It’s the placement season for most engineers. The salaries being offered to the students is an exciting affair for their family and peers. But, this feels more like an auction, rather than employment. This puts a lot of pressure on the student to live up to the expectations

At India’s premier engineering institutes, placements have been going on in full swing. Every year at the IITs, when the maximum package is announced, it feels as though the quality of education has reached its peak. Yet year after year, these salary records are broken and even higher packages are offered. This year a student from IIT Kharagpur, got placed in Google for a package of Rs. 2 crore with additional stock options.

When this news made round, the media contacted the placement office of IIT- Kharagpur. They revealed that the figures are lesser than what is being said. For those without a placement offer, this kind of news would have touched the raw nerve. The feeling of rejection may sink deep and ultimately demotivate them. On one hand there are students with excellent pay packages, while on the other hand those without even a job in hand. Both the kinds of students are ultimately stressed out.

In a bid to reduce this build up, the IITs in a joint meeting later decided that the salary figure shall not be revealed to the public. Their argument was based on the fact that, revealing the amount creates unnecessary hype leading to a lot of stress. It also will lead to increased expectations, which in all probable cases leads to disappointment for both the parents and the student.

Jobs and salaries shouldn’t be given so much importance. Especially with engineering, the amount of hype only adds to the pressure and doesn’t in anyway prove useful.

This article is part of PaGaLGuY’s innovative Internship programme for engineering students. Currently, two such programmes are on – one on Creative Writing, the other is a Certification on Digital Media. If you are interested in partaking and  bagging a certificate, besides learning the nuances of effective writing, mail us at [email protected].