The Emotional Journey from Engineering College to the Workplace
April 22, 2017 - It was the last exam of my engineering course. I wrote well, had lunch at my college, and returned my identity card to my class incharge. I then collected my course completion certificate and transfer certificate, hugged my friends, and returned home. A sigh of relief when I got home.
It was a big relief inside me. Completing engineering course from a college that has rules for each and everything freed me up and provided me with a lot of excess time. However, as days passed, sitting at home jobless, I really missed my college. I missed those early mornings when I would run to catch my college bus, the delicious college food, the dedicated professors, and my friends. Even now, I miss my college, RMK ENGINEERING COLLEGE.
Now, I've landed a job that I've been dreaming of, and this is all thanks to my college and the relationships I forged there. However, my friends from other colleges are still unemployed. I find it saddening to see them struggling while I've found my niche. It all comes down to the quality of relationships you build during your college years, as everything else is just a collection of bricks, mortar, machines, and paperwork.
Degrees are overrated, but people are not. After completing my engineering, I felt the same as I did after graduating from school or completing my masters - or rather, neutral. However, I experienced a profound sense of sadness when bidding farewell to my friends, and I missed the familiarity that came with each occasion. For me, a college is only as good as the relationships one cultivates there.
Case 1 - Job Offer: If you have a job offer from a company after completing the college, you can enjoy your life for a few years. You can learn something new or apply for something exciting, and there will be a sense of relief in your life.
Case 2 - No Job Offer: If you don’t have any job offers, the life can be very depressing. Struggling to find an “off-campus” job can cause a lot of psychological stress. Friends and acquaintances will keep asking you when you will get a job, which can be frustrating.
Stay Positive: Having a degree is a symbol that you have taken a course that should have imparted knowledge for a profession. If you are a successful and good engineer, you can make a decent living and support a family. Reflecting on your career and successful products or ideas can be rewarding.
However, if you are not a good engineer or if you cheated your way through exams, you may fail as an engineer. This is much crueler than failing in school. Things can go bad economically, or you may have made a bad choice of employers and field of professional expertise, so it’s not a guarantee. You must keep up with technology, do a good job, and make sure you don’t become a lost niche player - stay employable. But you should still feel good about it, and I do.