There used to be a time when societies were driven by individuals; through their relentless efforts and undying determination. Today, however, India has become a society which drives individuals. We do what’s popular instead of what’s best for us. In a situation such as this, it is important to refrain from basing your decisions on opinions not best for you.
Most of you are preparing for competitive examinations, longing to enter the best institutes in the field. I am so sure, those of you preparing for JEE must already have set a dream IIT. This, generally is a result of popular opinion. Most of you must be wishing to be a Computer Science Engineer because of the money. Many of you might already have decided which branch you’d ‘not’ opt for! Let me list down the ways you may tend to decide your college (which, later, I’d request you NOT TO)
1) What was the highest compensation offered in this college?
2) What was the average compensation offered in this college?
3) What was the highest package from this branch?
4) What was the average package of this branch?
5) B.Tech from IIT = Job ensured. So, it’s either IIT or nothing else.
6) Chemical Engineering is ‘Kam akal’ engineering, so there’s no use going for it. (My personal favourite).
7) Chemical Engineering is Chemistry and I hate Chemistry. So, Chemical Engineering….No way!
8) I’d like to go for Mechanical Engineering because I just love Physics!
9) ‘Agar IIT nahi hua toh bekaar hai.’
10) ‘Civil mein boom aane wala hai, Civil le lo!’
These are just few I’ve heard during my preparation; I am sure the list has grown. Also, you guys can go ahead and make your life easier by basing your choice on one of these. After all, these are ‘10 Best ways to succeed in life!’, decided by society for you. However, for the good of it, I’d request you all to ask yourself “Is that the best I can do?”. If you’re true to yourself, you’ll make the right choice through sufficient research.
Let me rephrase it softly for you.
Q. What makes you decide your college?
A. I hope most of you will agree with me that it is nothing but the facilities/resources/infrastructure offered by the institute that you can use and make the best of your abilities. It is definitely just not the compensation offered. Surely it’s a criteria but, the sole criteria? Well, no.
Q. What is the best way to choose a department (branch) you’d like to pursue Bachelors in?
A. It is ultimately the satisfaction the field has to offer. Monetary satisfaction is just not enough, there has to be another barometer to this. Your satisfaction depends a lot on your aptitude for the field. This, generally, is a difficult decision to make. You should try and connect to people who’ve made similar choices in the past. This can be done through facebook groups, linkedin, online forums etc. The decision you make will definitely help you grow. Not every one is made for Computer Science, some are made for Chemical Engineering too.
Many of my friends have chosen one of the ’10 best ways to succeed in life’ and have taken a detour later. Some are full time writers, full time photographers, some started their own company and few went for ‘the bucks’. One of my friends went on to pursue music in Georgia Tech in the U.S.A. He is doing great!
Entering an IIT is no doubt a great achievement. The thing, however, is that you may or may not end up in an IIT with your dream branch to pursue; if you learn to take your own decisions and stick to them, you will be happy. As someone rightly said ‘Sometimes you have to make decisions which are best for you, not for everyone else.’
