“Life is not always black and white. The more you learn to deal with the grey area, the more successful you are going to be ” said Raman Venkat, CEO, LeFiell Manufacturing Company, California, USA while delivering the Chief Guest address at the 7th Annual Day Celebrations of one of the modern and advanced Engineering Institutions in India – PSG Institute of Technology and Applied Research (PSG iTech).
PSG iTech is an engineering institution that is modern and premium in the areas of infrastructure and imparting education. In this 7th annual day, several insights about life, education and being a professional were shared with the student community by academicians and guests. The students of the college also showcased their talents in cultural event. There were several take home messages for everyone.
Honors & Achievements
– Prof.Chandramohan, Principal, PSG iTech
Prof. Chandramohan conveyed that from last March (2020) onwards, classes, meetings, activities and webinar were held online. Though they were all held virtually, the college made a full-throttle to triumph in various fronts and earned many awards, laurels, achievements.
The admission for last year got filled within just 2 days, in govt. counselling. Out of the 93 faculty members, just 6% are yet to register for Ph.D whereas 54% of them hold Ph.D and 40% are pursuing the doctoral degree.
As far as academic performance is concerned, the college secures the top 3 positions in Anna University among 450+ colleges. Even in 2020 November- December exams, though the mode of examination was online and it was new to the students, an 83.15% pass percentage was secured in that period, which is excellent for an engineering institution especially under this challenging times. All the state of the art hardware and software tools required to offer seamless online education to students has been provided by the management to the college.
The faculty and students have undertaken several online courses, in this academic year during lockdown period. For instance, 85 faculty members have completed 548 courses and 559 students have completed 1892 courses, (i.e.) on average a faculty would have completed 5 courses and a student would have done around 4 courses. Faculty of the college have published 65 research papers in peer-reviewed Scopus indexed journals till May 2021. Already 3 sponsored projects have been received by them, 4 patents have been received by them between 2020 and 2021.
The achievements are incredible and immense to be summed up in one paragraph. Simply put, this institution never settles on its past laurels, and believes in pushing the academic boundaries regardless of favorable or tougher times that prevails in the present.
Follow Values & Virtues
– L.Gopalakrishnan, Managing Trustee, PSG & Sons Charities
Appreciating the way in which the academic journey of the college is going despite the hardships created by the prevailing pandemic, L.Gopalakrishnan in his Presidential Address said “In addition to teaching and imparting skills, there is a need to interact with several world class universities to transform our country into a knowledge superpower.”
“We need to focus on developing solutions to the needs of society with the help of multi-disciplinary teams of students and faculty”. Expressing high hope that the students will meet challenges of the present by following the virtues and values derived by them at PSG iTech, he wished them all to become problem-solvers and in time become proud entrepreneurs of our nation.
He wanted the college to further strengthen its international interaction with the best of universities around the globe, and expressed that the college should attract the best of talents – both faculty and students from all over the world.
Realize your fullest potential
– P.V.Mohanram, Secretary, PSG iTech
“PSG iTech is marching forward not only in academics, but striving hard in research excellence as well. So many funded research projects have been received, and the management is also equally supporting in setting up of different research laboratories.”
Addressing the students directly, he said “No matter what your performances are, all the students of PSG iTech will be the stars in our hearts and you will certainly contribute to the welfare of the society, and the nation. Learning is a never ending journey, it never ends in classrooms, it is a lifelong commitment.”
“You need to take several decision in life whether it is professional or personal. All of them are going to be your own decisions. Never do the mistake of thinking that any success that you derive is your own. The success what you derive is a team effort”
“While interacting with your team members, make sure that you bring in postivity at every moment. Let the emphasis be more on ‘We’ than on ‘I’. Strive hard to realize your fullest potential in your academic and professional life. Our mind must be an excellent tool to support all our initiative but never our terrible master”
“There is inspiration around all of us, everywhere. It is all about how we assimilate all the good things that are happening around us and continue to learn from each and every experience.”
“Nowadays the emphasis is more on creativity. Creativity allows you to make number of mistakes but don’t hesitate to make mistakes, as every experience is a learning platform for your life.”
“As you navigate through life, be open to collaborations, be open to the ideas of others and welcome them; and more importantly find a group of people who will challenge you, and inspire you. Spend as much time as possible with such a group and that will transform your life”
“Find your higher purpose in life and what for, we are born. Follow these with great passion and zeal, and you will be able to make the impossible, possible”
Skills escalate Career!
– Dr.Raman Venkat
The chief guest in his address spoke about several skills. He called Engineers as the most logical people but they need to concentrate on improving their ‘people skills’. Addressing the students, he said that when they turn into professionals and step into an organization, it is most probably going to be an organization with global connect.
Hone your People Skills:
So the future professionals should know to learn about people. When they begin their career, whether that is here in India or abroad, they will have to meet different people, and their differences in communication & ideas need appreciations.
He advised the students to strike a balance between being compassionate and firm, make human connections when they turn as professionals. One should understand that some of his fellow colleagues would be from different culture and interests. When one learns to appreciate that, it creates a wonderful connection.
Speak, Listen, express:
While communicating with colleagues, an engineer or any professional has to slow down and come down to the level of the listeners. “One of the things that I learned early on is we have to listen to the other person before we speak… Listening is an art that we all have to develop”. “Communication skill for an engineer is kind of a career escalator”
“Don’t be scared about expressing yourself. In today’s world, diversity of thoughts is what every company is looking for.” “Approaching things in different ways bring solutions and innovative things to the table”
Take risks, manage them:
“…Life is not always black and white. The more you learn to deal with the grey area, the more successful you are going to be”
He wished the students to learn to take risks when they turn into professionals. If one feels that he can only function when every bit of detail is handed over to him, then what would he do if one element is missing from the inventory! Would he wait and wonder what to do next?
A customer approaches a professional believing that he will deliver a solution. At that time, if the professional fumbles because he does not have all the things he needs from the client to decide whether he can deliver a solution, then he may have to lose the customer to another person who is ready to take a risk.
Take risks, make assumptions even if you are not given all the details, let the customer know what your assumptions are. In the real world, learning to deal with uncertainty is going to be the key.
Networking with new ones:
Develop networks with people who are new to you, and not just the ones who share your same domain. Develop interests outside your technical body of knowledge. The more interests you develop through reading or through any other means, the more that is going to connect to people in your latter life.
“I always tell kids in college to do some internships as much as possible.” Do some volunteer works with some organizations and NGOs, and give back to the community. Meet people who are from a different professional areas and develop a bond with them. Networking is not collecting contacts, it is about planting relationships.
Manage Money, Be Balanced.
As you start you career, you will be making money, learn to save it. It is not about how much you can earn but how much you can save. Talking about work-life balance is easy but hard to be followed but no matter what, we need to find that balance..
Today, especially with this global collaboration that is going on, the current generation will find it hard to find work-life balance. We are all in the same boat in a way. The sooner we recognize it and try to find a solution, the better it will be for life. It is not always work, work, work. So pay attention to that.
You need to find a way to deal with stress, engage in physical activities like sports or meditation; some hobbies to lighten the mind.
And most of all, develop your character. Be focused on it as much as you focus on your reputation. Reputation is what other think of you, character is who you really are.