Firms wont hire 6th sem students: Nasscom

Nasscom is directing recruiters to hire students only from eighth semester instead of sixth semester onwards to prevent an adverse impact on their education, reports Sridhar Vivan of Bangalore Mirror.

From this year on, firms are supposed to recruit only engineering students in the eighth semester. Prof Dr M Vijayadev, Head (Placement and Training Department), M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology, confirmed this by saying that the companies have been told to do so by Nasscom. "The hiring season has begun in full swing. I can definitely say recession has receded but companies are playing it safe," he said

According to Nasscom, owing to increasing rate of growth of the industry and the high demand for engineers, the recruitment process till now commenced from the sixth semester. As early recruitment could adversely affect the students academically, Nasscom has suggested campus hiring from the eighth semester. Nasscom Chief Som Mittal says, "We believe that in some institutions, the recruitment process gets started as early as in the fifth semester. This has resulted in students having a job offer on hand even though they still have over one year to complete their studies."

However this also brings in a certain degree of complacency, and in some manner impacts the education process. It also inhibits student from taking up post-graduate studies, which has its own cascading impact on quality of research in India.

From the industry perspective as well, companies have to make an estimate of their requirements almost 18-24 months prior to their need. This worked well in past with some degree of certainty of growth, but is increasingly difficult during current economic environment. In many cases, it has also led to joining dates of students getting staggered and deferred.

IIM grads prefer domestic offers to international ones !

Even though students across IIMs this year got good international offers, unlike last year, from firms in Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong, U.S and Australia, they have preferred to take domestic over international ones. Better career prospects in India, because of the booming economy, are the main reason.

For example, in IIM-Bangalore, 15 students accepted international offers, and same number of students turned down global placements. Talking to The Times of India, Sapna Agarwal, Head of Career Development Service, IIM-B said, "We don't have data on the number of students opting out of international ones. But this time maybe 15 students accepted domestic offers over international ones."

An IIM-B student, who didn't want to be named, was offered a consulting role in the UK, but he opted for a domestic offer from a general management company which is yet to declare his position. "India is a more happening place than anywhere else.

These IIM graduates believe that the future is India. "One always gets to travel abroad and work there. The learning there can be implemented here," said a student.

An IIT-Bombay student, Aditya, who got the offer from one of the leading I-banks where he would have been placed in NY, London, Hong Kong or Singapore, he preferred to stay in India looking at a long-term career in India. "I didn't want to settle abroad," said he.

10 really dumb mistakes to avoid in the CORPORATE

1:Don’t blindly upgrade

How many times have you upgraded Windows XP to SP3 (including IE8) only to find out (postmortem) that something in the upgrade has broken some feature or functionality your clients need to do their job? I have seen this far too often. Internet Explorer 8 is notorious for breaking currently working systems. Make sure you know the critical sites your client needs to use and confirm that they work with IE8 before undertaking any upgrades.

2: Don’t edit configuration files without backing up first

This can get really tricky when doing things like migrating Linux servers from one machine to another. Make sure you are clear what’s a backup and what’s a currently working configuration file. Do not let these files cross paths (nor their filenames). Get into the habit of copying and renaming backup configuration files so you know exactly where that working backup file is.

3: Don’t forget to turn the firewall back on

You know you’ve done it. You can’t seem to get a network function or feature to work so you shut off the firewall to remove one possible hurdle. In your excitement (after you’ve nailed the problem), you leave without turning that firewall back on. Bad move. Before you leave that desk, make sure that the firewall is back up and running so that machine is protected.

4: Don’t forget to document

How many clients do you have? If that number is more than 0, you need to be keeping documentation on those clients. Having to navigate around the network to discover the lay of the land wastes time. Keep a good record of passwords (unless you prefer to entrust them with clients to preserve your own liability), network addresses, machine names and functions, etc. The more the better.

5: Don’t do anything without client permission

No matter what you’re working on, you want to make sure the client has given the okay for the job. Think about it this way: Any work you do without client permission could easily be work you won’t be getting paid for. Or worse, you might undertake a task (without permission) that could cause data loss, which could lead to much bigger issues with regard to the bigger picture.

6: Don’t experiment on a client machine

You might be tempted to try that new “fix” you heard of that can shave a few minutes (or hours) from your job. Don’t. Test those hot new fixes either in the office or offsite. Don’t trying something unproven unless you are 110% sure that this fix will work for the situation you are about to use it in. And if you do attempt it, make sure you have a backup of the system before you do.

7: Don’t learn on the job

This relates to number six (sort of). We can’t know everything. On a daily basis, we run across something we’ve never used or seen before. When you come across something you know nothing about, don’t try to learn about it on the job. Those clients aren’t paying you to learn; they’re paying you to fix. If you have to research a piece of software, tell the client you will need to do so and you will return when you’re ready to tackle the issue. If the client is okay with your learning on the job, do so. Just make sure they’re aware that what they are asking is beyond the scope of your knowledge. It’s always better to be honest than to try to BS your way out of a situation.

8: Don’t use Add/Remove Program to uninstall antivirus

Recently, we had a machine come into the office with FOUR different antivirus apps installed. Needless to say, the machine was nearly unusable. All four pieces of antivirus software had to be removed and, fortunately, we were smart enough to use the included uninstall for each one. When using the Windows Add/Remove Programs tool, the antivirus will leave behind traces that can cause problems for other antivirus tools. Just be safe and use the included uninstall tool for the software.

9: Don’t go in without knowing the situation

Unless you’re visiting a new client, one of the most unprofessional things you can do is to go into the situation without knowing what’s going on or what the layout is. If a fellow employee is about to hand off a client to you, make sure that employee gives you the lowdown on the layout of the network topology, as well as point of contact information and any special information regarding the installations, users, or system quirks.

10: Don’t leave the site without making sure everything works

You might think you’ve covered everything. And everything may work from your perspective. But that’s not enough. Sit users down at their computers and make sure things work from their perspective. They are, after all, the ones who have to use the computer. If the machine doesn’t work according to their expectations and needs, your work is not done.

Other missteps?

The last thing you want is to make one of the above mistakes. Letting yourself fall victim to anything you’ve just read could cause you to lose respect and clients. Don’t let this happen. What other mistakes should go on this list? Have you made a mistake you hope to never make again — or seen other techs get into hot water over a botched job?

Software firms sell 'readymade projects' to engg students

Engineering students who need to do projects as part of their course, can now buy readymade projects that small sized software firms are selling in 'project shops', reports Shariq Iqbal of Bangalore Mirror.

Last year, Suresh Kumar (name changed), an eighth semester engineering student then, developed a software that could compress large files and store them in your computer. Impressed with his innovation, the varsity evaluators rewarded him with an A+ grade.

However according to Bangalore Mirror, three months before he submitted his project, Suresh was on the streets of Jayanagar and Kengeri searching for a ready-made project from the 'project shops' that have sprung up in these areas.

In fact, a student, on condition of anonymity said, "We resort to buying readymade projects as they are done by seasoned coders and developers. They save us the headache and constant concern of ruining our project; besides, they are more professional."

A walk down the streets of Jayanagar and Kengeri will take you through shady little rooms inviting students for readymade projects created by small-sized software companies who bank on this 'seasonal business.'

An innovative geek told Bangalore Mirror, "Buying a project might be a trend, but I think the evaluators do understand and recognize an original work. For those genuinely interested in developing something on their own, I do not think there is any dearth of recognition and appreciation."

The shopkeepers are ready to give the entire readymade project in a pendrive, as well as teach all the basics involved in the development of the particular project, and also an FAQ bank with answers. Also offered is a list of more than 80-odd projects thare available. "Choose the one you find interesting, collect all the intellectual material, check everything and pay Rs. 8,000. The price is negotiable," said a shopkeeper.

According to the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) Registrar K V A Balaji who Bangalore Mirror spoke to, such incidents are happening. "It has come to our notice that some students go out and get their projects done. We have also noticed that there are professional agencies which are selling projects. As it is outside our purview, we cannot take action against such companies. Hence, we have issued a circular to all colleges that students have to do projects only in colleges and not go to industries outside."