should take into consideration the fact that future scope would be desirable only when they have the desired aptitude to work in a particular field. But the plain simple fact is that each branch brings about decent sets of opportunities. However, if in the end, you choose a branch purely on the basis of presumed job prospects, irrespective of your interest, it might not lead you anywhere.

3. Look Beyond Four Years

An engineering degree is not the end of the journey for most of the students. A lot of students prepare for post-graduation in either engineering or management or administration. It would be ideal to plan for the future and consider the options of higher education, coaching etc. available in the city where the institute is located. Before selecting a branch, students should consider meeting as many engineering professionals as possible and understand their lifestyle and career opportunities. This will help them to get better clarification about the profession and enable them to take the right decision.

FINAL CONCLUSION:

Every branch of engineering has the potential to deliver a great future for the student. Selection of the right branch is more important than the selection of the institute. Before narrowing down and finalizing on any institute a student should necessarily be satisfied with the institutions’ accreditation status. A student should understand and analyze his aptitude, Interest and skills and apply these details to choose the right branch of engineering. Furthermore, whenever required students should not hesitate to take professional help to select the right branch and right institute.

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