A Heartfelt Letter To College Freshers

As you progress in your studies, you will have good days and bad days.
Don't ever think of giving up.
Just 'hang in there' -- this is a powerful attitude that will last you a lifetime, advises rediffGURU Chocko Valliappa.

• You can ask rediffGURU Chocko Valliappa your career-related questions HERE.

My dear young friend,

I am confident that you are excited at the prospect of moving from the more disciplined and conventional days of schooling to the more carefree, responsible and self-disciplined days at college, university or an institution of higher education.

You've barely recovered from the stress of your school-leaving board examination and the next big challenge -- that comes its own levels of pressure -- confronts you: Scouting for career options you wish to pursue and finding the right programmes that will help you take those vital steps in that direction.

The maze of choices and opportunities

With every choice you make, there is the proverbial danger of the 'slip between the cup and the lip.'

These include surprises like missing the deadline to fill your application form, arriving late for the entrance exam for a course you were keen to take up or finding that your high rank in the entrance exam meant nothing because the counselling date has been pushed ahead.

At this point, you might receive some sane advice and solace from your parents, relatives and friends to not lose hope but to keep Plans B, and C ready to help you choose the right career, the right course and the right institute.

And they are right. When you are thinking about your future career, you should have backup plans in place, just in case your first choice doesn't work out. Having multiple plans helps you stay prepared and flexible.

If your first choice doesn't happen for any reason, you'll have other good options to choose from.

Now, let's get the first big question out of the way.

I am sure that, after sifting through a variety of options, you have made up your mind about the course of your choice.

I am also confident that your choice was based on a career that you love and are passionate about, based on the opportunities it offers and not the glamour and the glitz.

Making the right choice

The choices can range from arts to commerce, science with or without maths, biotech, engineering, medicine, business studies, law, architecture, hotel management or fashion technology.

Of these limitless choices, I am sure your last two years were devoted to focusing on a career in which you would like to shine and build a secure and successful future.

However, as I mentioned, the situation is never easy.

Making one choice among a host of options is never simple. So what should you consider before taking up a career?

Facing harsh realities

Some of you may not be able to make the cut in the career or course you were keen to enrol in.

This is not the time to get disheartened because the number of opportunities and new career options that are emerging are limitless.

And whoever said that a degree in civil engineering or a master's in Sanskrit could stop you from becoming a successful civil servant, police officer or even a company executive?

With the thousands of opportunities that the New Internet Age presents, a host of entrepreneurial opportunities for young women and men are opening up.

Check for reputation and accreditations

Irrespective of your scores or choice of career, a key criterion before you pick the institute is to check its pedigree.

Look for answers to questions like:

• Does the institute enjoy a good reputation among peer institutions? How old is the institution?
  
  
• What is its rank on the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)? Check the details on the NIRF or NAAC site.
  
  
• What is its score on the NAAC-A++ or NAAC-A accreditation?
  
  
• What is the placement record for its last few batches? What kind of companies come to recruit?
  
  
• What is the faculty-to-student ratio?
  
  
• What's the academic background of the faculty?
  
  
• Which university is the institute affiliated with?
  
  
• Does it enjoy autonomous status to be able to determine its own syllabus in keeping with technological changes and with speed?

How to choose the right institute

• Alumni base: Pick an institute that has a strong alumni base and an effective alumni network. Once you graduate, chances are that alumni who graduated a few years ago will come back to hire young graduates like you.
• Fee: It is important to consider the fee charged by the institute. As you know, the fee charged by many government-run institutions and government-regulated institutions is much lower than the fee charged by private organisations.
• Return on investment: Find out the average starting salary offered to graduates at the end of your programme (All institutions ranked are required to share their placement track record and average salary drawn).
  
  You can get the ROI by dividing the average annual starting salary by the total fee paid for the entire course duration.
  
  Pick an institution that delivers a better ROI.
• Scholarships: Don't get disheartened by high fees, especially if they seem unaffordable to your parents.
  
  Most colleges have a host of merit and merit-cum-means scholarships. Based on your scores in the qualifying examination and performance in every semester, you could bag several scholarships.
  
  Large industrial houses, NGOs and religious groups also offer scholarships.
  
  The AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education), UGC (University Grants Commission) and ministry of education at the centre and the states also offer scholarships -- Pragati (for girls enrolling in diploma programs), YASHAVI (technical degree or diploma in civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, electronics engineering) and Saksham (for those with disabilities) scholarships.

How to learn beyond the curriculum

1. Earn while you learn

Explore opportunities to 'Earn while you learn' at the institute as many offer assistantships to bright students to teach peers, help in research activities or collect market data, depending on the programme they are following.

2. Participate in co-curricular activities

Explore, engage, participate and excel in as many co-curricular activities and hackathons as possible to improve your self-confidence, communication skills and overall personality.

3. Sign up for internships

Explore all opportunities for internships and put in your best with full focus and commitment to be seen as a potential future employee.

4. Explore research and projects 

Go beyond learning what is covered in class and the syllabus by actively participating in and leading projects that your faculty may assign. This will help build strong problem-solving abilities that make you stand out.

The National Education Policy 2020 mandates a year of research in undergraduate programmes. So pick an institution which offers this opportunity and has robust partnerships with industry on curriculum design and internship opportunities.

Upskill with value-added programmes

Take up additional courses available on NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning), Coursera or similar platforms to imbibe the spirit of continuous learning.

This quality will come in handy to improve your employability and overall attractiveness to employers.

Always 'hang in there'

As you progress in your studies, you will have good days and bad days.

Bad days could be something like getting a score that’s not up to your expectations.

Put in your best effort to revise the situation.

Look at it from another perspective and seek help from peers, faculty and counsellors to get through tough phases.

Don’t ever think of giving up.

Just 'hang in there' -- this is a powerful attitude that will last you a lifetime.

Here's wishing you all the best.

Chocko Valliappa is the founder and managing director of Vee Technologies and vice chairman of Sona College of Technology, Salem, Tamil Nadu.

• You can post your career-related questions to rediffGURU Chocko Valliappa HERE.