MUMBAI: The old-fashioned is back in vogue. Core

engineering careers

seem to be in demand at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. The Senior Survey 2024, which mapped the time and life of

IITians

graduating from the Powai campus, found that an equal number are going to core industrial jobs and

tech firms

.
The next largest cohort will pursue masters, and then some say they will go where life takes them.

Consulting and venture capital jobs, finance, and jobs in product management saw smaller numbers. One IITian said, “Now, I am going to a very good institution for a

PhD

. I liked my professors here, and the research opportunities I had, with the motivation I received.”
A total of 291 out of the 2,500 eligible students responded to the survey conducted by the IITB student newspaper, Insight. The questionnaire dwelt on the outgoing batch’s academics, career, personal life, and miscellaneous matters. The survey was conducted this year after a gap of three years. Of the 288 students who answered the question on

job status

, 212 said they had accepted a position; 26 are currently looking for a job. For those who picked a job, interest in the work and work-life balance were crucial determining factors, following which came monetary compensation: it was the top priority for 85 students and a major factor for 114 of them. Place of posting and work culture came next as important considerations. Most described the

placement season

as being “frustrating”, “mostly stressful”, and “noticed some instances of unfairness or bias”.
Of those who responded, 35 of them, many with a high CGPA (cumulative grade point average), did not sit for placements, they said. Just two said they will be self-employed, indicating not many were keen on entrepreneurship. Of those graduating who responded to the question on place of posting after graduation, Mumbai and Bengaluru tied for the highest number. Forty-five of them had no clue where they are headed, and 42 are flying out of India. Gurugram, Hyderabad, Pune, and Delhi are locations others are going to.

Looking back at their time on campus, almost everyone was happy with the new curricula, calling it lighter in terms of required courses. Some said, “it aligned better with industry needs” and “courses like artificial intelligence and data science are required by everyone today.” When asked further, most claimed to have attended all classes, followed by those who said they only came to class if attendance was being recorded. When asked if attending classes was important, a lion’s share answered in the positive but added it depended on the professor and the course. Apart from the material provided by faculty, many used online portals for academic purposes; very few picked books from the library.
When one looks at the personal life of students on campus, 174 of them said the academic load prevented them from spending time with friends, 102 said they were busy with extracurricular activities, but 87 were prevented from doing so because of the prohibitive cost of outings and 48 did not mingle to steer clear of drugs and alcohol.