Re: College
H2O said:
Engineering is my first choice.
But, if I do not get engineering than what should I do,
H2O said:
Engineering would be my first choice especially computer science engineering.
In that case I would strongly recommend that you concentrate more on getting past that engg entrance exam rather than ponder about what you would do in case you do not make it.
I myself decided that I would do Engg when I was in the 3rd standard and decided on the Comp Sc stream when I was in 7th standard. I never gave a thought about what I would do in case I did not make it past the entrance exam. Its not like I prepared for the entrance exam itself for a long time (It was more like a month of preparation), but I simply decided that I wanted to do Engg in CS even if I had not got past the entrance, I would have attempted it again till I got through.
Let me tell you about my sister as well in case you are more of a practical minded person like my sister. She was largely undecided on what she wanted to study till 10th. One thing she hated was Math. So definitely no engg for her. She decided she wanted to enter the law field like my father. Since also wanted to keep her options open, so she took up BiPC (Biology, Physis, Math) after 10th (she did not like math). She had a knack for cutting up things in the dissection classes and for remembering long names, so she could have attempted medical entrance, but she decided of her own accord that both medicine and law were trouble fields for her and hard to settle down and start earning, So she decided she would take up BCA and prepared only for that. She completed BCA and then MCA and joined the IT field starting with Satyam and then moving on to Wipro and currently in Infy. Even now she is not a bit interested in computers apart from what she does at office to earn her salary.
Although both of us are working in the same field, our motivations were completely different and my interest in computers goes past more than just earning a living. After B.Tech I did my M.Tech specialization solely out out interest and there too I did not randomly apply to every college out there and rather only to ones that offered specializations that I was interested in and I had a lot of fun trying out stuff that I was interested in during those two years. It did not give me any advantage in terms of job prospects and neither did I expect any. I got about the same kind of compensation package as the offer I got after my B.Tech.
So in the end If your goal is to join engg for learning about computers/electronics then don't look past that option. If your goal is to ultimately join the IT stream, then it doesn't matter much which course you take up. Of course you can learn as much or as little as you want in either alternatives, but my personal opinion out of experience is that if you look at the amount of learning solely from a curriculum standpoint, B.Tech in CS goes much more than a BCA + MCA. There are a number of areas related to computing that are never covered as part of the curriculum in BCA/MCA. A BCA or MCA is designed much more to procure you easy employment in the IT industry.
If you want to ultimately end up with a doctorate (PhD) then a B.Tech + PhD is much better option than BSc + MSc + PhD or any bachelors + masters + doctorate combo.
Also one more tip, if you cant make it to engg and want to go for MCA ultimately and career minded, then don't opt for BCA. Rather take up B.Com. There is a 80% overlap in what you learn in BCA and MCA. A B.Com + MCA or BCA + MBA widens up your career options.
