What Industry want from Freshers & Engineers….

Happen to interact with young minds from Hyderabad Engineering today on above Topic... Amazing passion with panic of ongoing Pandemic made it interesting conversation. Suggested the ways on being Productive during this Lockdown. 

What Industry expects from Fresh Engineers is changing very fast. While there is a traditional approach that is "Mandate" , the need of the hour also is to have more modernized approach...

Lets understand Traditional approach first...

Technical - We were always taught to be Master of our technical Craft, it could be Civil, Computer , Mechanical , Electronics etc.

Yes we still need to be Masters of Technical Craft

Communicator  - One of the qualities Engineers cant survive without. Also, one of the things our Engineering colleges need to focus on. Good verbal and written communication skills are essential in order to deliver and understand information quickly and accurately. Being able to communicate effectively is a vital life skill and should not be overlooked.

This is the key to Personal and Career Success Hard Working  - We are learning this since Childhood. Hard work is the only key to achieving it; it teaches us discipline, dedication and determination. Hard work is definitely more important because it is only through hard work that we can achieve the goals of our life.

Opportunities are usually disguised as Hard work hence most people don't recognize them Dynamic - The literal meaning of dynamic (referring to a person) is the one who has a positive attitude, is full of ideas, energetic, progressive and The person who showcases these can be referred to as the one who has a dynamic personality. 
Be ready for change.

While we understand that  what is traditional approach and expectation from an Engineer, lets understand the need of the hour.

• Need of the Hour - Modern Approach

The need of the hour is different. Industry need Engineers who can think differently , who can act faster , Who can take decisions, Who can Learn , Unlearn and Re-learn , One who can find

Disruptive Solutions , The ones who believes in collaboration..... What is the Recipe we need - Its Transformation and only Think Transformation Gone are the says when one should try automating the current processes , Now is the time when we need to think of Transformation. The key questions should be:

• What can be done to increase "Speed to Market"
• How can be reduce "Cost" for our customers/consumers?
• How can be reduce "Human intervention" ?
• How can we reduce overall "Maintenance Cost" ?

The answer is below:

Creative Design Thinking - One need to sit back and Re-think Design of the process we want to Optimize. Has someone thought a decade back that Loan can be available at a click of button in few seconds? , Only Rethinking Business and Design can make it happen

Reuse , Agile and Innovate - Rather than reinventing wheel, the need of the hour is to Reuse what is available and then build on top of it. One need to be ready to work in Agile environment rather than traditional models. Agile demands small progress at given time but faster output on the table. Innovation continues to be the key to success

Communication, Collaboration and Articulation - The soft skill factors , but very important aspects of success.

Great communicators know that nonverbal communication speaks louder than verbal communication; they listen with their eyes and ears, and pay attention to people's posture, hand movements, and eye contact because these also send very powerful messages. Companies can’t make forward progress if their employees can’t work well together. Time has shown that without successful collaboration, companies are doomed to fail.

Great collaboration starts with the people. So if you want to get ahead in your career, developing these specific characteristics can help ensure that people will always want you on their team: Articulation Skills is most important of this lot, because if you cant express/explain other on what you think , it is of no use. Being articulate– communicating effectively – is an essential business skill because it brings clarity to any given situation – good, bad, indifferent. Clarity enables other people to make decisions and apply their resources to a problem. In the modern organizational context, this is paramountThis leads to Transformation, one also Need to possess below:

• Robots , A Game changer 
• Critical Thinking Skills
• Problem Solving Skills
• Disruptive Solutions

Well, I am writing this at the time of this Pandemic COVID 19 , so gave students an idea on what they should do during this?

COVID 19 , Indeed it will have impact on Industry , Economy and Jobs.... But can we do something about it? Yes of course we can. Who will Survive - The one who will convert this Lockdown situation to Blessing. Students can use their time to do below

• Spend time in Learning New technologies - Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence , NLP etc OR anything in your field.
• Create your own Robo - Use Blue Prism , UIPath or Automation Anywhere software
• Learn new concept - Data Sciences , Data Engineering..
• Create Proof of Concept - Take any project , use technology YouTube , Google and complete it with Time Goal...
• Gang up with Friends, take a Goal together to learn or apply technology

Summarizing , Stop Worrying , Breathe consciously , Think Innovatively , Plan and Act Now.

Finally , Conclusion below

Industry need Hybrid approach, Engineers who are dynamic , who can Learn/Unlearn and Relearn..... Last but not least , The most important thing is to Stay Safe , Keep working out and Stay Immune!!!!!!!! Happy Reading and Writing!! Signing off - Reacha Jain Gupta, PMP