The engineering era

CHENNAI:The renowned red-bricked building, College of Engineering (CEG), Guindy, turns 225 years on July 28. Among the highlights is their third Global Alumni Meet by Alumni Association CEG (AACEG) this month. Privileged to be the first engineering college in India, CEG was started in 1794 as School of Survey and established as a college in 1859. Currently, with 23 departments and 590 other colleges affiliated to it, CEG produces thousands of engineers every year continuing to be the much sought-after option among students. On the occasion of its 225th anniversary, three engineers from three generations — D Vasudevan (CEG 1962), president, AACEG; M Shanmugham (CEG 1971), VP, AACEG; Vish A Viswanathan (CEG 1985), convener, CEG Global Alumni Meet and M Saravan Krishna (CEG 2015), co-convener, CEG Global Alumni Meet — reflect on the scope in engineering.

“In 1962, there were only two women in our batch. Now it’s a 50-50 ratio. With only five to seven engineering colleges, we had numerous opportunities and fewer engineers. The first two years of our course were basics; we started to specialise in the third year. Unlike the private sector that’s booming now, we had more options in the public sector,” says 80-year-old Vasudevan, retired chief inspector of factories. He feels that the professors back then had a closer rapport with the students. Now, students are many and syllabus, irrelevant.

“Unlike medicine, law or CA, engineering students do not have practical exposure. Students must be taught how to learn the process through practice. Students were earlier recruited and trained in public sectors but now companies prefer readymade engineers and the numbers in core areas have dwindled. Technology has developed leaps and bounds. Government jobs have lost the lustre. We missed the industrial revolution that the other countries capitalised on,” he explains, adding that you don’t need an engineering mind to start a global company. However, the design and coding can be effectively done only by trained hands.

For Vish, going abroad was a choice when it was a not-so-common option in 1985. He feels that although the brain behind international creations is Indian, the work culture and advancement gives a better option for the individual abroad. “Engineers those days played a crucial role right from policy making to involvement in decision making. Gradually we’ve become job creators than job seekers. With entrepreneurship on the rise we will soon hit the global markets. To sustain in this field, analytical and deep thinking skills are very important,” says the governing council member of TiE Chennai Fostering Entrepreneurship.  

Now, more engineers are moving abroad for better pay. Third generation engineer Saravan Krishna feels that the syllabus has to be revamped and we need skilled teachers. “Most engineers who are interested in research go abroad considering the advancement in equipment. In future we should invest in start-ups, researches and fresh ideas. Instead of the output, the idea and process of doing a project must be appreciated. We’ve installed student incubators and the response is tremendous,” says Saravan.

The Alumni Association of College of Engineering, Guindy is 93 years old. Their priority is to help underprivileged students. Last year, about 57 students were sponsored for hostel fees. This year’s aim is to raise funds and train the students for nation building and societal upliftment. They are also trained in soft skills for campus placements giving equal importance to start-ups. “Ten years ago the software boom promised jobs for anybody pursuing engineering. Now even if you specialize in a field you work in IT. Only the best ones make it to the core company.  Parents have also realised that a job is not always guaranteed. So, there is a shift towards Arts and Science. More than unemployment the problem is under-employment. Students must choose a field that they love,” says Saravan.

In retrospect
Three engineers from three generations share their views on the future of the occupation. D Vasudevan notes that there are more women taking up the profession, and public jobs are now irrelevant. Vish feels that analytical thinking is essential for the field to grow in the future. Saravan notes that competition and lack of jobs has fueled industry unemployment.