[Assam] IE: 2006--90% IITians stay home - opportunity for Assam Engg college grads

[umesh sharma]

In  a rapidly globalizing world IITians are going abroad as tourists while students and having filled their appetite for foreign glam-travel are choosing to stay at home - with near and dear ones . Away from the uncertainties which are part and parcel of staying abroad (esp for good which are so much more complicated). IITians are feted in India - and not so much abroad nowadays - even in the US - more known for agents of outsourcing (atleast in the media - though sought after by US univs and research bodies still ) .

Thats where the enterprising , resilient non-IITians engineers can take a lead.  All else being equal non-IITians have seen the rough and tumble of life at closer quarters than IITians - who have to study much more. Non-IITians perhaps thus are having more EQ (suicides at IITs are occurring every year  - though just one or two per year - just??) Emotional Quotient - meaning that non-IITians are ready for the long haul. IITians are known to already be successful - they wont like to wait years to go thru the complicated immigration procedures 
. Non IITians would.  A typical case which just sprung to my mind is of a couple . The guy  wants to work in the US (non IITian). His wife - 
an IIT engineer in software 
is firmly against it. Maybe becos her classmates already became professors at MIT etc whereas she would have to start from scratch. Professors get green card in six months - she may not get it in six years in her IT field.

Thus, Non-IITians looking for long term success (the way many would define it) are making use of the internet and global communication to seek global ventures - which till recently were reserved only for the select few from top Indian univs -who got jobs or scholarships abroad. Now non-IITians can afford to pay for college tuition in US univs - and make enough to repay student loans afterwards.

Non - IITians thus are more ready to face non-techie challenges - like legal hurdles in getting visas, coming up with convincing answers in front of the visa officers - having being able to convince parents and others to have faith in them even without IIT degrees. By non-IITians I mean engineers who did not get into IITs ( out of 600,000 produced each year only 3,000 are IITians anyway)

any comments?

Umesh
PS: Two of my students went on foreign internships when IIT students and after lots of fun came bac. Upon graduation don't desire to go abroad - it has become too common - no charm - maybe. Thus, when a girl student wanted o go for internship I tried very hard to help her get an internship but realized  that it is better to go abroad for studies or work - than for travel-tourism-internship.


IITians want to stay home, say no to Videshhttp://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/IITians-want-to-stay-home-say-no-to-Videsh/297648/
New Delhi, April 16:  Greener pastures abroad seem to have lost charm for IIT graduates as most of them are preferring to stay back in India and believe that the country will be a "promising geography" in the next 10 years, says a new survey. Among those who graduated from the IITs in 2002 and later, 84 per cent remained in the country whereas only 65 per cent of graduates during 1964-2000 period preferred to stay back. 
The survey of 677 IITians conducted by global analytics and research firm Evalueserve showed that from those who graduated in 2002 and later, about 49 per cent respondents feel that India would provide them better opportunities. 
Further, as many as 90 per cent of all IITians have chosen to remain in the country in 2006. 
According to the survey, among the IITians who graduated prior to 2002, about 60 per cent viewed developed countries as the destination with the best career opportunities. 
Interestingly, when asked that 10 years down the line which geography would hold the "most promise for success", 72 per cent chose India, while 17 per cent opted for the US, 5 per cent Europe and 2 per cent China. 
Better academic opportunities were the primary reason for IIT graduates to go to the United States. About 70 per cent of IITians who graduated prior to 2002 moved to America, while only 63 per cent of those who graduated in 2002 or later went to that country.    
  


   

Umesh Sharma

Washington D.C. 

1-202-215-4328 [Cell]

Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005

http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html (Edu info)

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ (Management Info)




www.gse.harvard.edu/iep  (where the above 2 are used )
http://harvardscience.harvard.edu/



http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/
       
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