Tech schools that will help you earn big bucks

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur is the best engineering school in terms of placements and overall assessment in India. IIT-Bombay, IIT-Madras and IIT-Kharagpur are the other top three tech schools in the country, in that order. IIT-Guwahati is the sixth best but it's down on recruitment due to its geographic location. The figures were released in a survey by IDC-Nasscom-Data Quest Survey recently.

IIT-Kanpur and National Institute of Technology (NIT), Suratkal are at the top when it comes to the average salary for the last two years. The average package offered to students here was Rs 4 lakh per annum.

For tech grads 2004 was a golden year. While IIT-Kanpur grads were offered Rs 5 lakh per annum average salary last year, IIT-Madras and NIT Warangal grads got a cool Rs 4 lakh per annum as starting salary.

In fact, Delhi College of Engineering (DCE) offered an average of Rs 5.05 lakh in 2004, even better than IIT-Kanpur. It’s one of the top colleges for recruiters but loses out on objective assessment ranking.

The survey
The IDC-Nasscom-Data Quest Survey had four broad component as parameters for an objective assessment -- placement, infrastructure, intellectual capital and industry interface.

Old bastions like Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) , Pilani and DCE have been knocked out of the top 10 list by new entrants like National Institute of Technology (NIT), Trichy, Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology (NSIT), Delhi and Thapar Institute, Patiala.

The survey is the first of it's kind and would be conducted on an annual basis. It would rank different tech schools on various parameters based on an average of two years.

A total of 116 engineering colleges participated in this study from different corners of the country. IIT-Delhi is the only premier institute that is not covered as it didn't participate in the survey.

A pleasant surprise is IIT-Guwahati, which is ranked third on an objective assessment while it is at 21st position on recruiters' perception.

Says Parijat Chakraborty, head, communication research, IDC India: "This new IIT is yet to establish its brand image among the recruiters, as compared to its elder brothers. However, they are doing a better job in putting their houses in order".

An opposite scenario is observed for BITS Pilani. It enjoys an impressive image among the recruiters (5th position) while on objective assessment they are way below at 25th rank.

Placements in these engineering institutes have seen a general upturn with the salary increase of 10-15 per cent over last year. IT majors like Infosys, Wipro and TCS are the top recruiters and in some colleges they have recruited over 100 students by themselves.

What to look forward in a college?
It's that time of the year when students across the country are anxious to get into the best engineering school. But how to chose a college is the question that perplexes everybody.

Says Chakraborty of IDC: "Students should do a scientific evaluation rather than going by what their peers and relatives say. They should check infrastructure, faculty, industry interface and placement scenario before getting into a college. Brand image and how a school sells itself to recruiters is also very important.”

Schools like BITS Pilani and IIT-Roorkee are doing well just because they are able to sell themselves well.

Which are the hot sectors?
Computer science, electronics and telecom continue to be the hottest, with students graduating in these getting both fat pay packets as well as plum postings.

But there is also a great demand for engineers in the software industry. So, whether you opt for mechanical, chemical or automobile engineering, IT companies are sure to queue outside your college to recruit you.