Mechanical engg back in fashion, say academicians
They predict it will be the most popular choice of engineering aspirants during the admissions this year. Reason: Gujarat’s burgeoning industrial sector
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Thursday, April 21, 2011 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/201104212011042103201442b2eb8790/Mechanical-engg-back-in-fashion-say-academicians.html)
Mechanical engineering (ME) will be the most sought after branch this year, predict academicians ahead of the class XII science results that will be declared on May 12. The reason being the burgeoning industrial sector in Gujarat that will require manpower on a large scale. The number two and three spots will be occupied by civil and electrical engineering disciplines, they say.
Member secretary of Joint Admission Committee for Professional Courses M N Patel said: “Till two years ago, electronics and communication was the most preferred discipline. But the scenario has changed now. With new industries being set up in an investor-friendly state like ours, the demand for mechanical, electrical and civil engineers is going to be huge.”
All these years, electronics and communication (EC) was the hot choice for students, particularly because it has great scope in foreign countries. “Many of the colleges that have newly come up offer the EC course but not ME, because they need to invest less in setting up EC labs as compared to the ME labs. However, there is not much demand for EC these days. In fact in the past two years, ME has been finding favour with hundreds of meritorious students.
“The trend will only pick up further pace. Mechanical, civil and electrical engineering will be the hot favourites. Only after these will computer, EC, automobile, IT, and information communication branches be preferred in that order,” Patel said.
THE SCOPE
Prashant Panchal, class XII student from Nava Vadaj, said: “I prefer mechanical engineering because it has more scope with the number of industries coming up in Gujarat. ME finds applications in all fields of technology. I should get a job easily by the time I complete the course. Also, I can even think of setting up my own company since there are many mechanical engineers in my family.”
The ME students master key aspects of chemical, civil and electrical engineering besides physics and advanced mathematics, particularly calculus.
Traditionally, many mechanical engineers opt for automotive and aerospace industries, but energy, robotics, and bioengineering are the growth areas. Even nanotechnology, which is about manipulation of particles at nano-level to build microsize machines, is a growing field.
Patel says that environmental engineering is also an emerging field, however not many students opt for it because the job opportunities are limited. “Colleges in Surat and Bhuj offer courses in environment, marine and plastic engineering, but they have very few takers,” Patel says.
‘Top it with MBA’
Nirma University director general N V Vasani said: “The core branches of engineering namely mechanical, civil and electrical have always withstood the vagaries of time. I too believe that ME is back in fashion. I only advise students to pursue bachelors in ME in good colleges. These days an undergraduate degree is not enough, one needs to do postgraduation too. Top it with an MBA to get easy access to the best jobs in the industry.”
Bipin Sharma, a student of class XII of Raghunath School in Bapunagar, said: “Everyone gives a different opinion about which discipline to choose. But of what I can make out from the newspapers, I am keen on pursuing civil engineering. However, I would like to meet some experts before I decide.”
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Thursday, April 21, 2011 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/201104212011042103201442b2eb8790/Mechanical-engg-back-in-fashion-say-academicians.html)
Mechanical engineering (ME) will be the most sought after branch this year, predict academicians ahead of the class XII science results that will be declared on May 12. The reason being the burgeoning industrial sector in Gujarat that will require manpower on a large scale. The number two and three spots will be occupied by civil and electrical engineering disciplines, they say.
Member secretary of Joint Admission Committee for Professional Courses M N Patel said: “Till two years ago, electronics and communication was the most preferred discipline. But the scenario has changed now. With new industries being set up in an investor-friendly state like ours, the demand for mechanical, electrical and civil engineers is going to be huge.”
All these years, electronics and communication (EC) was the hot choice for students, particularly because it has great scope in foreign countries. “Many of the colleges that have newly come up offer the EC course but not ME, because they need to invest less in setting up EC labs as compared to the ME labs. However, there is not much demand for EC these days. In fact in the past two years, ME has been finding favour with hundreds of meritorious students.
“The trend will only pick up further pace. Mechanical, civil and electrical engineering will be the hot favourites. Only after these will computer, EC, automobile, IT, and information communication branches be preferred in that order,” Patel said.
THE SCOPE
Prashant Panchal, class XII student from Nava Vadaj, said: “I prefer mechanical engineering because it has more scope with the number of industries coming up in Gujarat. ME finds applications in all fields of technology. I should get a job easily by the time I complete the course. Also, I can even think of setting up my own company since there are many mechanical engineers in my family.”
The ME students master key aspects of chemical, civil and electrical engineering besides physics and advanced mathematics, particularly calculus.
Traditionally, many mechanical engineers opt for automotive and aerospace industries, but energy, robotics, and bioengineering are the growth areas. Even nanotechnology, which is about manipulation of particles at nano-level to build microsize machines, is a growing field.
Patel says that environmental engineering is also an emerging field, however not many students opt for it because the job opportunities are limited. “Colleges in Surat and Bhuj offer courses in environment, marine and plastic engineering, but they have very few takers,” Patel says.
‘Top it with MBA’
Nirma University director general N V Vasani said: “The core branches of engineering namely mechanical, civil and electrical have always withstood the vagaries of time. I too believe that ME is back in fashion. I only advise students to pursue bachelors in ME in good colleges. These days an undergraduate degree is not enough, one needs to do postgraduation too. Top it with an MBA to get easy access to the best jobs in the industry.”
Bipin Sharma, a student of class XII of Raghunath School in Bapunagar, said: “Everyone gives a different opinion about which discipline to choose. But of what I can make out from the newspapers, I am keen on pursuing civil engineering. However, I would like to meet some experts before I decide.”
