Education, Careers & Professional News
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Source
THE HINDU
Date
2005-10-31
Information
Electronics and communication engineering - why is this course most sought after both by students and recruiters? K. Ramachandran
FIRST CHOICE: A student explains his project at an exhibition organised by the ECE Association at Anna University, Chennai.
Academicians, administrators, industry consultants, career counsellors and practising engineers, all have one recurring complaint every year. There is seemingly a blind or even a mad rush among candidates of all hues to get seats in electronics and communication engineering seats.
Academicians and industry experts continue to maintain that all forms of engineers are sought after by recruiters. But `ECE as this popular branch is called remains on top of the list of all engineering aspirants.
This week we try to get into the mind of the youngsters whose main ambition in life is to enter the ECE course in engineering college.
Wikipedia defines Electronics and Communication Engineering is a discipline of Communications system engineering combining two branches: Knowledge of electronics is very essential for a communication engineer. This branch includes papers such as Circuit Theory, Digital Systems Design, Microprocessors, Solid State Devices, VLSI design or, Communication Engineering, etc.
The four-year course combines elements of electronics, electronic circuits and devices, digital electronics, programming, microprocessors, communication theory, computers, networks … a range of subjects that help a student walk into areas that are combining in a new digital age as `convergence - using electronics to make men and machines talk to each other through different media. It also has elements of electronic engineering and systems design, in essence to make its graduates a complete engineer of new age electronics.
There is a method even in the mad craze for this discipline, going by expert opinion. But before that one question: why blame the students?
Tamil Nadus 250 colleges, including the deemed universities have about 85,000 seats in over 25 engineering disciplines. Of this, ECE as a single discipline accounts for 20,000 seats.
At present, this discipline accounts for 17,500-plus seats in the affiliated institutions of Anna University. This shows, it is the universities and approving bodies such as the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) are responsible for creating such a large seat base in the discipline, which students only grab on to.
A senior Anna University academic has a simple logic behind ECEs popularity among students: this discipline provides core fundamental and domain knowledge of electronics engineering and communication engineering. Even if applied areas such as information technology or programming languages fall down in market ratings, people with domain skills can always find ways to apply their knowledge in any emerging technology areas. In that way, even hardware or manufacturing sectors will benefit from the expertise or edge that ECE students can provide.
A HR consultant with long experience in placement with IIT-Madras, A.K. Pattabiraman says Today we see the real information technology revolution, as it is leading to a real convergence technology, which again has its basis on the communication revolution. In effect, people here can provide or find technologies across the globe, and in this communication and electronics technologies play a significant role.
As far as one can see, these two will continue to be the dominating technologies for some more years to come. Secondly, electronics engineering is an important segment of core engineering areas also, as one moves more and more into automation. So this body of knowledge called ECE will also play a role in manufacturing engineering too…
Even on everyday basis, electronics engineering is changing lifestyles. A small group of top academic rankers realise all these and choose this powerful domain area. The others who take to this discipline, are of course, doing it in a herd-mentality. But still, their choice is correct in the circumstances, Mr. Pattabiraman says.
Career consultants such as Jayaprakash Gandhi say that students feel that even if IT discipline goes down in market ratings, somehow ECE students remain stable in the market. Those choosing ECE are more from the majority of rural students. A small discerning group of city students going by past statistics root for computer sciences engineering because big paying recruiters want CSE and IT students. One cannot disagree with the students perception that domain and core skills would carry them far than applied areas… he notes.