The future of any country depends upon its students. They need to keep pace with the fast-changing world to build careers and a better society. Nowadays more than ever, an engineering job always seems profitable. Engineering and technology are in high demand due to their dynamic, ever-changing nature.
With a mission to guide students from campus to career, The Telegraph’s Edugraph organised a webinar on Engineering Education in India Future Trends presented by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. The esteemed speaker for this session was Dr Sasangan Ramanathan, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and also Professor of the Department of Chemical Engineering & Material Science at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, who brought with him over 25 years of international research, management and leadership experience. He is also a strong believer in an educational process that promotes creativity and innovation through sound fundamental knowledge.
The session began with Dr Ramanathan discussing the global demand for engineers in the present time. A smart and skilled engineer is a necessity in every industry, including banking, railroads, agriculture, defence, education, and healthcare.
We are surrounded by engineering. For instance, when we think of hospitals, we typically see doctors, nurses, and patients. However, if one looks closely, one will discover that the hospital is 80% related to engineering. Engineers designed every diagnostic device that is found inside a hospital.
If you are a person who likes to explore, invent, discover or create, then Engineering would be an ideal profession for you, said Dr Ramananthan.
The days of students rushing around lecturers to understand concepts and spending hours studying for examinations in libraries are long gone. Today's students have access to the internet, where they may connect with teachers and find e-books at the click of a button.
Dr. Ramananthan continued the discussion by addressing the world's expectations of future engineers and how they could mould themselves to meet up to those expectations.
To be an excellent engineer, Dr Ramananthan suggested 6 important tips for every aspiring engineer must:
The webinar continued with a discussion of the future pedagogy of engineering in India, the need for undergraduate engineering students to approach the subject holistically, and the benefits of time management for students.
Students should choose an engineering discipline based on their areas of interest and their belief that they will flourish in that field. Dr Ramananthan recommended aspiring engineers follow their passion for engineering rather than just the latest trends.
The webinar ended with a Q&A session where Dr Ramanathan answered questions that the Edugraph team had collected from the participants prior to the webinar.
‘Wherever you go, go with passion. Stay committed and never give up. Persistence is important. Never feel shy to ask somebody if you don’t know something. Set your goals high,’ were the closing words of advice from Dr Sasangan Ramanathan to aspiring engineers and students as a whole.
