Yes, I admit that after movies like ‘3-Idiots’ and ‘Tare Zameen Par’, bloggers like me should be publicly boycotted for encouraging or luring the innocent masses in the age old trap called ‘Engineering’, and that too at Masters level i.e. M-Tech. Whatever, this blog
is not for the masses. It is for the cluster of bookworms, tech-Trojans, lab-rats and technocrats who have guts and interest to pursue higher studies in the field of Engineering. So, here are the 11 reasons which should inspire you to fill the GATE form:
1. The IIT-tag
This is my favorite reason, because in this increasingly brand conscious world, being a branded product is a great advantage. After a ticket to IIT, father of ‘dream-girls’ will line up in front of your father (for boys) or greedy fathers of highly qualified boys will not even dare to utter the word ‘dowry’ in front of your father (for girls). Apart from such social benefits, you will be preferred over your non-IITian competitors with similar technical skills in your professional life.
2. Studying abroad is an extremely expensive dream
The total cost (Tuition Fees + Living Expenses + Other Expenses) of studying abroad is around Rs 30-40 lakhs for a two year course. For expensive universities, like Stanford, it is around Rs 74 lakhs (considering the current value of rupee). You can reduce this cost by bagging some scholarship and doing some part time job and manage somehow by arranging a loan, but still for most of us it’s a too costly dream.
3. Family matters, Nation matters
After staying abroad for two years and doing a job there after your education, it becomes very hard to come back and survive in the social and corporate culture of India. You earn a lot, but most of the time you meet your near and dear ones on Skype and your parents stay alone in some bungalow bought by you as they cannot adjust abroad. People may blame IITians for brain drain too, but post globalization of Indian economy in 1990s, there is an increasing trend of IITians returning back or new pass-outs staying here for job or entrepreneurship.
If the top institutes of our nation i.e. IITs are not that good or India is a backward nation then it’s time to enter the IITs and change thing there, it’s time to stay here or return back after gaining knowledge and utilize it for future generations of our nation which will include yours and your relatives’ children too. Remember, petrol can be imported to power our engines, but to power our national growth we cannot import Americans or Europeans because it’s your mother’s land, the soil of your forefathers.
4. IITs are affordable
Being a government initiative the education at IITs is subsidized and affordable e.g. (for IIT Kharagpur) considering the expenses on salary, labs, maintenance, consumables etc. the total fees for a four year B-Tech course should be around Rs 17 lakhs, but a student has to pay only around Rs 4 lakhs (Similar subsidies are granted for M-Tech courses too). Apart from these, there are scholarships for reserved category students and the banks are more than ready to give you loan anytime for studying at IITs. For M-Tech, at IIT Kharagpur, a general category student needs to pay only Rs 28000/semester which includes tuition fees, hostel fees, mess charges, insurance, medical expenses etc. I hope you are too greedy if you expect anything else (next point is more interesting!).
5. Get paid for studying
M-Tech students at IITs get Rs 8000/month as stipend. Just think, you will get Rs 48000/semester after paying IIT Kharagpur Rs 28000/semester, which includes all your major possible expenses (explained in previous point). So, you end up with a net profit/income of Rs 20000/semester.
6. Huge campus and energetic environment
At IITs, the campuses are huge and loaded with amenities e.g. the SAC (Student Activity Center) in IIT Delhi consists of a gymnasium, swimming pool, pool and billiards rooms, squash courts, table tennis rooms, a badminton court, a music room, a fine arts room, a robotics room and a committee room used to organize quizzing and debating events. The SAC also has an Open Air Theater where concerts are hosted. Students can also use the radio broadcasting facility (HAM) in the SAC (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Institute_of_Technology_Delhi). Similar facilities are available in other IITs too.
7. Chartered flight to the world of research and lectureship
M-Tech from IITs is a golden opportunity for those interested in teaching or research. A PhD research scholar at IITs bags a stipend of Rs 18000/month along with one of the most suitable teaching and research environments in India.
8. Reviving your career
Even after years of experience if you are struggling to get some higher (10 lakh+) package or you are unable to become a part of industry leaders, like Microsoft, Google etc. or you are suffocated by the mass-recruiting brands like Infosys, TCS etc., where your focus is on services like maintenance, testing, software operation and management etc. than development then wait for the GATE form.
9. A Deep dive into the ocean of knowledge
At IITs with better professors, labs, environment , over all grand exposure and a base of knowledge gained from you bachelor degree you are set to dive deeper in the world of knowledge where concepts will become more clear and your ability to learn will increase exponentially.
10. Great company to hone technical and interpersonal skills
At IITs you are surrounded by brilliant brains which inspire you to ignite a passion for knowledge. Apart from academics there are lots of technical and cultural festivals where you can improve your management, communication or leadership skills e.g. (IIT-Bombay) The annual cultural festival Mood Indigo is held in the month of December and is purportedly the largest of its kind in Asia. The most attractive features of this 4-day event are the competitions, exhibitions, games and musical concerts. The annual Science & Technology festival of IIT Bombay, Techfest is held in the month of January every year and is the largest of its kind in Asia. It comprises various events like competitions, exhibits and talks from guest speakers from around the world (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Institute_of_Technology_Bombay#Cultural_and_non-academic_activities).
IIT Kharagpur celebrates the Illumination festival on the evening
of Diwali. Large bamboo structures (called chatais) as high as 6 meters (20 ft) are made and earthen lamps are placed on them to form outlines of people, monuments, or an event. The competition is held between hostels, it does not receive entries by outside visitors (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Institutes_of_Technology). Bonds of trust and friendship formed at IIT are helpful in building your future as networking is the key to human evolution.
11. Best place to get infected by the bug of entrepreneurship
IITs encourage entrepreneurship in every possible way and there is a long list of generous and helping alumni of IITs who are renowned entrepreneurs. You can browse the list by visiting this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Institutes_of_Technology. Some big names are N. R. Narayana Murthy, Manohar Parrikar, Arvind Kejriwal, Raghuram Rajan, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan Arogyaswami Paulraj etc. You will notice that IITians have excelled not only in the field of technology but also triumphed in various other fields like management, politics etc. Definitely, there is something in the air inside those campuses and filling your lungs with that air may enrich your brain forever.
For guidance about GATE preparations or to know more about IITs directly from students pursuing M-Tech from IIT-Kharagpur please keep visiting this blog.
