Tuesday 17 September 2013

M.Tech - Is it still relevant? (debate)


Moderator:
Today we have two passionate M.Tech graduates locking horns in a debate, so as to give us their insights and beliefs as to whether it is beneficial for B.tech graduates to do a M.Tech or not, in this day and age. So let the Debate begin.


Pro M.Tech:
For those of us who have decided to pursue our career in the field of technology, I do believe that M.Tech is mandatory primarily because it really lets us chose the field we want to work in. The field of study gets very specialized and as such we get to equip ourselves with the knowledge of our desired fields. For example when I was a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering, I knew very little on Fatigue and Fracture mechanics if I dug into my knowledge pool of B.Tech Degree.

Moreover it was impossible to further my career into research and do a PHD if I do not have my M.Tech degree.

Another beneficial effect that I can think of M.Tech is that it brings you in contact with a lot of researchers and pioneers in our chosen field which can really improve and boost our career and provide inspiration to us. This type of contact in never possible in the B.Tech courses, so I believe that M.tech is a must for people who are really seeing their future in the technology sector for the foreseeable future.


Anti M.Tech: 
In light of the magnificent points highlighted by my erudite friend I would like to bring our attentions to the more practical problems that students face. M.Tech might be a really focused academic course where you specialize in a narrow field but do the students really know which stream they want to enroll in without the benefit of practical exposure? If they chose a wrong field in M.Tech without the benefit of trying it out first they might be trapped in a course that they have no interest in and might end up being M.tech just for name.

Moreover if we talk about careers, research and teaching is not what most people aspire for. Even if they do M.Tech, if they are not from IITs or NITs or a very few of the elite universities they will end up with the same jobs in Infosys, TCS etc. doing the same type of work that we will be doing even after B.Tech.

Thus my view is to join the work force after the B.Tech or do some professional courses and join the work force. It is proved beyond a shadow of doubt that a person learns better in a work environment due to the exposure and guidance he gets from his seniors at work who in more cases than less are pioneers in their field. Thus they get a chance to chose from the varied subjects what your true knack is for and you can chose that field.


Pro M.Tech: 
Given the argument laid here by my friend I would like to further counter a few points that he has made and bring into attention a few more benefits of M.Tech.

What B.tech does is make us a ‘Jack of all trades and a master of none’ and that precisely why people would want to do a M.Tech to master a particular discipline since specialization is the order of the day and age. If we are talking about experience and income again M.tech people are at an advantage because you may even get a teacher assistant position where you are given undergrads to teach and that adds exceptional value as an experience in the teaching field. Also the funding that universities provide are sometimes more than enough for a student to survive and they also end up generating savings.

Other than that If you are from a recognized M.Tech University that provides a degree you can go into PSUs, aim for management course both in the country and abroad.

As for career advancement, you get to work with professors or advisors who really have an insight as to your strengths and weaknesses and they give very good recommendations as to your field of work you are best suited to and that really boosts your career.

We have a better understanding of the subjects that we are studying because of some amount of base we have got in B.Tech, definitely improved faculty and most of all our improved maturity. Thus we only truly begin to learn and absorb knowledge on our field from M.Tech.

Even if we are going for the same type of work as a M.Tech as with a B.tech your practical knowledge, expanded skill set and on field experience from M.Tech will make you stand out as a better choice when it comes to advancing your career.

Again if you are doing a M.Tech you already know the type of mistakes that you made and can get a chance to recover from those mistakes and build on your strengths and negate the weaknesses. This is also invaluable tool to get into the workforce.

And finally as my friend has put forward if you want to go beyond being recruited into Infosys, Satyam, Wipro or TCS doing the average grunt work, your only ways ahead in the M.Tech and possibly a PHD after that.

And I disagree that these aforementioned companies does grunt work. There are a lot of opportunities for growth out there and the positions for which they consider is definitely superior to those of B.Tech students get offered. They compensation structure for M.Tech students are also better than the B.Tech students. Thus if we go on to summarize we can really say that after M.Tech the job opportunities that we have are in technical operations, management and research which covers really all the sectors that people work in the technology fields and for advancement everyone wants a specialisation or a post graduation degree. So I would say that the benefits of M.Tech far outweigh the negatives in all sectors.


Anti M.Tech: 
Despite hearing a few very good points that my friend made I am still of the opinion that M.Tech is not the way to go because of the following reasons:

Yes it might be true that M.Tech gives you the chance to teach undergraduate classes and get grants but my friend conveniently forgot that only the top percentile of the batch gets these options and the common or average students never even dream about them.

True people get great guides to work with but we know that still a major chunk of people leave after doing their M.Tech and do not pursue PHD. Let’s face the fact that research is not for everyone.

Those of the very few who are really academically inclined may benefit out of M.Tech but the majority have to enter the workforce and in my opinion earlier the better because if you have to work in the same organisation Seniority and experience helps you more to climb the ladder than specialization in an academic background and no experience.

The ability to negate your earlier faults totally depends on your maturity and that my friends are a relative concept.

I would not argue that M.Tech colleges really provide students the platform to go beyond the grunt work but again really few people can take the chance and if you are again talking of the top percentile of the students of elite universities. So rather than take that chance I think its more prudent to try and climb up from base without losing out on the advantage of time. Again right now the most prospective and lucrative jobs are in the Sales and Marketing section of industries and if anyone has to go for higher education to find gainful employment and with high salaries then i would feel that MBA rather than M.Tech would serve their purpose better. Since India is past the growth stage and is now in the service phase I feel that really MBA should be a choice for B.Techs to go.


Pro M.Tech: 
We first have to differentiate between myth and reality. Top institutions like Microsoft, Google hire M.Techs from IITs and they are strictly for corporate structure. Its not that those who are academically inclined or research oriented people who want to do M.Tech. In fact traditionally speaking the M.Techs who want to join the corporate life gets better packages than the Research or PHD candidates. Its true that these high packages usually go to the top students but that is universally true for any stream of education. Yes IITs and NIT students feel that they have got it made but they also have to study hard to get their desired jobs. Again a person who has not got into these institutions is not barred from getting jobs in CISCO, Google, Microsoft etc.

Excellence is expected when you re pursuing any course and a premier college is definitely a bonus in your CV. So all M.Tech aspirants should really concentrate and prepare for the Gate examination because that is really a gateway to your dream job or opportunity.

Again it is true that India is now in the Service phase of its development and the sales and marketing divisions are really doing good but the core functions of technology can never go through a drought since for a person to sell or market a product or service first there should be tech people who can build the products and services and in this age of polish I again feel that a highly polished M.Tech would always be in a better position to gain better employment than a simple B.Tech. Though MBA is very useful in this day and age, I personally feel that technology is as important, valuable and appreciated in the corporate field.


Moderator:

We have a very enlightening debate today and it has been really difficult me to chose one motion over the other as these two passionate gentlemen both defended their motion superbly.

However since I am duty-bound to chose one motion over the other, today I would say that M.Tech is the way to go for technology guys. I will however be listing both the positives and the negatives that has been highlighted in this debate
  1. If you are inclined towards research work M.Tech is a must for you. 
  2. While choosing if you want to do M.Tech or not look inside yourself. If you believe that you can make it big then only you should join M.Tech. 
  3. Specialization though is an important tool that M.Tech provides you can well gather all the skill sets while working also and reach the same level of expertise while working in the Industry. 
  4. While doing M.Tech you primary focus should be to get into the IITs or the NITs. 
  5. M.Tech will only provide you with a platform but how you chose to exploit that platform depends on you. 
So I would again highlight the most important thing for M.Tech aspirants is to perhaps get into the best college that they can and that can only be accomplished by getting a good GATE result. SO buckle up and prepare yourselves for GATE and explore the world of technology through M.Tech and Beyond.



Resources for GATE 2014

Important Dates
GATE Online Application Processing System (GOAPS) Website Opens: Enrollment, Application Filling, Application Submission
Monday
2nd September 2013
Last Date for Enrollment (after this only enrolled candidates can fill the application)
Tuesday
1st October 2013
Last date for Submission of Online Application through Website
Thursday
3rd October 2013
Last Date for the receipt of Print-out of the ONLINE Application along with all the supporting documents at the respective Zonal GATE Offices
Thursday
10th October 2013
Last Date for Request for Change in the Choice of City
Wednesday
20th November 2013
Availability of Admit Card on the GOAPS website for printing
Wednesday
18th December 2013
GATE 2014 Online Examination
Forenoon: 9.00 AM to 12.00 Noon
Afternoon: 2.00 PM to 5.00 PM
Saturdays & Sundays
Between 1st February & 2nd March 2014
Announcement of Results on the Online Application Website
Friday
28th March 2014
(10:00 Hrs)


Best GATE Preparation Books:

GATE Masterpiece Electrical Engineering Exam 2014 with 4 Mock 


GATE Masterpiece Mechanical Engineering Exam 2014 with 4 Mock 

Sources:

1 comment:

  1. India needs great technology guys who can design creative and innovative products. We don't need simple coders any more. People who can turn technology around can really help India reach greater heights. So I feel M.Tech is a must.

    ReplyDelete