Do Away With College Placements
Our generation, especially in India, has been spoon-fed from the early days. The newer generation is worse. And by the newer generation, I’m referring to the current students who’re probably 2-5 years younger than me. It’s like Moore’s Law for societal up-bringing changes.
College placements might have started on premium institutes so that the big guns of the corporate world could tap in to a bright talent pool directly. But that has, over the years, led to the student thinking of himself as royalty. Today, every college boasts of campus placements and each student thinks it’s his constitutional right. But most of us who’re now post the college phase of our lives know what a sham the “100% placements” are.
This phenomenon, coupled with a generation brought up as being spoon-fed, has led each student to believe that without campus placements, they’ll never get a job. Of course, the bad lot aren’t supposed to get one, but the good lot also believe in the same. And that leads them to taking up courses for personality development and the whole jing-bang.
Learning through internships and trainee jobs have been long forgotten. The Indian educational system is crappy and training organizations are cashing on the gap between what’s taught in colleges and what’s used in companies. These post-college training programs have become over-time become part of the spoon-feeding bit as well, and they also guarantee paid internships & placements.
It’s all a scam. One scam leading to another.
My suggestions to the colleges:
- Kick some lazy ass.
- Make them understand what their degree courses are teaching/training them to be eventually.
- Tell them what career options they have.
- Mention company names and job profiles as examples.
- Teach/train/brain-wash them into believing that they can get themselves an internship or a job by knocking on doors.
- Help them understand the importance of networking and the doors that the right contacts can open for them.
- Show that you’re willing of give recommendation letters.
- Prove that they learn more doing things rather than just sitting in the class by means of more practical sessions (Yes, that does mean you have to bring about change in yourself as well).
- In process, help save a generation’s worth of money for better things (like good food, etc).
PS: I’m glad that I know of students who’re doing the right thing and have the balls to get their hands dirty and knees scratched in the process (no pun intended).
