According to Aspiring Minds, an employability assessment company, 95 percent of engineers in India are unfit to get software development jobs. In its survey the found that only 4.77 percent of candidates can write a correct logic for a programme; this is a minimum level requirement for any programming job.

This picture alone pinpoints just how nastily the dream flight of engineering has crashed in the country where – à la-3-Idiots – the first thing that a father tells upon the sight of a new-born (boy) is “Mera beta engineer bangega” (My son will become an engineer!)

However, that being said, what’s even more worrying is the fact that even with poor state-of-affair of this career stream, students and parents continue to aspire about it. This trend foretells a rather obnoxious reality of India—more than your own, choosing a career is a decision of your parent, friends and, of course, our friendly neighborhood Mr. Sharma.

The (Unconventional) Making of Tomorrow’s Leaders in India

The high-school graduates don’t put too much of thoughts as to which stream they are going to take for their professional life. The honor, to say, is reserved with only the elites—those highly ambitious individuals who, even for mainstream options like engineering and MBBS, share the unmatched passion. The rest, they chill at the college and study when the time allows; take up some 9 to 5 job (in India, a nation filled with exploiting employers, there’s no such thing as 9 to 5 job); get married, have kids, and then pass on the generational aspirations to the off-springs. Mera beta mera naam roshan karega!

So, What’s Up with Software Engineers?

Bluntly put, the life of software engineers in India is at its miserable for most. Unarmed with the right skills – thanks to the Victorian-Era curriculum of the colleges that we have likely preserved to assert our rich culture – many of these graduates have settled for some odd jobs that don’t correlate engineering even by a far-fetched margin. There are B. Tech (in IT) graduates who are bank peons, primary school teachers, and shop owners. You will end up meeting an engineer time and again. Adding to the woe for those who actually deserve the opportunities is the lack of one. They have to slog and there is barely any scope for creativity and innovation!

In India, a great nation in every dimension, there are seamless opportunities to ample Hindu-Muslim emotions BUT none to employ the same Hindus and Muslims. Still developing in the IT vertical, the demand for a software engineer, as compared to other countries like the USA, China, and Canada, is at its miniature stage. And those engineers who do get employed in companies, they have to settle for marginal salary until there’s a sign of grey strand on their head. By every mean, getting promotion in Indian companies is a holy grail for all.

Bitter truths of software engineers in India

How Do We Solve The Problem?

Stop fantasizing glam

The first step in solving the dreading state of software engineers in the country is separating its ugly truth from its fantasized glam. It’s high time that parents realize that engineering – in any field – isn’t a prestigious goal to score in. No degree alone can guarantee success - the stream too doesn’t guarantee success. And neither does it make any successful graduate a big fish. Because, not sure if someone broke the news to you or not, but the same pond has gotten bigger. The days to be a big fish in the small pond is long gone. The appeal of this stream must be sectionized in order to unveil the saddening state-of-affair that of today.

Fix the old syllabus

Next, as cliched as it may sound, we must fix the educational institutions of this country. So many universities, be it with their willingness or ignorance, are stuck with the old syllabus. It’s essential that the curriculums be updated to incorporate the current market requirements and employers’ distinct human resource demands.

Private companies to give more on-job training

Also, the private companies, too, must play a responsible role here. They must be slightly more flexible in their recruitment, initiating ample of opportunities for the applicants. They should also be ready to pay decently to the employees and intensively invest in their skill development. While as important as it is, in India, sadly, there isn’t much of a thing as on-job training.

Regulation by Government

Don’t you get surprised to see Engineering colleges like pre-schools? I mean how simple is it now to get an engineering degree and end up being a data entry operator?

Bottom line: With the poor state of graduates as a witness, software engineering in India has lost its relevancy. And it’s something that we all must come to terms with.