Fresh Engineering Degree Graduates - Most Will Be Condemned To A Life of Misery!

Engineering Degree Holders Everywhere, But Very Few Are Capable And Employable!

Imagine being marooned on a boat at sea without fresh water, there is ‘water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink’.  Similarly, the mushrooming of ‘education industry’ is turning out lot of degree holders but very few are employable.

Colleges offering professional degrees have grown like weeds. The weeds  grow quickly and  add to the greenery.  They look good.   However, just like weeds hinder the growth of crops, many of these private professional colleges have prevented a solid educational foundation for the youth of Andhra Pradesh.

Last year, about 1.8 lakh engineering and MCA students completed their education.  Not even a small fraction of them have got jobs. The job market is so disappointing that many students just stopped looking for jobs.  Fresh graduates no longer enroll for computer courses to enable them to get jobs. Computer training institutes are not seeing enough people enroll.

When someone does an engineering or MCA it is a one-way route.  You cannot really get out of that field into another field.  Honestly, how many pharmaceutical companies will hire a BTech Civil Engineer as pharma salesperson.  Or how many retail companies will hire BE (Computers) as Customer Service officer.  However, if the same person had done a BA or BCom they would not have an issue with either a pharma sales job or the retail customer service job.  A couple of years later, they can always do an MBA or MCA and change their careers and be a productive and responsible members of the society.

Over the past decade, with the increase of engineering seats from 4,000 to about 2 lakhs - every Yelliah, Mallama and Ramulu can get a seat in Engineering. The student and family feels great - like they did for those who graduated last year. I am doing Engineering or my son will be an Engineer.  A parent might have thought – my son’s life will be ‘settled’.  Well that was till last year!

The quality of education and the talent levels of those admitted are so low for 98% of all these engineering students that they may be condemned to a life of misery.  Their career prospects or chance of a well paying professional job no better than someone who does an Unani or Ayurveda Medicine degree from some unrecognized institute.

The Satyam saga may ultimately affect a few thousands familites– that too only temporarily!  However, the epedemic growth of higher education colleges has destroyed or will destroy the future of lakhs of lower and middle-income families.  There are so many of them who have taken loans, sold possessions and made many sacrifices in the hope that their kids will be well settled.  

Today, their kids employability is a question mark.  However, in order to get those degrees they borrowed lakhs of rupees.  The chance of the kids repaying the loans with a well paying job are not very promising. Not for this year, but for a long time into the future.  

With lakhs of low quality students being admitted into professional courses – there is a possibility that the current education policy has destroyed the future of an entire generation who may have been better of doing ITI / Polytechnic diplomas or a regular BA, BSc, BCom degree.  Such degrees might have helped them find a honest and stable technician or service jobs that would have been better matched to their abilities.

The only good thing about the current recession is that it may compell many parents to really think hard before admitting their ‘not so smart kid’ into a low quality college offering professional degree. A degree from such a college has little value in the job market.  Even NASSCOM publicly admits that only 25% of the engineering graduates are employable! That was a few years ago, before the vast increase in new professional engineering colleges.

Only thing Big about Big B is his ego and constant craving for attention!

Ego helps some champions to achieve more, to set higher standards - they do not settle for anything less than excellence.  However, in case of Big B – it is a constant craving for privileges, entitlements and attention.  And a nasty habit of belittling others achievements.

Big B declined Bill Clinton’s invitation to join the Clinton Global Initiative(CGI). No issue with that, he could have said a "No, thank you" privately. But not Mr. Big B who derided the invitation publicly and said why should “I sing and dance…”  or  “travel to a foreign land to lend cause to a foreign initiative, patronized and guided by a foreigner, for his benefit.” 

For God’s sake the Clinton Global Initiative does projects in 150 countries. A Foreign company called Dow Chemicals has committed to Rs.140 crores to help create community water systems in India to help provide safe drinking water for 1.1 crore people in rural India. The Clinton Global Initiative is about creating projects of your own choosings in your own neighborhood to suit your strengths and capabilities.

Well what can you expect from Big B. Maybe because it is required to make Commitments to Action in the Clinton Global Initiative– concrete, measurable steps towards improving lives. Otherwise, they are not invited again!  Well that is maybe what scared our Big B.  He could not just do some ‘dancing and singing’ and get away. He needed to do something meaningful.  If Big B really cared for Mumbai and terrorism -  he could have made a commitment to do something about it and make an impact. Instead he made a very careless comment and sought to indulge the auto / taxi wallahs of Lucknow and many star struck housewives looking for ways to idle away their time.

Recently, he said something stupid about ‘Slumdog millionaire’ a couple of days after it got the Golden Globe Awards.

Big B cannot think beyond his village pond, even if we put him in the Indian ocean.  I know ten times more desi fans of Jackie Chan in Hyderabad, than all the ‘white’ fans of Big B in even a large city like New York.  

I have seen people say some Indian actresses look ‘Hot’. But never met anyone who said he watches Indian films.  I have seen movie theatres flocked with thousands of Indians for a hit Indian movie. But never saw one white family or a even a group of ‘two’ white people (on their own – not tagging along with an Indian group) come to watch a popular Bollywood movies.

They have mentioned seeing a Indian movie song and surprised by the colors of the dresses or the raunchyness / craziness of the dances. But never seen anyone who said, I like Indian movies and cannot live without seeing one every other month. Or have any white person ask me ”Hey, any good Indian movies you would recommend?”

The situation is entire different with Indian food. Every part of USA has Indian restaurants.  And many white people geniunely relish Indian food. They are clear what they want to order and why they like a ‘Chicken Tikka masala’ or ‘Naan’. In a business meeting, I once came across someone who was crazy about Muligatawny soup and was surprised that I did not know what it was though I had lived in South India. Turned out later that the ‘Muligatawny soup’ was a fancy name for ‘Sambar’ (yes, of Idli Sambar fame!!)

So wake up Mr. Big B.  Just understand that appealing to every low class Bihari, UP, Rajasthani and Haryanvi is one thing. It is another thing to appeal to an international audience.  I know your ego hurts after all the ego massaging you get from million and millions of low IQ fans of yours.  I don’t think people who are more refined and more intelligent will be as blatant with their adulation for you.

Yes, you are the North Indian Champion.  Not even a National Champion. Not sure how many villagers in West Bengal,  Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu will know you.  And be humble and realize that there are some Olympic champions. 

Maybe, it is the money that Anil Ambani’s ADA Group gives you that motivates you to keep creating ‘noises’ and ‘unnecessary controversy’ to promote the ‘Big Adda’ blog and brand. Grow up, face the reality and stop indulging your ego! 

Roti, Kapda, Makaan and mobile phone!

They are called cell phones in the US and mobiles in India.  India is the largest growth market for mobile phones adding about 60 lakh  mobile phones every month. There are around 26 crore landline and mobile phones.   India expects to reach 50 crore subscribers by the end of 2010. 

Your maid servant has it, your painter, plumber, electrician and pretty much everyone has a cell phone. Its almost like any adult who wears footwear has a  mobile phone.

The fact that people across all walks have it makes it easy to get things done.  You need to find directions, go  to a landmark close to the destination and call the person.   Your contact will most likely give your a live updates and commentary as you find the location.

It has a nuisance value too. Since every one has it and the incoming call is free.  You have no disincentive to pick up the call.  Unlike in the US where you will be charged for picking up a call from a unknown number!  Thus, telemarketers feel free to call you. It is very easy for the cell phone to become a nuisance.

In the US, many people buy a cell phone for emergencies. They hardly ever use the phone and look for the cheapest plan with a small number of minutes included in the plan..  I have seen many people buy a cell phone, when their car becomes old and unreliable.  A tool to call the towing company or a friend when the vehicle breaks down.

In India it is a status symbol. People buy expensive cell phones with organizers, email capable and many more features. However, a vast majority hardly use the productivity related tools. They  use the media player and the camera. People generally are very savvy with fancy ringtones and other emotionally appealing features.

It it amazing how the same tool can be used for one functional whereas  in another country a totally different use is put for the same device.  Isn't that interesting?

Road conditions deteriorate badly in Hyderabad

Want to develop a spondilitis condition?

Then drive through this stretch - JNTU to Chandanagar on the Mumbai National Highway.  It is not a road, it is a test track build for thoroughly evaluating the Land Rover All terrain and Multi Purpose vehicles before a crazy African Jungle expedition. 

Overall, the quality of roads in Hyderabad has deteriorated very badly.  In my opinion, from around early 90’s to a few years back Hyderabad had the best roads for a city in India.  Now it is going back to the horrible 80’s. Though I was a small kid I could not help but notice that  every time Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi visited Hyderabad, the roads they traveled on would be recarpeted (even if it was the third time that year).  While the rest of the roads continued to be neglected and badly potholed.  

In the last 3-4 months, some roads are being re-laid (maybe because the elections are getting closer). However, this is very adhoc and not need based.  Roads in Hyderabad seem to be classified into 2 kinds - VIP roads for the 'masters' and I guess the rest are for the ‘slaves’.  The slaves have to travel on the badly potholed roads for committing the crime of paying taxes to fill in the coffers of the government run by the VIPs. 

This can be best seen in Panjagutta.  The road from Begumpet to Road No. 1 and 3 Banjara Hills is well carpetted.  The Raj Bhavan road is also very good. However, Panjagutta to Saradhi Studios is badly potholed. I have been watching the steady deterioration of this road for the past 2 years.

The “prized jewel”  (worst patch of road) of GHMC is a small stretch of road underneath the flyover at Panjagutta X Roads.  Since the Kukatpally-  Dilsuknagar is the lifeline road of the city through which about 10 lakh people travel everyday.  There must be some very “intelligent” reason known only to the city administrators for not properly maintaining this road (a full  six months after the flyover is completed). 

If this trend continues it will not be surprise if it  takes 4 hours to travel from Panjagutta to Shamshabad airport.  As I painfully went through 2 kms of obstacle race on the JNTU to Chandanagar road,  I could not help but thinking. GHMC is not able to maintain the current roads in the city.   How will they  manage once the city fully expands into Greater Hyderabad! Think about that!

Hostels - Unsung Heroes of Hyderabad

In the last decade,  Hyderabad transitioned from a sleepy town with Nawabi lifestyle to global offshore destination.  In the process, attracting many MNC companies to setup offices in Hyderabad.

In this transition, the Hostels played a very key role.  By providing a place to stay for those who moved to Hyderabad in the first few months or years in Hyderabad.  The hostels enabled companies to scout for talent from other locations in AP as well as from outside AP.  The hostels made it easy for people to find a place to stay in Hyderabad.  Otherwise, they would have to find a relative or friend already established in Hyderabad.

As you probably know most landlords have a bias against bachelors.  It is very difficult to find a place to stay easily. Without the hostels, it would have been difficult to get people to move to Hyderabad.  This would have put the hiring plans of the Hyderabad companies in jeopardy.

I am aware the hostels are not classy places. However, they serve a purpose and they do it fairly decently.  In my company, I have benefited from hiring several people who were new to the city and these hostels enabled them to find a place to stay.  Thus, helping them to stay focused on doing well on their job!