Thought goes back to the days when we are accustomed to distinguish the terminology "Engineering" and "Technology". As you know, Engineering is a design process that brings innovative thinking and individual solutions in any area, be it construction, power distribution or design of machine intelligence. Conversely, technology is a process or tool for carrying out these projects. More than twenty-five years ago, as a young engineering graduate student, some of us discussed this nomenclature dichotomy, civil mechanical engineering, as opposed to chemical production technology. However, the “professional course,” as we call it, shapes and guides the student to become the profession of his course. In addition to opportunities in key functional areas, such as project management, design, research and development, or pedagogy, a typical community in all training flows also helps the “engineer” to adapt to market fluctuations and make smart career shifts. In 2000, for example, there was a phenomenal shift in the career of engineers from all IT training streams, a sector that then manifested a tectonic boom.
Until ten years ago, our country continued to lag behind the number of engineers who graduate annually in comparison with consumption in both the private and public sectors, according to a survey. Statistics show that engineering colleges grew in number from 1,500 colleges in 2007 to a staggering 3,300 in 2015 in India with a small state of Kerala, which had more than 150 engineering colleges. This lowered the bar or reduced the demand for the profession, it is for experts to comment. However, living facts, such as India, now produce more engineers than the US and China together, can add food to these thoughts. Didn't we share our diverse engineering issue in India. The premiere of the IIT group, followed by the group of corporate institutions, BAT, the choice of state colleges, and then the rest First, we see that the brilliant boxer from IIT Mumbai is leaving with a plum crore plus an annual CPC on campus locations, and on the other - an engineer from the layers below, still struggling for content in the early years. A leading UK recruitment company in the UK suggested that the engineering roles be the most difficult, since they were agreed upon by 45% of recruiters around the world. According to a 2011 Nasscom report, only 17.5% of graduate engineers were found fit for employment. India’s report says that the information technology industry in India spends almost $ 1 billion a year to make it ready for work. Again, talking about the prevailing crunch of quality. In the end, we heard such messages as more than 50% of vacant places for quotas in Kerala, AICTE, reducing the number of engineering places by six lakhs, etc.
The scenario here is the need for entrepreneurial education of our young engineers. If we track the career path of engineers from leading institutions in India in the recent past, we can see that a good share of them either crowns themselves, or takes a short-term industry impact, and then goes entrepreneurial. The history of premium schools in India is no different. Moreover, their curriculum itself introduces entrepreneurship. IIT and IIMs are showing a growing desire for entrepreneurship with 4-5% of students preferring start-ups for plush placement offers. At IIM Kozhikode, 15 of the party that passed last year became entrepreneurs. A recent report shows that 41 students from a new batch of different IITs are at different stages of their launch plans. Interesting statistics there! The question is why such initiatives are limited only to premium institutions and not to others? Why can not we raise the bar and bridge the gap. Being a successful entrepreneur may be the most difficult of all tasks, but certainly the most pleasant at the end of the day.
Let's look at some successful examples. Sachin and Binny Bansal, two former Lithuanians from Delhi after some initial exposure in the Amazon, begin to engage in e-commerce in 2007, starting with small book and electronics transactions. Now, in less than eight years, the company has grown into the billionth Flipkart business home, on the M & A spree, which absorbs all the small timers. The case study on my trip, OLX and UBERs in the world, reveals similar success stories. A 19-year-old Harvard sophomore young man invented a network tool with the simple intention of connecting to his college friends in 2004, which instantly hit the target. The site is now one of the largest in the world with more than 40-fold connection, Facebook from Mark Zuckerberg. Endless start-up success stories in India. This is not limited to the IT and e-commerce sector. The service sector, logistics, etc. Also witnessed success in success through startups. Redbus, Taxi4sure are the names of countless startups conceived by brilliant young engineers, and within just 7-8 years have created a strong brand equity. Gray orange robotics, created in 2009, is the first of its kind enterprise offering a solution for logistics automation. Robots move shelves packed with different products that scan barcodes, but again the brainchild of two pilin boys from BIT.
Zao Foods, Mitali Khalra's vision to instill the habit of eating nutritious foods. She came up with the "Crostini cafe" in southern Delhi. Indiblogger. At the beginning, it was created as a free blogging platform, but the founders had several more ambitious game plans to connect the corporate world, companies and brands with their customers as an income model.
"Under the mango tree", a social enterprise that supports beekeeping, Vijaya Pastala, graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology took 14 years. Swapnil kamat and his wife Ruchira had to face difficulties before creating their dream, Work Better-Training and Development, an executive training company aimed at teaching behavioral and cognitive skills to corporate employees. Helpingdoc. com, the online team of medical professionals has conceptualized the idea of providing medical support online. The survey shows that innovative ideas explored all aspects of life, low-cost energy, artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, health, fashion, food, technology, service, and what not. Investors are now working on imperative business ideas for financing. Not only angel investors, but also venture capitalists, but even corporate investors invest in startups.
Ratan Tata, honcho of the Tata Group, retreating from the daily duties of the corporate conglomerate, expressed interest in investing in 10 start-up companies included in the short list. Investments usually vary between 1-5 Crore and are distributed between outlets, health care, clean energy, etc. The choice among them is Swasth India, an inexpensive health care system based on Mumbai providing medical services to low-income people, again BMI of graduates . Franchise India, recently organized a forum in Mumbai, inviting business ideas. We also have Pro Bono consultants providing services to budding non-profit organizations with social significance and obligations. IIT Mumbai has Entrepreneurship Cell, a non-profit, independent student body that encourages an entrepreneurial spirit among students and working professionals. The IIT entrepreneurial cell, Kharagpur, recently launched an awareness campaign for entrepreneurs that was a large-scale initiative to encourage students across the country to embrace the concept of entrepreneurship. These E-cells incubate startup ideas, bringing together investors and entrepreneurs with similar interests. The Global Entrepreneurship Summit, the Eureka - International Business Plan competition, etc. are some of the events that lead young engineers to beginners. IIT Chennai also launches the C-Tides incubation chamber and Research Park for start-ups. Kerala does not lag behind in initiatives and promotions. We have the Kerala Startup Society, a non-profit organization with the goal of creating an active startup ecosystem. Regular meetings are organized to interact with investors, successful entrepreneurs and players. Based in the IT technology park - Trivandrum, is the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), formerly known as “Technopark-Technological Business Incubator”. Under the direction of Chris Gopalakrishnan of Infosys, we have a startup village, another technology business incubator in Kochi.
An innovative business model is the definition of a social problem for an effective solution. Thus, the startup drive is not just a commercial drive, but a social one. Recently, a friend of mine who came from an Orlando airport to a hotel during a business trip took a taxi to the airport, paying about 90 bucks, but on his return, he wisely took the Uber cab for only 25 backs at the same distance. Offered here is a cost effective solution. Ten years ago, if you were planning a multi-day trip to India, this included many plans and observations with travel agents, hotels, taxis, etc. While now this is all done in a complex game with the selected smart mobile application. Copies of life have become easy and smart with the launch. It is clear that the mortality of startups is high, and not all enterprises flourish evenly. But for young people, this is a scientific curve to explore, remake the model and move on to success.
The recent visits of the Indian Prime Minister to the USA, the EU and the Middle East, especially to the Silicon Valley, have led to an overwhelming response regarding proposals for investment in India. India’s digital press aims to create innovative ideas in digital technology, including cloud computing and mobile applications. As we all know, the new generation engineer is sharp, innovative and creative with a higher IQ level than their predecessors. Now we have brains, bucks, management, and all that is required is ready-made thinking for “ideas.” Let the academy with a favorable faculty instill this passion in our youth.
Let the line of hooters for novice engineers will "call you an entrepreneur." Thank you!
(The writer is a commercial marketer from Mumbai)
