What Engineering has taught me – Mahesh Kunjir

After 12 years of schooling, the next big phase of my life was ENGINEERING. Having completed 3  years, as I introspectto understand what have I as an individual, as a budding engineer have gained in these years, I only realized engineering has become a common notion and has become just another degree by Tom, Dick and Harry unless and until it’s from IIT or NIT’s. Again, as an engineering graduate not from the premier college, what is possibly my life from here is a big question which I ponder upon every now and then. As much as I contemplate with seriousness, I realized that I learnt more regarding the ‘not so technical’ aspects of life.

1.The one who falls and gets up is so much stronger than the one who never fails.

It teaches you that failure is a part of life, and no matter how many times you fail, you still stand a chance to get up and run the next time. And that happens when you get a KT or get a second class grade your semesters. Got a back? Worry not. It is just a roadblock.

Life. Does. Not. End. There.

2.Where there is a will, there is a way.

It teaches you to handle last minute pressure, because except the bookworms, most of the students get habituated to studying a day or two before the final papers. And isn’t that a great ability? 

To be able to focus when the pressure is high?3.Explore. Dream. Discover.

It teaches you to explore your own self in the four years, try out different things, participate in the plethora of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, and find your areas of interest. 🙂

4.Life is either a great adventure or nothing.

8 semesters. And so much of idle time to explore a variety of options, right from volunteering opportunities to internships to sports, fests, cultural activities, technical activities and college societies. It helps you discover what you are good at, provided you participate in the events and activities held in your college and outside. Opportunities keep coming, you have to identify and grab them. 🙂

5.Living in the moment.

It teaches you to live in the moment. Studying hard during exam season, and once the exams are over, party! Because there’s no point worrying now!

6.The combination of hard work and smart work is efficient work.

And engineering just teaches you that. Deciding to study the important repeated questions first is a smart move, actually studying those questions requires hard work.

And with many more such lifetime lessons that change you, you happily say at the end, those were the best days of my life! 🙂

Engineering Provides these things……!!!!

#1 – TIME MANAGEMENT       

The ultimate lesson which every student learns in his course of 4 years – Time management. We as students, have innumerable number of recreational, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities that we fail to allot time to study on a regular basis. Thanks to exclusive breed of local authors, our lives have been made simple. One night is all that it takes to become an expert in that subject. And exam is all that it takes to wipe the same permanently from our memory!

Our day doesn’t end at 10pm. Midnight is the time, our creative weapons are unleashed. The most productive time of every student is definitely the midnight. The wooden benches are our improvised pillow!

#2 – FINDING THE PASSION OF OUR LIVES

Most of us join engineering either due to parent’s pressure or for the namesake degree so that we can get settled in our lives. Most of us find our true passion only during these 4 years. Engineering college has turned into a hub for students to pursue alternate careers. The starting point of plenty of entrepreneurs have been engineering, though most of them dropped out of engineering citing faults in the education system. With rise in social media, the awareness about entrepreneurship has urged students to take it up seriously. Writing is one another field where many find solace and peace in. While some stick to engineering, but find their domain of interest in a diametrically opposite domain of engineering. For e.g., there are many mechanical engineers who take up computer science courses through MOOC (Massive Online Open Course) so that they can shift to computer field once they graduate.

#3 – THE OUTSIDE WORLD

Schooling was always restricted to a small group of people with less competition. College life is entirely different where you are one among thousands. If college population is to be taken into account, it can be called as a town maybe. With that being the case, you have the pressing need to beat your drums loudly to make your presence felt. You realize that there are hundreds of people who are better than you in several other ways.

Most of us experience our first slap of life in college. We realize that life is hard and rules are not flexible. We understand that life isn’t fair and we have to deal with it. We think that our teacher is tough, but we fail to capture the bigger picture where our future bosses will be even tougher. We taste our first sip of adulthood and begin to understand the complexity and cruelty of the outside world.

#4 – NETWORKING

Man is defined by the company he keeps. Friends form an integral part of our lives. Especially in college, where we make friends for life. But, very soon we understand that it is not enough to build a wall around our self and restrict our friend’s group to our very own class. If growth is desired, then expansion is mandatory. The more we network, the more we stand to gain.

College life taught me that contacts are more important among the clerical staff than the higher officials. Ultimately, every task approved by the authorities have to be passed through them. A little bit of praising and kind gestures will go a long way in help achieve your goals.

#5 – SYNERGY

Yet another life changing lesson. Any task assigned to you must be completed with perfection, but it is not necessary that all the work needs to be done by you. Team work and delegation is of utmost importance and college taught me that. Unless and until work is shared, no work will reach its final stage.  Be it a project or report or even a friendly discussion for that matter needs the involvement of everybody. Never take your friend/colleague for granted, repercussions are deep.

#6 – COMPETITION IS NOT WITHIN, BUT OUTSIDE

Somehow, all of us deep down believe that our competitor is within our friend’s circle. We fail to share our resources, we fail to share anything and everything that might eventually help another person improve. Friendship has the amazing ability to mask jealousy. Every achievement of our close one, makes us feel insecure and afraid whether he’ll end up as a competitor in future. However, the enlightenment that all the above is an illusion comes only when near our final years where face our next level of people who are highly competent and talented. The more we grow, the more our counterparts become global. Our friends are never our competitor, only our alliance. The moment we start mistaking our alliance as foes, life is ruined. You can never complete the marathon of life without the help of others, especially without the help of your first and second circle of people.

#CONCLUSION:

Ultimately, the message I have conveyed all the way through is that, I have learnt nothing related to engineering. A harsh reality which most graduates are facing. The quality of the engineering colleges have dropped below normal. Unfortunately, we are a part of it and it is our moral duty to come out unscathed, as well bring up the standards to its old glory.

Apart from all the philosophical and values of life I learnt during my engineering, I learnt one more thing, the four years of engineering is not engineering restricted to domains like mechanical, electrical, but actually the engineering for life.