Students hope for best in a changing market
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The economic meltdown has left students uncertain, and many companies are rejecting top rankers
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— Photo: AFP
SIGN OF THE TIMES: Such motivational signs will inspire those who have been laid off or are seeking jobs.
The recession in many developed economies has its repercussions on our campuses. Students now dream less of landing attractive jobs in multinational companies coming to campuses in search of them. The scene is beset by confusion and uncertainty as they keenly watch the global economic scene.
The Hindu-Education Plus spoke to a cross-section of students and faculty in South India and found them harbouring concerns of various degrees about career prospects.
Some admitted being shattered and confused, while others tried to console themselves saying it was too early to affect them.
Seriously worried are the final year students, particularly of engineering and management institutes, who may not find a prospective job market when they pass out. “We can’t predict anything. Let us see what is happening. We will have a better picture when the current final year batch leaves the campuses in 2009,” said M.P. Induchoodan, Head of the information technology faculty at M.E.S. College of Engineering.
A general belief is that the recession will lead to stagnation in the job market, causing more worries to the students. With more and more companies turning to people with multi-tasking capabilities, engineering students preferring specialisation are driven to disillusionment.
“We are indeed waiting for the market to improve. But what is more disturbing now is the ‘upper cut-off’ insisted by certain companies, saying that those who score 80 per cent and above marks need not apply,” said Aman Jain, a student of B.Tech at Sri Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain College of Engineering, Bangalore.
That means, the companies have started rejecting the cream of students who excel in studies, on the ground that they will not suit a multi-tasking milieu. “This is a strange and highly disturbing phenomenon, a direct fallout of global recession,” Aman said. “Companies do not want people to do more than what is needed. ‘You just do what we say,’ is the current mantra by certain companies.”
Aman’s disillusionment is shared by engineering students across campuses. Campus recruitments have fallen sharply including well-known colleges. “Seniors who got selected last year are ye to get appointment letters. And indications are that many companies will not even turn up for campus selections this year,” says Divya Teja of Aurora Engineering College in Hyderabad.
The recession has crashed the career planning of many a student, she admits. She says most students begin planning their career by the fifth or sixth semester. “Seeing the companies chucking out people is terrifying. The career plans of students, particularly those in the final year, have all crashed,” she said. “The recession is building up a lot of pressure on the final year students.”
The arts and sciences colleges are also not insulated. Many conventional campuses had witnessed mass recruitments in the past few years, sending out signals to BA, B.Sc. and B.Com students of a solid employment market. But things will change with less recruitments.
With education becoming expensive, most students today join courses after reading the market. The recession is certainly going to affect their plans and choices of courses.
The bleak prospect of the job market has begun to fill the minds of parents with fears. Many have taken loans with the hope of landing lucrative jobs soon after their course. It will be difficult for them to adjust.
P. Manoj, final year student of a Master’s course in industrial business at Madras University, is a victim of recession. A global shipping giant recruited him a few months ago, but has now asked him not to join. “Everyone is worried, particularly those in the IT industry, ” Manoj said.
More time to choose
Some optimists recall the 9/11 attack that triggered the same kind of fear in IT sector with B.Tech., BE and M.Sc. computer science and MCA seats going begging. But the situation changed in a matter of a year or two, feels Raja Hussain of Madras University.
“Recession or not, there would be lots of jobs in India.” Medical and Arts and Science students do not worry much. “Although it is bad for India, a student of medical or paramedical course need not be worried. He will continue to be still in demand,” said Sounak Kumar Mitra, BPT (Bachelor of Physiotherapy) student of Manipal University, Udupi.
ABDUL LATHEEF NAHA
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