Education and gainful employment added to the economic growth of the country. India is among the fastest growing economies in the world today. The economic focus of the world has once again shifted to Asia. Navigators were trying to get a new sea route to India in the fifteenth century. India had been an economic super power and the seafarers discovered many newer lands while trying to discover a route to the country. The advent of the Europeans changed everything and the country lost out to the industrial revolution. Colonial rule was followed by independence and the country embarked upon development based on socialism. Growth was tardy and eventually the Government of the day ( in 1991) opened the doors of the economy. This move created a lot of oppourtunities for the young citizens of an aspiring nation. Ease of doing business got better and several new business ventures came up over the next couple of years. There was a lot of hope all of a sudden.
Education and gainful employment added to the economic growth of the country. India is among the fastest growing economies in the world today. The economic focus of the world has once again shifted to Asia. Navigators were trying to get a new sea route to India in the fifteenth century. India had been an economic super power and the seafarers discovered many newer lands while trying to discover a route to the country. The advent of the Europeans changed everything and the country lost out to the industrial revolution. Colonial rule was followed by independence and the country embarked upon development based on socialism. Growth was tardy and eventually the Government of the day ( in 1991) opened the doors of the economy. This move created a lot of oppourtunities for the young citizens of an aspiring nation. Ease of doing business got better and several new business ventures came up over the next couple of years. There was a lot of hope all of a sudden.
The opening up of the economy created a huge addition in terms of educational infrastructure. New colleges, schools, universities sprung up all over the country. Quite a few Business Schools came up as a consequence. People were quick to see growth in all sectors and this gave rise to employment in a big way. The new professionals began to get access to cheaper home loans, consumer credit all of a sudden. The road, rail and air connections began to improve a lot. Everything began to look nice and pretty. Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai became Miss Universe and Miss World at around the same time. The Government of the day sent an extremely positive signal by recognizing the doyen of industry J.R.D.Tata with a Bharat Ratna. One could begin to dream big in India. The country changed for good and the years which were sandwiched in between 1991 and 2004 fed the appetite of an aspiring Indian .
India was known for its young citizens and the time had come to harvest the demographic dividend. Suddenly, there was a flurry of activity and oppourtunities for business and work began to grow at a frenetic pace. The shackles were getting removed and there was a glimmer of hope for everyone. It was possible to seek oppourtunities anywhere in the world. Engineers and doctors were in demand. Nagasubramanian Sundararajan ( Naga ) recalled the halcyon days of the students who had done their education in the famed GCT ( Government College of Technology ). "Our college had about 300 students in our batch and the atmosphere was excellent those days. GCT was full of trees and we had a marvelous infrastructure. I was a Coimbatorean and hence a day scholar. Being the Placement Representative during the fourth year of engineering was part of my college life. Basically resources were pooled at the beginning of the year. Previously different branches of the college used to publish non glossy pamphlets in aid of placement. In our case, we decided to take the full college together. A professional printer was brought in and a placement brochure was made for the college. Photos of the campus were added and a single letter was addressed to the companies. The letter was signed by our Placement Officer. We were fortunate to have a helpful person and he came across very well while dealing with corporates. In fact he used to be available even on holidays if the placement interviews took place. "Those were times when GCT was known as Green College of Technology and also Girls College of Technology. The trees and the good cum safe girls hostel were the primary reasons for the college being known so.
The country is now talking about entrepreneurship and jobs simultaneously. Its interesting to note that everyone wants growth and prosperity. A land which works on such issues will live in eternal peace. Naga continued to share his experiences , " Previously a department representative used to manage the placement co ordination. It was during our times that efforts and logistics were combined in order to make things easier. First of all, the companies began to get one single invite for placement from the college. Being a day scholar was helpful. It was possible for me to co ordinate and bring in people. Thanks to all this and more, a decent number of people got placed. Companies like Infosys, Wipro, HCL, Larsen & Toubro took engineers from our college."
SKC - Sweet, Karam and Coffee was offered to the guests those days. The word SKC was very popular amongst the professionals of the time. Naga had got placed in a private sector company after going through a selection process and he began his career in Kolkatta. The EEE Graduate began to prepare for an MBA from the City of Joy. He was keen to share some inputs during the course of the conversation, "If I rewind the clock , I would tell people to work hard for GATE, CAT and as much for placements. It would be good to do mock interviews and tests in order to crack campus placements. The possibilities are immense today because of the internet and social media. Youngsters can surely take advantage of the situation."
Naga had taken his B School entrance exams seriously and spent a lot of time on it. Hours of work helped and the IMS study material was useful too. He managed to secure a seat in FMS - University of Delhi. The institution was located in the neighbourhood of the Delhi School of Economics and Stephens. Naga was elected as the Placement Co Ordinator in FMS during his first year and the job was to work towards summer placements for the first year students and final placement for the seniors. " It was a well oiled machine and we had a list of companies who had participated in the past. Our task was cut out well. Placement was a serious matter. It was connected to the lives of the youngsters. We took it seriously and we were fortunate to be endowed with a strong alumni network. The campus was spruced up during the placement period and we used to ensure attendance. Food was provided and a space for relaxation used to be made available. Placements would result in success and failure. It would not out of place to see a few crying in case they missed the bus on the occasion. A big list of corporates used to absorb students. They included Citi, Standard Chartered, Coke, Pepsi, Arthur Anderson among others. In my year HPCL, ICICI, Wipro, HCL and Hyundai, Levers came for recruiting candidates. Placement was good in FMS and we had to ensure that the system worked fine", smiled Naga while talking about what could be a hit or a miss on such occasions.
"I had ensured that the group photo was done differently. We discontinued with the old style and had the photographer take the picture from above. Everyone wore suits or sarees and it came out really well. In spite of having a few naysayers, it looked attractive . I am told that this is being continued even now. Well, I must share some nuggets of observation for it could help the youngsters of today. The children of IAS officers and army kids are pretty good with regard to campus placements. They outshine others simply because of their exposure during their growing up years.They had their leg up much before others and this helped them enormously. FMS was compact and competitive. Please ensure more of exposure. We had batchmates from all over India. The peer group was very good and I understood the real meaning of going to a good business school. Today, many of my friends are well placed and quite a few are CEO's of interesting Start Ups," added Naga from the quaint family home in Coimbatore. He is keen to further his views by stating that workshops can be done for the students in the campus. Emphasis on public speaking, grooming students for interviews was also a point.
Naga spoke about life in London and also about the emerging scoop of talent, "London is an international city. There is so much happening and all of it is very diverse. Its a fabulous country and one can experience a lot of things in quick time. London is truly one of the great cities of the world. You can observe a lot in close quarters and also be a part of it. One can get to do a lot more. Well, the youngsters are really really smart. They are highly skilled and very well prepared for their professional careers. Sometimes I would wonder whether I was half as good as them at their age. They are simply bright and prepared."
The trend in the west has been interesting. Young students get selected for their jobs during their late teenage years after a process. Its really tough to select and sources say that it is a process of elimination. The interviewers feel guilty to say ' No'. The students are well prepared and they come along with power point presentations at the times of interviews and crack them. Case studies are looked into in detail in the western world. These are being done by kids who are just 19 or 20 years old. Well, sources state that the students are taken in early as it becomes easier for the corporates to inculcate their working style in them. The youngsters tend to like the company of their destiny even during their studying years.
"One cannot blame the students who cannot crack the placement interviews or group discussions. They are absolutely new to these exercises. The best way forward would be to make them undertake exercises in order to make them fare better. A lot of effort has to be put in. Results will surely trickle in and success is sure to follow effort ," opined Naga while giving his inputs on placements. They are the need of the hour all the time.
The youngsters can be compared to Prince Abhimanyu, the son of the epic hero Arjuna and Subhadra. Young Abhimanyu was talented and brave. He could crack the Chakra Vyuh ( A battle formation ) but his experience was not adequate enough to sustain the early success and he got killed in battle. The maturity and experience of Arjuna would have really been handy. Energy and drive can be harvested fully with the hands of experience backed by maturity. Placement exercises should always ensure this combination.
Our country has a huge harvest of youngsters and its important to see that they are skilled to meet the challenges of the job market. The potential is huge and the preparation is challenging. The inputs and experiences of Non Resident Coimbatoreans like Nagasubramanian Sundararajan can definitely ignite a lot more. The past can be a key to the future.
The opening up of the economy created a huge addition in terms of educational infrastructure. New colleges, schools, universities sprung up all over the country. Quite a few Business Schools came up as a consequence. People were quick to see growth in all sectors and this gave rise to employment in a big way. The new professionals began to get access to cheaper home loans, consumer credit all of a sudden. The road, rail and air connections began to improve a lot. Everything began to look nice and pretty. Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai became Miss Universe and Miss World at around the same time. The Government of the day sent an extremely positive signal by recognizing the doyen of industry J.R.D.Tata with a Bharat Ratna. One could begin to dream big in India. The country changed for good and the years which were sandwiched in between 1991 and 2004 fed the appetite of an aspiring Indian .
India was known for its young citizens and the time had come to harvest the demographic dividend. Suddenly, there was a flurry of activity and oppourtunities for business and work began to grow at a frenetic pace. The shackles were getting removed and there was a glimmer of hope for everyone. It was possible to seek oppourtunities anywhere in the world. Engineers and doctors were in demand. Nagasubramanian Sundararajan ( Naga ) recalled the halcyon days of the students who had done their education in the famed GCT ( Government College of Technology ). "Our college had about 300 students in our batch and the atmosphere was excellent those days. GCT was full of trees and we had a marvelous infrastructure. I was a Coimbatorean and hence a day scholar. Being the Placement Representative during the fourth year of engineering was part of my college life. Basically resources were pooled at the beginning of the year. Previously different branches of the college used to publish non glossy pamphlets in aid of placement. In our case, we decided to take the full college together. A professional printer was brought in and a placement brochure was made for the college. Photos of the campus were added and a single letter was addressed to the companies. The letter was signed by our Placement Officer. We were fortunate to have a helpful person and he came across very well while dealing with corporates. In fact he used to be available even on holidays if the placement interviews took place. "Those were times when GCT was known as Green College of Technology and also Girls College of Technology. The trees and the good cum safe girls hostel were the primary reasons for the college being known so.
The country is now talking about entrepreneurship and jobs simultaneously. Its interesting to note that everyone wants growth and prosperity. A land which works on such issues will live in eternal peace. Naga continued to share his experiences , " Previously a department representative used to manage the placement co ordination. It was during our times that efforts and logistics were combined in order to make things easier. First of all, the companies began to get one single invite for placement from the college. Being a day scholar was helpful. It was possible for me to co ordinate and bring in people. Thanks to all this and more, a decent number of people got placed. Companies like Infosys, Wipro, HCL, Larsen & Toubro took engineers from our college."
SKC - Sweet, Karam and Coffee was offered to the guests those days. The word SKC was very popular amongst the professionals of the time. Naga had got placed in a private sector company after going through a selection process and he began his career in Kolkatta. The EEE Graduate began to prepare for an MBA from the City of Joy. He was keen to share some inputs during the course of the conversation, "If I rewind the clock , I would tell people to work hard for GATE, CAT and as much for placements. It would be good to do mock interviews and tests in order to crack campus placements. The possibilities are immense today because of the internet and social media. Youngsters can surely take advantage of the situation."
Naga had taken his B School entrance exams seriously and spent a lot of time on it. Hours of work helped and the IMS study material was useful too. He managed to secure a seat in FMS - University of Delhi. The institution was located in the neighbourhood of the Delhi School of Economics and Stephens. Naga was elected as the Placement Co Ordinator in FMS during his first year and the job was to work towards summer placements for the first year students and final placement for the seniors. " It was a well oiled machine and we had a list of companies who had participated in the past. Our task was cut out well. Placement was a serious matter. It was connected to the lives of the youngsters. We took it seriously and we were fortunate to be endowed with a strong alumni network. The campus was spruced up during the placement period and we used to ensure attendance. Food was provided and a space for relaxation used to be made available. Placements would result in success and failure. It would not out of place to see a few crying in case they missed the bus on the occasion. A big list of corporates used to absorb students. They included Citi, Standard Chartered, Coke, Pepsi, Arthur Anderson among others. In my year HPCL, ICICI, Wipro, HCL and Hyundai, Levers came for recruiting candidates. Placement was good in FMS and we had to ensure that the system worked fine", smiled Naga while talking about what could be a hit or a miss on such occasions.
"I had ensured that the group photo was done differently. We discontinued with the old style and had the photographer take the picture from above. Everyone wore suits or sarees and it came out really well. In spite of having a few naysayers, it looked attractive . I am told that this is being continued even now. Well, I must share some nuggets of observation for it could help the youngsters of today. The children of IAS officers and army kids are pretty good with regard to campus placements. They outshine others simply because of their exposure during their growing up years.They had their leg up much before others and this helped them enormously. FMS was compact and competitive. Please ensure more of exposure. We had batchmates from all over India. The peer group was very good and I understood the real meaning of going to a good business school. Today, many of my friends are well placed and quite a few are CEO's of interesting Start Ups," added Naga from the quaint family home in Coimbatore. He is keen to further his views by stating that workshops can be done for the students in the campus. Emphasis on public speaking, grooming students for interviews was also a point.
Naga spoke about life in London and also about the emerging scoop of talent, "London is an international city. There is so much happening and all of it is very diverse. Its a fabulous country and one can experience a lot of things in quick time. London is truly one of the great cities of the world. You can observe a lot in close quarters and also be a part of it. One can get to do a lot more. Well, the youngsters are really really smart. They are highly skilled and very well prepared for their professional careers. Sometimes I would wonder whether I was half as good as them at their age. They are simply bright and prepared."
The trend in the west has been interesting. Young students get selected for their jobs during their late teenage years after a process. Its really tough to select and sources say that it is a process of elimination. The interviewers feel guilty to say ' No'. The students are well prepared and they come along with power point presentations at the times of interviews and crack them. Case studies are looked into in detail in the western world. These are being done by kids who are just 19 or 20 years old. Well, sources state that the students are taken in early as it becomes easier for the corporates to inculcate their working style in them. The youngsters tend to like the company of their destiny even during their studying years.
"One cannot blame the students who cannot crack the placement interviews or group discussions. They are absolutely new to these exercises. The best way forward would be to make them undertake exercises in order to make them fare better. A lot of effort has to be put in. Results will surely trickle in and success is sure to follow effort ," opined Naga while giving his inputs on placements. They are the need of the hour all the time.
The youngsters can be compared to Prince Abhimanyu, the son of the epic hero Arjuna and Subhadra. Young Abhimanyu was talented and brave. He could crack the Chakra Vyuh ( A battle formation ) but his experience was not adequate enough to sustain the early success and he got killed in battle. The maturity and experience of Arjuna would have really been handy. Energy and drive can be harvested fully with the hands of experience backed by maturity. Placement exercises should always ensure this combination.
Our country has a huge harvest of youngsters and its important to see that they are skilled to meet the challenges of the job market. The potential is huge and the preparation is challenging. The inputs and experiences of Non Resident Coimbatoreans like Nagasubramanian Sundararajan can definitely ignite a lot more. The past can be a key to the future.