Common mistakes people do when selecting branch
Listing a few common mistakes which I've seen ppl do in my year and I'm seeing a lot of them on this sub lately
Take CS because paise,easy life, sharmaji ka beta took CS etc. - CS was preferred in 2000s and 2010s because people landed easy jobs without much effort, because global companies had viable conditions for mass employment from India
Now I am not saying this to make people not take CS but rather telling people to take CS for the right reasons
People used to take core branches only out of interest, but everyone used to land on CS for money. It's def not the case anymore. Just like those who took special interest and worked hard in core branches get good jobs, those who take CS out of interest and work towards improving the subject itself, not just studying it and getting jobs will be the ones getting into specialized, well paying and secure roles. With rise of AI, restrictions on global trade, etc. companies dont want people who will slog for a few lakhs per annum
If you are getting CS in a good college (IITs, tier 1/2 NITs and BITS) and are interested in it, you should still go ahead and take it, but remember its not going to be easy work to land high paying jobsNot taking CS because electronics boom, cs dead, core engineering is the new fad, newspaper said AI will take over humans, uncle said cs mein job nahi milega etc. - Choose your branch out of your interests. Do not choose branches based on fads and news articles. There will always be demand for quality engineers irrespective if it is CS or Civil. I have seen a growing trend among students where they suddenly claim they have gotten interest in electrical or electronics engineering. The question is why? When this question is asked, they generally go to placements. Most of the core placements in electrical and electronics core are only above average paying, and placement stats get inflated in top colleges by people sitting for software and sde roles (I'll come to this in a later point). Any core engineering requires not just 2 or 3 years of studies but rather more specialization, expertise and experience at any point of the career. You will get money, but not as much as software roles but your life will be way different especially with very good mid-late career growth. Also you will be in the middle of groundbreaking tech and innovation in your industry of choice and truly get to make a difference. elec, ece, mech core engineering is tough, challenging and requires you to think a lot, especially at later stages so think about all these factors while taking branches like these
Can I get software jobs by taking lower branches at better colleges - Honestly I don't blame any aspirant for asking this question, I also had similar aspirations when choosing a college. The answer is simple, it is the naivety of jee aspirants who have seen cs people getting packages and the equation of jee rank = money = success has been drilled into our minds. Engineering and college is about a lot more than software roles. Just to name the different paths one could take - startups, entrepreneurship, higher studies, rnd roles, software, consulting, finance, data analytics, etc. Therefore in my opinion, if you really have interest in core CS (point 1), you know how a software job works, what will be your life after taking the job, how is the career path, growth in career etc. and are willing to take the risks associated with it too, then take CS. Otherwise take not a too much lower branch (I'd suggest take any traditional engineering branch like chemical, civil, metallurgy, biotech, production and industrial engg, etc. but avoid niche branches like ocean and naval) in the best institute possible to get wider options
When compromising on branch, take ones that interest you. Do not take any random branch just because you're getting iit bombay or iit delhi for example. Go through syllabus of the branches you are considering, check the stuff being done in their department and what's new and upcoming in that field (for ex sustainable buildings in civil, semiconductors in materials science, energy storage systems in chemical, etc.) I am telling this because you will be spending atleast 2 years studying your core branch mainly and will end up suffering if you take something that is totally out of your interests, academics wise.
Placements are not everything. Indian society, media and parents run behind placements like anything. Yes, it is good to have lots of money as soon as you graduate, but have you questioned what happens after working for a few years? I can guarentee you if you choose a field you do not like just for the money, without a passion in it, after 5-6 years of doing a job you will not be interested in your career anymore. And if you are rejecting genuinely good institutes, like top IITs due to low placements in a branch, then I can assure you within 10 years you'll see those people earning equal if not more than people who blindly took CS and will overtake them too at some point. In the long run choosing one's passion is always better
These are few common things I noticed, a read through the post would be helpful if you have similar doubts.