Wednesday, 27 July 2011

Careers in Engineering

Tech trek to success

Despite the vast number of career options available today, engineering continues to remain a favourite with students

Albert Einstein once, in a tribute to engineering, famously said, "Scientists investigate that which already is; Engineers create that which has never been." Despite the vast number of career options available today, engineering continues to remain a favourite with students. This is because this field offers plenty of opportunities in a varied range of disciplines, and engineers are required in almost every organisation.

Engineering has evolved over the years to offer many more branches to students. Apart from the traditional branches-civil, mechanical and electrical, students can now choose from computer science, information and communication technology, electronics and communication, aeronautical, automobile, ceramics, instrumentation, chemical, biomedical engineering, environmental, textile, marine, production and sound engineering to name a few.

It may be a good idea for an engineering aspirant to pursue a core field, such as electrical, electronics and communications, computer science, civil, mechanical during graduation. This way the student will have more job opportunities after graduation, and can later choose a specialisation.

Engineering streams to choose from
Electronic Engineering
Communication Engineering
Aeronautical Engineering
Electrical Engineering

Considering India's robust growth rate, engineering students can look forward to increasing opportunities. Increased penetration of technology will lead to new employment avenues in outsourcing (KPO, LPO), legal, aviation, automotive, healthcare, supply chain, logistics, among others.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) will increasingly catalyse inclusive growth. Broadband wireless access is undergoing a sea change, creating the infrastructure for the delivery of new, data-intensive services. This is one reason that during the last few years, electronics and communication, computer science and information technology have been popular.

The IT industry is back in reckoning after a brief period of slowdown. According to latest industry reports, Indian IT-BPO (excluding hardware) industry is expected to grow by 19 per cent to reach US$ 76 billion in the fiscal year 2011. This industrywill add2.26 lakh personnel this year, to take the total workforce strength to 22.3 lakh.

Owing to a rapid growth in Information Technology, the field has become a quintessential aspect of our life. As a result, there subsists a huge demand for computer engineering professionals for the development of hardware components, new communication systems, software - both system and application software.

Branches such as environmental engineering, food and healthcare engineering may offer consistent job opportunities as these Industry fields are more immune to global slowdown. While doing a specialisation discipline (such as aeronautical, automotive, petroleum and ceramics among others), students should focus on building solid deep foundation in the subject.

After completing graduation, a student can apply for a job, or opt for post graduation in his or her field of specialisation and then pursue a Ph.D. if the student is interested in a research career. Successful completion of a B. Tech in computer science and engineering equips students for great careers in software engineering.

A variety of focus areas alloweach student to customise their learning to target a wide variety of career options. This includes research in computer science, applying computational techniques to solve problems in other basic and applied science (physics, chemistry, biosciences and electrical engineering to name a few), developing scientific and mathematical software, system software development such as device drivers and operating systems, commercial software development, embedded systems, mobile application development, industrial process control, bioinformatics, IT and mathematics applications in finance and IT-assisted education.

There is a popular but incorrect perception that there are not too many corporate openings for those pursuing research. However, India is increasingly emerging as an research and development hub with a large number of companies setting up their research and development facilities in India, leading to a huge demand for trained research or technical professionals in the corporate sector. The severe shortage of highly-skilled technical professionals is being acutely felt across all industry sectors, making M.Techs and Ph.Ds a favoured lot.

Today, working people in the private or public sector can acquire a bachelor's engineering degree through distance education. Quite a few institutions in India are now offering graduate degrees through distance education. Thanks to the rapid growth of information communication technology, it is now possible for students to get to hear and learn from thought and opinion leaders across the world.

Engineering is a field that requires practical application of theoretical knowledge. Thus, a strong grasp of core subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and bioscience is important in order to innovate and think out of the box.

Learning is not merely about finishing courses and getting grades or gaining disciplinary knowledge but it is 'learning to learn', learning how to solve unstructured, openended problems that have no unique and pre-determined solutions. People with a research bent of mind and curious disposition make good engineering professionals.

In summary, a career in engineering from a good institution helps nurture an analytical and curious mind. It provides excellent job opportunities and opens the doors to a career in research and development. The engineering profession is rich and truly rewarding and ensures long-term stability and a great return on investment.

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Careers in Nuclear Engineering

Fission and fusion

Studying radioactive materials and radiation and learning how to use them in areas such as power and nuclear medicine forms the basis of nuclear engineering.

Equipment failure, nuclear meltdown and release of radioactive material as a result of the Japan earthquake brought worldwide criticism for the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster. This steered the world back to the age-old debate on the benefits of nuclear technology.

Many international bodies advocated closing down nuclear plants. But everything has its advantages and nuclear debates brought to light the many benefits of developing nuclear energy. A world with more energy and less carbon emission, no electricity problems and better medical facilities, the advantages are clearly more.

Studying radioactive materials and radiation and learning how to use them in areas such as power and nuclear medicine forms the basis of nuclear engineering.

"India has no choice but to go in for nuclear energy in a big way. Renewable energy has to be encouraged to the maximum possible and there has to be a focus on the importance of nuclear energy to meet the country's requirement in the future. Students should be encouraged to develop a career in this field," explains Suhas Sukhatme, former Chairman, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Government of India.

Nuclear engineering encompasses areas of the research, development, and application of nuclear energy and power plants. It also involves the handling of nuclear fuels and the safe disposal of radioactive wastes.

"Students interested in this field should have reasonable mathematical background and some technical programming skills. A B. Tech. or an M.Sc. degree is the basic educational qualification I would recommend to students who want to specialise in this field," explains Prabhat Munshi, Professor, Mechanical Engineering and Nuclear Engineering and Technology, IIT, Kanpur.

At present, nuclear engineering is studied as a specialisation and is offered at the postgraduate level. "A sound foundation in mathematics, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and heat transfer and a keenness for research are necessary," says Kannan Iyer, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT, Bombay.

Job opportunities range from those at nuclear plants and government organisations to those in private firms. Fellowships are offered from the Nuclear Power Corporation of India and Atomic Energy Regulatory Board in India. The salary package ranges from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 7 lakh per annum.

Atomic awakening
- Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, www.iitk.ac.in
- Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, www.xlri.ac.in
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, www.iitb.ac.in
- Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata, www.saha.ac.in

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Tuesday, 26 July 2011

Google unveils social network to challenge Facebook

New York, June 29 (IANS) Google Tuesday unveiled its new social networking service to take on Facebook.
The Internet search engine introduced Google+ social network for what it called 'real-life sharing.' To be available first by invitation only, Google said its social network will meet the most basic human needs to connect with others.
Aiming to take advantage of flaws in networking on Facebook, Google said, 'Today, the connections between people increasingly happen online. Yet the subtlety and substance of real-world interactions are lost in the rigidness of our online tools. In this basic, human way, online sharing is awkward. Even broken. And we aim to fix it.''

Google said, 'We'd like to bring the nuance and richness of real-life sharing to software. We want to make Google better by including you, your relationships, and your interests. And so begins the Google+ project.''
It would offer options of networking, including 'Circles' interface for adding friends and sharing 'what matters, with the people who matter most' and 'Hangouts' interface for group video chat.

'The debut of Google+ will test whether Google can overcome its past flops in social networking, like Buzz and Orkut, and deal with one of the most pressing challenges facing the company,'' said the New York Times.
'At stake is Google's status as the most popular entry point to the Web. When people post on Facebook, which is mostly off-limits to search engines, Google loses valuable information that could benefit its Web search, advertising and other products.''

But Google+ might be already too late, the paper said.
'In May, 180 million people visited Google sites, including YouTube, versus 157.2 million on Facebook, according to comScore. But Facebook users looked at 103 billion pages and spent an average of 375 minutes on the site, while Google users viewed 46.3 billion pages and spent 231 minutes.
'Advertisers pay close attention to those numbers, and to the fact that people increasingly turn to Facebook and other social sites like Twitter to ask questions they used to ask Google, like a recommendation for a restaurant or doctor, because they want more personalized answers,'' the New York Times said.

Wipro offers up to Rs 10 crore annual package to new CEO

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Fake Wipro job racket busted, four arrested

A job racket where 37 unemployed youth paid Rs 1.8 lakh each to a HR consultancy firm after being tricked into believing that they had got lucrative jobs at an IT firm, Wipro Ltd, has been busted following the arrest of four persons.
The accused were identified as Rajiv Ranjan (30) from Bihar, Mohammed Azar (25) native of Andhra Pradesh, Sathya Priya (25) a resident of Tamil Nadu and M N Naryanana (29) hailing from Kerala, according to Bangalore Police Commissioner B G Jyothiprakash Mirji.
The investigation on the basis of a complaint referral made by the technology firm has revealed that the con artistes used a placement agency called Lotus Consultancy, headed by a woman from Coimbatore, Sathyapriya, to lure youths to fake job interviews at Wipro.
Prospective candidates were convinced into coughing up money for jobs in Wipro through an elaborate plan where they were sent to meet the mastermind of the racket, Rajiv Ranjan, a native of Patna, on Wipro's main campus at Bangalore. Ranjan (30) gained access to Wipro's main campus here with a valid vendor pass and the 'candidates' were reportedly let into the campus with guest passes available to vendors. Posing as the managing director of the company, Ranjan conducted interviews at a guest room on the campus before making fake job offers.
Explaining their modus operandi, he said Priya would lure job seekers and collect documents and original certificates from them with a promise to get them employed in Wipro in Bangalore.
The accused would then accompany them to the Wipro campus, where she would arrange for a meeting with her accomplices, posing as Wipro personnel. The accused would then arrange for an "interview" with a person posing as an employee of the HRD division of the company.
Mirji said the accused managed to gain entry into the Wipro campus by misusing the vendor entry cards issued by the company.
The accused would then hand over the victims appointment letters for the post of software trainee engineers with a annual income of Rs 2.94 lakh. The fake letter also asked them to report to Wipro in the month of September, he said.
The racket came to light when one of the victims suspected something amiss and alerted the police, following which each of the accused were nabbed one after the other over the last 15 days, Mirji said.
The gang, all first-time offenders, had been running this racket for about 40 days and had so far cheated 37 people, he said.
The police found goods worth Rs 58.43 lakh, ATM cards, pan cards, gold ornaments, vehicles and duplicate letter heads from the accused.
Three of the gang members were pursuing their management courses and were well qualified, police said.
The accused were tech-savvy and also managed to replicate the Wipro logo on their letter heads. So far the police had not traced any links to any Wipro employee in the racket, but are investigating this angle as well, Mirji said.

Wipro offers up to Rs 10 crore annual package to new CEO

Mumbai, Mar 21 (PTI) T K Kurien, the new chief of the IT business and CEO of Wipro, will get an annual salary package of up to Rs 10 crore .
As per the terms of appointment of Kurien, salary is in the range of minimum of Rs 3 crore to a maximum of Rs 10 crore a year, Wipro said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.
This would include periodic increments, variable pay (based on performance criteria), leave travel allowance, house rent allowance, company provided car and driver, furniture and equipment and provident fund among others.
Kurien''s is one of the highest salary packages in the IT industry.
According to TCS'' Annual Report 2009-10, company CEO and Managing Director S Ramadorai received Rs 3.61 crore in salary, benefits and perks and commission for the period between April 1, 2009 and October 5, 2009.
Infosys CEO and MD S Gopalakrishnan received Rs 1.01 crore during the fiscal 2009-10, says the company''s annual report.
Kurien will get 12 months salary as severance benefits in case his services are terminated. This benefit will be calculated on the basis on the last drawn salary before the termination.
"If the company terminates the agreement, the company will communicate the same in writing to the CEO and the CEO will be eligible for severance benefits as follows: 12 months last drawn salary," the filing said.
Salary for this purpose includes basic pay, benefits and allowances and variable pay, it added.
In January this year, Wipro appointed Kurien to lead Wipro''s IT business after sacking joint CEOs -- Girish Paranjpe and Suresh Vaswani and dismantling the joint CEO system.
While naming Kurien as the new CEO, Wipro Chairman Azim Premji said the company was going back to the single CEO structure as it wanted a leaner and more efficient firm. PTI SR SKB

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Infosys gives its employees ‘a voice’

BREAKING NEWS:

Cabinet reshuffle: Dinesh Trivedi Railways Minister, Verappa Moily Corporate Affairs Minister, Anand Sharma gets additional charge of textiles

Infosys gives its employees ‘a voice’

Infosys Limited may not be your friendliest neighbour or the most employee-friendly IT company around. But they sure are making amends.
'Infy Bubble', their recently launched internal social networking site is supposedly a platform for disgruntled Infoscions to vent on. The site mirrors Facebook and allows employees to connect across borders with colleagues as well as bicker about anything they want, said Nandita Gurjar, Vice President and Group Head, Human Resources, Infosys Limited.

She added that the site doesn't encourage personal attacks but it does welcome negative feedback about their bosses and peers. The site also allows them to share photographs and other stuff just like they do on Facebook, thus giving them a platform to engage themselves with other employees.

This is one of the internal PR exercises Infosys is conscientiously indulging in to salvage their image. The company has been battling severe criticism and high attrition rates lately.
And, despite rising wages hurting the IT bellwhether's profit margins, it isn't stopping its hiring momentum. Infosys that plans to hire 12,000 employees this quarter has already added 9,992 employees this year.

When asked if this would further affect their revenues, the management strongly responded by saying that they are going as per their yearly target of 45,000 new additions. With the improving business sentiment and revival in IT spends , IT firms are stepping up hiring to meet demand for their services.
The company today posted a 15.72 per cent jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 1,722 crore for the first quarter ended June 30, 2011. During the first quarter, Infosys and its subsidiaries saw over 7,000 employees leaving.
As we know, with increased hiring comes a high rate of attrition. But the company isn't really worried about it. Gurjar says, "This is the quarter when we normally expect employees to go for higher studies. 30% of the employees who have quit cited this reason."

She says, the company can't stop employees from pursuing higher studies. However, they are pondering on how to get them back with acquired skill sets. Gurjar says, "95% of the employees who quit to pursue higher studies actually want to come back. But since we have a structured process they have to undergo the complete interview cycle in the campuses. So may be in the near future we might have a policy where an employee can come back after getting MBA degrees or something else without getting into the complete interview cycle.".
But there is an interesting bit of information that Gurjar revealed. "34% per cent of our total employee workforce is woman. So in this quarter 32% of the woman employees who quit didn't cite any reason for quitting the job. They just wanted to take a break. Now this is something that we want to review."

While they ponder on what's working and what's not, the company is also planning an Infosys radio service through which the management will regularly interact with the employees. Looks like the company is engaging in some serious PR exercises with employees to build a few bridges. But will it curtail attrition? In true Infosys management lingo, "We might have to wait for the next quarter" for an answer.

Google unveils social networking site Google+ to challenge Facebook

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