IITians’- Engineers, Entrepreneurs, Employees, or innovators
Posted : March 31, 2006 at 9:57 am [IST]
For many years IITians preferred to remain engineers en route to grow as managers. Banga of HLL, and Deveshwar of ITC are from that breed. And many IITians went up the ladders to head big companies in the country as well as abroad. Then suddenly, with importance of computer science and attraction from US, they started immigrating for a higher degree mostly in engineering and serving the big technology companies in US. Some became entrepreneurs too and started their own companies in US.
Even here in India, some went to set up some manufacturing companies too. I know at least three from my own batch itself. But they didn’t reach very high. It was only with IT that a change came and some such as Narayana Murthy became almost the brand of IT sector of the country and his company the face of new India.
During my last visit to US, I attended an alumni meeting in Santa Clara, but found most of the IITians working for various IT companies of all sizes. Perhaps, it is the demanding hard work and risk that dissuades one to go for setting one’s own enterprise.
Indian academic institution realized the role it can play for inculcating entrepreneurship in their students a little late. In India, today most IITs and many other reputed engineering institutes are having entrepreneurship cell (E-cell) and incubators. A small but growing number of IITians are opting to start their own companies after passing out.
As reported recently, IIT, Mumbai this year has launched a new concept-the Summer Founders’ Programme, an opportunity for students to work on their own start-ups during summer vacations, while still in college, instead of going for lucrative summer jobs. More than 40 students across all batches and disciplines have signed up.
Students will first be given a month of extensive mentoring and then there will be month-long evaluations. A panel of experts will judge what ideas are viable. Students can then work on these start-ups on the side once the academic year starts. This may substantially reduce the risk factor that usually discourages students from entrepreneurship. This way, students can work on a start-up while they are still in the safe environment of college rather than having to opt out of a traditional job after passing out. They also have IIT’s brand value and the advantage of having friends they can team up with.
Unlike our time, a start-up is no longer something that comes only after one has held a traditional job for two or three years. Funds are not a problem today. With type of exercises being carried out IIT, Mumbai, and the quality of the ideas coming from IIT is a definite attraction for funders, since the ideas have been short listed and the students extensively mentored.
Again, many of the knowledge sector enterprises are no longer resource-centric requiring a lot of inherited strength.
However, the numbers of the new entrepreneurs are still insignificant in percentage.
But my concern is not there. I really feel bad as the intelligent breed of trained engineers are jumping to MBA wagon to get better salaries, and companies following the American MNCs are encouraging this trend. Perhaps, the right solution will be an integrated course as designed at IIT, Kharagpur that is two-in-one- engineering with management. I wish all reputed engineering colleges emulate that. It is essential to build a large workforce of world-class engineers to push the different cutting edge technologies in different sectors. An MBA has a limitation, as an IAS has. It is unfortunate that the country and the industry prefer them more than a first class engineer.
Engineering graduates must be known more for their innovations in product and process development and design, and not for his managerial capability. I wish 30% IITians become entrepreneurs, 30% engineers in R&D divisions of various companies, 20% teachers, and balance can join any sector including politics.
- Indra
Category: Employment/Education |
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