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A plethora of avenues

Every year thousands of students appear for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering examination conducted and administered at a national…

A plethora of avenues

PHOTO: Getty Images

Every year thousands of students appear for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering examination conducted and administered at a national level by the Indian Institute of Science and Indian Institutes of Technology’s. Clearing this enables one to pursue MTech at some of the most leading institutions in India as well as abroad.

A good score could be a stepping stone as this will open a plethora of opportunities. There are two major options open after he or she appears for this exam. One is to pursue a post-graduation course from a reputed institute and the second is to apply for a job in various Public Sector Undertakings. These include ONGC, NTPC, Indian Oil Corporation, HPCL, BPCL, Power Grid, and more.

The nature of such jobs is innovation along with technology and management. Some programmes award Master’s in science degree, which are more research-oriented in nature. This lead to jobs affiliated to either academic institutions or the industry.

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Today, more than 2,000 jobs are available for a fresh engineering graduate in major PSUs.

Basically these companies run like private companies and share profits to government. A career with such organisation requires strong and in-depth technical knowledge and understanding of core principals. All these public sector companies recruit engineer trainee based on the GATE scores. As compared to the private sector, the path of getting a promotion or an increment is more transparent and reliable. It is assured that if you work hard and meet targets, you will grow as a professional within the ranks of the company due to regular promotions and increments.

Socially, working at a PSU is considered to be reputable as you are working for the government. Additionally, employees might get frequent opportunities to travel for work around the country and interact with people from different cultures and backgrounds. The score of a candidate reflects the relative performance level. With the right preparation and determination, landing a job of your dreams is not so much of a task. However, many students are not aware of these opportunities.

After completing MTech, people have a major misconception that teaching is the only career option they have. There are various opportunities but should always keep in mind to consider carefully before making the choice. Scoring good marks have a propensity to get a monthly stipend and other advantages during two years of MTech. The exam score remains valid for three years. After completing one can also opt for research through Junior Research Fellowship. Candidates with a Bachelor’s degree of any other discipline are eligible for fellowship only after getting enrolled for PhD/Integrated PhD.

If a candidate has worked with government bodies like DRDO, ISRO, BARC, Doordarshan, IAF, Indian navy and army, etc a good exam score can make them eligible for sponsorship programmes for two years. But the only limitation with the sponsorship is that they have to work with the organisation for few years after their completion of studies. This degree will also give chance to those who wish to apply for lecturer in top educational universities with high packages.

The writer is chief executive officer, Gateforum.

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