On personal views, I am sharing how Engineering graduates can look forward once they start working as software engineers in various Software Companies after college. The idea can be applicable to other graduates working in various fields of profession after college or Universities as well. Due to our current Academic Education Systems, we are urged to view studying academic degrees & career as the ultimate thing in our lives that everyone has to do compulsorily with tremendous self-pressure. Most of the students in colleges & schools are urged to be among rank-holders. They are being asked to get job and then, even after that our struggle for better career do not stop. Thus, there may be a lot of self-questioning doubts - what exactly we are doing and what we are supposed to do once we get job after our College Educations.

Struggles in Academic days in colleges or Universities are far less compared to the struggles in corporate world. There comprise things like neither friendship nor any kind of emotional sharing of thoughts among people; but just that people are colleagues or partners to complete the job assigned. The real struggle of living & understanding the world will start once a student is into work-environment. A lot of changes will be on the way of entry into corporate world -

1) Work Ethics - Ethical understanding of what to do & how to do in Work-environment
2) Personality Adjustment - Conflict of personal behaviors & work-environment
3) Company Culture - Multi-cultural understanding among the employees across the global locations
4) Balancing of Personal life & Job-requirements - Family commitment versus Project Datelines
5) Urge for growth in career - Comparison of things attached to self with peers & other people
6) Many more....Serious topics to think about… because. It's about the real life and not like those days of college or schools where mistakes or faults can be considered to be forgiven once or twice.

If we closely look into the nature of skills to be possessed by every working person in any kind of job; we will be able to find three main areas whose degrees of involvement are varied according to the job responsibilities & nature of job. They are -

1) Technical Role
2) Human Role
3) Business Role

So, every person under any designations will have the above three roles with varying percentage of capacity. But, we have to realize that as our career grows; the percentage of involvement increased towards the lower side (i.e. Technical side to Business side). Life in any career can be considered as if a kind of Business. People having sound knowledge of Business role will survive fluctuations in life rather than those with higher skills of Technical role. All the three skills are indeed required and all of them are a MUST for any level of work-positions in any Organization.

Here, the word "CHOICE" matters the most - because, every individual has to decide on how far one wishes to go ahead in career. But, one has to understand and think carefully that personal lives other than career are also to be looked into more in-detailed; since unless there is a balance & clarity on the complete picture of what the individual is supposed to do in life, there can be big issues in life. We have to remember that - Rewards & Medals in career is not the only thing which says a person is a good human being; since Career is just the means of living and our life as such is the main road which we have to think carefully.

Engineering Graduates will be surely happy that they have started working in big branded companies & they have started earning good salaries every month. They will be sometimes motivated to learn anything and at times, they will be also curious to know what exactly is going on corporate world. Everything in offices will be seemed as just about works and nothing more than that. Everyone in the office will come to office to work and go back home once their daily works are completed. At times, these newly graduated Engineers will start feeling that things are repeating again & again. They will start asking what is going on - is this life or is this way to live on till the last day, or many more...

Let me share my view directly so as to understand practically for things related to job & future planning for career in industries to some extent.

1) Learn the technical works & domain knowledge of what a person is exactly doing in a project at the starting of one's career. Have the technical ability to explain the project to any person from any technical domain other than the own project members). Reason self technically with queries and try to answer them.
-> This will help the individual to understand the probable questions which other companies may ask when he/she goes for interviews & also it will enhance the skills & mindset of technical works in the current project.

2) 2 years of working in the same project or in the same company is a bit long journey nowadays. If a person keeps on working in the same project for 10 years still more, he/she may indeed learn more about the product and yes, he/she may be promoted to project leader or project manager in future. It's really good that each individual will grow up technically on what they do and indeed, they will get satisfaction for what they have worked. May be their Bosses will also say "Well Done, Good Work"... But, each one will not be sure whether their success is on the right ladder or wrong ladder. At the same time, the individual has to create enthusiasms to learn & know as much as they could during the 2yr time frame. Because, the years of experience has to match according to the knowledge & skills one has to acquire.

-> Let me explain via drawing a diagram to understand the reality.



Try drawing many straight lines from the centre of meeting point of X-Axis & Y-Axis. These lines will be representing the learning & work-experience in years an individual has spent. An individual may know many skills on various technical areas, or may have personal learning on many fields or may even is excellent on some of the skills other than the current job or work.

BUT, one should keep a check on market value i.e. what one knows and what one works, so as to have a value in terms of which customer/manager who is accepting the ideas or product will rate a weightage or the value of the individual's work. Knowing too much on something which has less value that the individual can sell makes less sense, because, he/she will be not recognized to the extent he/she should be.

So the Market value will not only refer to monetary terms but also a sense of satisfaction on self & also from Customers or peers. Example:- In the resume of Campus placement, students may mention that they know C, C++, JAVA, ORACLE,, etc. but, in future course of career, no company will recognize these knowledge unless the person has worked on a company project in his/her overall experience; and even if the person have worked on company projects, the future companies will look to the latest experience only; because, companies want only the best people for the particular task they are in need. So, one has to be specialist on some which has high returns - Remember… Most will find this term many a times - ROI [Return on Investment].

3) Either one has to be technically very strong n go on the way to create new ideas to make new product so as to sustain own company in the future; or, one can the technical skills and move on finding other similar careers to excel and show own strengths. Engineers are in-fact just workers and they are the work-force of a company.

And, what we need to realize is that - when the Company management or share-holders say that - they are closing the company or they are changing their business from Java-Oriented company to C++ oriented company or from one technical field to another, or may be even dumping the full business domain & move to others; then, the engineers will loose jobs.

In fact, the knowledge/skills learnt by the engineers will find difficulties to showcase themselves on other domains of new jobs. Moreover, to become Technical Architects or Topmost Experts on any technical domain, an engineer not only requires 15-20 years of experience on the product/job, but also, the engineers should have been provided the chance to grow with positions n responsibilities by the employing company. But, Remember, The Employer/Company may have already changed the business by then, or may be the technology is no more valid. So, the risk factor & luck factor matters a lot in pure technical domain career.

-> So, the best way of gaining technical knowledge n utilizing the success of the knowledge is - learn the process & business models too along with having couple of years of experience on technical domain and utilize the ideas on other Business Domains. Again, how many years one has to spend on technical terms is not what is to be really considered as experience, if someone is indeed going ahead with new business ideas.

What responsibilities one has done, what role one has played, how far one has co-coordinated with team-members & clients, many more are required. But, as the competition among peers is also there... one may not get the chance just like that, and he/she may not even be given the chance.. So, a lot of thinking & planning has to be done both technically & behaviorally in advance for career growth & peace of mind.

4) Instead of working as employees under the banner of some company, it's better to have own business & run as employers. It will not only enable to face the challenges of work, but also the efforts will be recognized by everyone. Here, the word is about entrepreneurships in the domain we are good; or even if our knowledge is not that sufficient for that kind of big ambitions, we can at least be top Bosses on some big companies.

-> To become project leader, then project manager, then Technical manager, then higher up positions are all not just about time-bound or experience bound concepts. There also involves a lot of politics & inter-personal relations, because everyone will like to be BOSS. With the passage of years while working, everyone will slowly realize all; but, why not learn today, so that one can use the knowledge for the better of tomorrow. Thinking Hi-Fi is good, but realizing by simulations at present is better option. First of all, one's behavior & attitude have to be molded w.r.t. the practical personal inter-relations, i.e. what is there in book & what is there in mind are not applicable directly in reality, because this is not an IDEAL WORLD.

5) Anyone can work anywhere for any customers or organizations and live comfortably as every other does. But, Question self - why not try to create own opportunities via which one can work similarly in Manipur or for Manipur or something related or near to our family in Manipur or at least a sense of Manipuriness. One can earn & learn technically more n more. But, just with an engineer's earning alone can't help one's own family or many families of our relatives in Manipur.

It's not about finding what problem Manipur or people or our relatives have; but, it's about how to solve issues using our ideas & our skills. The main concept is - Share the smile & learning with fellow friends & relatives in Manipur; because, there is no limit to career growth & none can take anything when the last day comes in our lives. One may have tried building a big empire of own, but once he/she is out of picture, it may not take even a year to vanish the whole empire into history.

-> One should try to use one's strength to the full extent. So, preparation & planning has to be done from Day-1 of professional career. I am not saying that we should jump directly into Manipur and start working immediately. One has to use the intellectual & scientific reasoning to find the answer to issues and give solutions. If one wishes to do something big, one needs knowledge & Money. Well, remember the saying - CHANCE FAVORS THE PREPARED MIND... It's worthless to run after chances, but, it's reasonable to get prepared and, if chance comes, we strike it and win it. Being a Manipuri, I feel that we ought to do give back something we can. Creating Ideas & working jobs for people in other countries or states or firms are more or less same as if working for people in Manipur; but, its just a choice one has to make. Because, unless we try to do something for ourselves, none will come forward with personal interest.

6) During the early phase of professional career, it's good to come out of India and work abroad so that one could not only save huge money, but also realize the life-style & thinking people have there. With traveling & getting in-touch with various people, one will get the chance to realize the technical dreams & also big ambitions (if by chance). One will learn to make friendship with big buddies too (if by chance). Working aboard for 1 year is indeed similar to working in India for 3 years in terms of Salary & money that one can save due to variation in currency values. Secondly, Companies will respect & reward for the international experiences, when he/she comes back to India & try to become Team-Leads technically. Thirdly, one will have better idea how to interact with clients in future via teleconferences & mails, etc.

So, 2 yrs in India and then 3 yrs outside India; and then, Planning for higher studies in a good Business School, or even continuing on technical fields is the better option in software profession.. But, we ought to keep the trust that we will surely think about ideas to make new changes in Manipur, both technologically & socially. Because, that is what I expect as return from others for sharing my ideas (it's not a must, but it's understood internally by default).

Its is the right time to look beyond what one can see as software engineer, because, by 2010-1015; economic Boom in India, China & South-East Asia is for sure under the current Trent.. and at that time, why we should work as mere engineer or technical manager… why not we choose to work as General Manager of a huge software firm or CEO of our own firm. FIRST BELIEF SELF THAT WE CAN DO IT... BIG DREAMS… yes... So...INDEED BIG INVESTMENT & PLANNING REQUIRED... But we also need to have SOME SECURITIES.. FOR SELF TO FALL BACK if our plans don't work out...We do need motivation & care at every step.