A Letter of an Engineer: Addressed to everyone, You too..!!

Dear Everyone,

This is a Graduate Engineer talking or actually writing to you. I am not sure but I strongly feel this is what all of us have to say to the world. So if you’re a person who has never been to an Engineering college or has gone through the pain of going through 4 Years of irrelevant courses and papers to clear, you really need to read this. If you have, its all the more important you do. 

So here you're...!!

Yes, we are Graduate engineers (0 years, 0 Months, 0 Days of Work Experience or maybe some outside our field) who have gone through 8 semesters of hardcore engineering education. Most of us, about 70% of the people I met did it by chance rather than choice. Talking about the remaining 30%, even for them, by the time 2^nd Year of Engineering ends, it is a shocking choice. I’ll point out the reasons or say give you a timeline about what exactly happens-

Part – 1 School Time (Ages between 15-18)

1. When we were in 11^th and choosing subjects, we thought Science was our cup of tea (Keeping our excellent marks in 10^th in mind) and then we all had that one person who said, “Engineering is where the money is.”
2. Then as we got our shocks on seeing those Physics and Chemistry books, everyone said, ‘Tough hota hai, but Science ke student ho, itna nai kar sakte?’ or our ego said- “You were excellent in 10^th, this can’t be happening”
3. Then we had teachers, who were more concerned on completing the course rather than ensuring that you have complete idea about - Why did that happen?? Practical examples or models or anything of relevance go to hell. We've 12th Boards and looming entrance exams to worry about. 
4. Then came engineering entrance exams, and we all got screwed. Obviously, because we had no idea about what was there in the paper.(because the textbooks or the things we were taught in school had nothing even close to it) 
   About the rest?? They got screwed by our excellent, ever widening scope of reservation.  Thank you so much politicians. (A-hoes!!!)
5. So finally as the results came, we realized the final rites have been done. So the options were, change stream (and be labeled as a quitter who couldn't handle science) or take up a course at the local Engineering college.

By now, we're already in the Quicksand

Part – 2 College Time (Ages between 17- 22) (Not always true for IIT’s, NIT’s and other Top 20 Colleges)

1. The First year is the year of redemption. The first 2 semesters are where we work hard, try to understand everything we come across. The results are good, mainly because it is a continuation of, surprise, surprise..!! What we read back at school..!!! Yes, after being nowhere in the entrance papers they are back again. 
   We also realize, most teachers have no idea about what they are teaching. They are simply there to get their paychecks and be cool. To add, expecting everything to be taught is a foolish thing to do, syllabus of any subject is not meant to be completed at all. Then, you have to keep attendance happening, 75% criterion being applied in most colleges. Anything below that means you’re detained in your examinations. (No one cares that a Good Teacher will always attract students into class rather than repel them outside of it ensuring attendance every time and that you don't need this rule.)
2. The Second Year, the bubble bursts. You realize that, “Engineering is where the money is” was the shittiest thing you ever heard, because that is clearly not happening. Also, you suddenly have no idea about what is being said in the classrooms, clearly because even the teachers themselves don’t have any. This birth of “Engineer De Excellence”, the ability of a would-be engineer to be ready for end semester within hours of the semester end exams happens.  Before you dare criticize it, let’s see, if we fail or get backs, we’re as good as dead to everyone. So, Survival of the Fittest.  We also know we have no idea about the subject an hour after the exam happens.
3. The third year is apparently when we start saying, “Mar gaye Engineering lekar” or “I took the wrong branch” or “Wrong College man.” Everything else remains the same. We realize that being in college is being able to deal with a management worse than bureaucracy at the government, because apparently, whatever they do for us is always a favor, to hell with the fact that we pay and they’re paid for the same. We also know by this time that we are 'Royally Gone' cases. We start looking for other options to try growing our profiles and maybe, just maybe having a glimmer of hope for the future.
4. It’s Fourth year now and Companies don’t turn up, and even if they do, they turn up to humiliate us. Not through their questions, (because apparently the only one who is royally humiliated in the interview room is the one who goes first) they humiliate us by coming up with packages of 1.2 lacs per year. Yes, apparently 10,000 per month is enough to respect our 4 years of misery at college we went through. How different are engineers from a B.A student anyways, right?
   Also, a few students who really want to learn go for high end 4^th year Major Projects. Obviously all the formalities that have to be done are done and all help is taken from outside those formalities. (Read between the lines please.)

Finally, it's over..!!!

At the end of our engineering, all of you ask us our packages. Excellent!!! You have no idea about what branch we did our Engineering in, what scope does it have, what work are we expected to do, what is the market situation, how we have been taught, what we have been taught. You never guided us, or worse misguided us. You kept on rattling the great examples when you didn't even care to ask what we’re up to during the last 4 years of our lives.  Yet, you all feel qualified enough to ask and then above that, Judge us...!!! Were you there when we needed guidance to choose our subjects in 11^th? Were you there when we were going through dilemmas or the Mid-Engineering Crisis? Or finally, what bills of mine are paying tomorrow? The phone bill, food bill or electricity bill maybe?  

The Lemur says it all...

So, ‘Thank You’ and ‘No thank You’ for asking the questions which you DON’T DESERVE to ask. This right is with our parents, not anyone else. They have invested economically, mentally, emotionally and backed us through all our ill informed decisions based on all random stuff you said.

Also, to finish off, we’re Engineers, not Mechanics. We study mechanisms to make processes better. Not repair your computers, mixers or toys. We may know how to do it, but read part 2, point 4 again.

Thanking You or No Thanking You (Honestly),

Not Yours Obediently or Sincerely or Whatever,

An Engineer

P.S –    (i) Don’t look it as all the experiences of the Author. It may or may not have happened, but it’s the writing down of the summary of experiences of getting a chance to talk with thousands of students across India.

(ii) Also, I have myself written more than 96 applications (and counting) at college for the smallest things. So that’s where the experience comes from.

(iii) If you still have no idea what I want to point out, please do mention it in comments. I’m ready to take the pains and explain it further in the next post. I did it in engineering already.

(iv) If you liked this, please share it across. (No copy pastes please, grow up.) It will fulfill my intention of initiating debate on the topic.

(v) If you’re a Grammar Nazi, go away. We don’t need your grammar lessons. 

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