Beyond entrance exams

pick wisely

There is no denying the fact that cracking engineering entrance exams is the dream of many students from the moment they start giving their careers a thought. Not only are these exams very tough and competitive, they are also probably one of the most prestigious feats one can accomplish in one’s lifetime.

However, one has to realise that there is life beyond the engineering entrance exam and not being able to crack it doesn’t mean the end of the world.

There are plenty of examples today of highly successful professionals and business people who couldn’t crack the competitive exams that allow admission into prestigious institutions of the nation. They weighed other options and got on with life just fine.

Of course, you should make the choice of moving on only after you’re certain that you have given the exam your best shot. If for some reason, you feel you couldn’t give your best in the first attempt and you can afford to devote another year to rigorous coaching and studying, you must do so.

However, if you feel you have done all that you could and have performed to the maximum of your potential, then there are plenty of other alternative career paths that you could look at, which can be equally rewarding and lucrative.

Your first step should be to look at the top rung of private colleges that have a good track record of imparting education and organising placements for their students. Try to get into one of these in a stream of your choice. If you do your best, you can get a good job after studying at such colleges as well.

Scientific temperament
If you truly love Science and have a natural scientific bent of mind then you can make your mark in the field in other ways. Students, who don’t make the cut for engineering colleges often decide to study pure sciences, which offer them a very comprehensive and in-depth knowledge base. Many such students who pursue BSc programmes invariably end up liking the course they are pursuing and follow it up with a very fulfilling career in research or academics.

Another lucrative option for those who didn’t make it to an engineering college of their choice is changing their stream and opting for courses like MBA, BBA or courses on finance. These options are most viable for engineering students because engineers already have the practice of playing with numbers. Finance, actuarial sciences, investment  banking etc, are some of the most high-paying careers today.

Either one can go in for a bachelors’ degree in business administration or study streams like economics or commerce at the graduation level to embark on this path.
Apart from this, students can also attempt to enter more creative fields like advertising and public relations, as there have been many such instances where the creative quest of the engineers has been satiated.

Factor in everything
However, if you are intent on studying engineering itself and changing lines is simply not an option, you could consider universities abroad that offer good programmes in various streams. Some international universities are certainly at par with top notch Indian engineering colleges and these can be given due thought.

Of course, one must consider finances and other situations at home before making this decision. For instance, if you’ll be taking a student loan to study abroad at any of these institutions, make sure you only opt for the best ones. Otherwise paying off the loan later could be problematic. Consult a good career counsellor who can also offer help in the application process for foreign universities. Career counsellors can conduct aptitude tests for you and throw more light on the matter. They can help you clearly understand your strengths and weaknesses and can help you gauge what the best career path for you would be. For instance, if your strength lies in an area like finance, then it wouldn’t be entirely logical to pay a hefty fee for studying engineering at an institution abroad.

Reaching out to seniors from your school, who have been in a similar position as this is also a good idea. Get in touch with them and get an idea of how they approached the dilemma of what to do if one hasn’t cleared engineering entrances.

You will get inspiration from them and how they handled the situation. They will also be able to give you more insights into the other alternatives available. You might also get some tips on how to break it to your parents that you have decided to change your stream, if that’s the case.

Getting into a good engineering college may have been your dream for years now. But it is equally essential to remember that being dynamic is as important to succeed in life as an engineering degree. zIf you find that trying again and again for engineering entrances is becoming futile, give yourself a break and look at other alternatives that could be equally good for you.

With faith in yourself and a passion to excel at whatever you attempt, you can make your professional life a grand success, engineering degree or no engineering degree.

(The author is Director, Aakash Educational Services)