What branch to select for an engineering degree?

This is the question that was asked to me a lot by students who were about to take their engineering degree. Well, if its me who can decide your areas of interest then, I will go ahead and tell you "do this" and "do that". Basically the students are not clear on what they want to do and what is their area of interest. I find it difficult to suggest an engineering branch for the people who ask me this question. I would say that selecting a branch is more of your interests. Understand about what the branch subject is all about and compare what your interests are. It does not make any sense for a third person to suggest the branches. I would say that if some have this question, then probably they are wrong. They do not know themselves yet. In the first place they should not even be asking this questions to people because they know themselves than any body else.

Today there are several engineering branches that a student can opt for and this should not become a reason for a student to get confused though. I encourage students to think about this and more importantly think about their future. It depends on what they want to be in future. No one goes by the words that the third person says but its their interest to choose the subject for their engineering degree. When I had to select a branch for my engineering degree, I did not ask anyone. I just followed my interest and that's what everyone has to do. They just need to follow their passion!

Okay, that's all good, when students decide what branch they are interested, the next and immediate question is what college to choose from and what university. Well, this question makes sense because the students may not very well know all the colleges since there are many Engineering Colleges today. The only way is to ask as many people as they can and get inputs from them who actually studied in that particular Engineering College. I personally say that do not go by the popularity of engineering colleges but actual facts. Some engineering colleges just go by the popularity which they might gained by advertising their college.

If you want to be a computer geek as most of the people are doing so and you believe yourself that the computers are your area of interest, then the options you have are 'Computer Science', 'Information Technology' etc. The popular engineering branch in India that most of the students want to go for is 'Electronics and Communications' and as I have seen these branches gets filled very soon.

There are many other engineering branches such as 'Electrical Sciences', 'Industrial Production', 'Instrumentation Technology', 'Mechanical Engineering', 'Civil Engineering' etc which are equally important from engineering perspective. All these branches will not live without the help from each other. For example, a civil engineer sketches an architecture of a building that is used by a software industries. He is the person who knows the strength of the building. A mechanical engineer designs to manufacture a mechanical device that's used by all the engineers. I mean, what I am trying to say is that all kinds of engineers are required and essential. No engineering branch is bad. An engineer is an engineer that's all.

So, define your passion before asking what engineering branch to choose for engineering degree and follow that. Regarding selecting a reputed engineering college is concerned, you need to really do well in the entrance exams. All engineering colleges do have entrance exams the selection process will be held based on your rankings in the entrance exams. The first and foremost step to get an engineering branch of your interest, study well for entrance exams and get good rankings which helps to get top ranked engineering colleges.

I have seen many students getting discouraged about the engineering branch that they have decided and selected. This should never happen. After studying one or two semesters of selected engineering branches, the students tend to change their mind and develop interest in some other different branches. This mainly happens because their friends talked about a particular branch that's doing good and easy for getting a job. I will not recommend this. Again you are not believing yourself. Do not ever change your decision just because somebody told you something. Just stick to your interests. Don't bother about the people who constantly keep saying about this branch is good and that branch is good. Simply no. I have seen many students changing their branch in between their engineering degree, may be by paying the college to do so. Do not do that, as I said all engineering branches are equally important.

Once you select a branch and stick to that just concentrate to study on that branch subject. Do more than what is being tought in your engineering colleges. I personally believe its not all about getting high rank or good marks in your engineering exams but to thoroughly understand the subjects. Remember you need to apply your learning to the this world one day. Do not ever be upset because you did not get good marks in your engineering degree, but treat that as gap and study more. I am not sure if the exam question papers set keeping the real world problems or not. You are not going to loose anything by scoring low marks unless you are confident that you know the subject well.

Last but not the least, know your teachers well and build good relationship with them. Discuss your problems with them and get advise. You have to be a go getter person. Remember there will be thousands of students and professors will not be able to give attention to each and every student. This is you who have to go forward and ask as may questions that you have on the subject being taught. Catch your teachers offline you did not get a chance to ask questions in the class. Believe me the teachers will not only answer your questions but also give lot extra tips on how you can understand the subject better.

The objective of studying an engineering degree is to get a good job finally. Recruiters look for talented engineers. It does not really matter what engineering subjects you have studied. But it does matter that how you perform in your interviews. I have seen many examples that a Mechanical Engineering Student getting a software job. Recruiters basically look for your passion for learning new things, just show that and be open for learning any new things. Just start feeling comfortable doing that and success will be yours and you will get your dream job!

I hope by now, you are clear and do not have the original question. Happy Learning!