Engineering, higher education and the rest of the train...

Hi all,

Back again after quite some time huh.
Anyways, what's all the hype going on about higher studies?

Here's how it actually goes:

With a basic engineering degree, a B.Tech or a B.E , one has a fairly basic and convincing idea about the course and the subject that they learn in it. So a Mechanical Engineer , in his Bachelor course , will get a good picture about what he likes,as most fields of engineering , offered in Bachelors, are still very wide and diversified in their subjects and course structures. He will be taught subjects and lessons regarding automobiles,design, engines, heat transfer and heat flow, fluid mechanics, mechanics of solids, gas dynamics, air conditioning, refrigeration, cryogenics,alternative energy, nuclear energy, solar power, gas turbines, compressible flow, Metallurgy, manufacturing technology, machine tools, Metrology and a host of other subjects that may encapsulate Design, manufacturing and production.
He may be interested in theoretical subjects, like metallurgy, Manufacturing Technology, Machine tools, or Metal Casting and Forming. Or he may be more of an analytical person and may like subjects like compressible flow,solid mechanics,fluid mechanics, gas dynamics, aerodynamics, cryogenics, thermal engineering, heat transfer, etc. But since the system is not very flexible at the grass root level, and most colleges and universities prefer that students get to see all facades of their course and gain basic knowledge in all branches of their field, a Bachelor of Engineering or a Bachelor of Technology is made to learn a majority of these subjects and his choices of subjects are restricted to a smaller number.

However,once he has finished his course, he may get a clearer idea about what he might want to pursue as his career. But unfortunately, he does not know enough of his favorite subjects. Hence,in order to learn more and expand his knowledge and abilities in his area of interest, he takes up available opportunities like his bank(for a study loan) or his fathers bank(again, for a study loan)and applies to universities abroad or within the country to get a Master's degree on the subject. Thus our man is now a Master on the subject and can handle anything flung on him from a Bachelor effortlessly or with some thought. He now knows more in his specific field and can apply his knowledge in a variety of methods, and is confident of what he knows in that field. Now this man may have an invention or idea in mind , or may think that there is still a lot left unaccomplished in this field, or may still have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge in a further sub category in this field.And now, after paying off the bank, our man gets up and goes ahead to tackle the PhD, or the Doctorate course in his area of interest, which is a smaller section of his area of expertise, which in turn is a section of the field of engineering. So our man learns more and more, and once all of it is exhausted, gets ready to find out something new, and researches his own project and presents papers on his findings in international journals to prove that he has contributed to the area of super expertise. Then his work is reviewed by a committee and they decide on the fate of our man,after agitating him with questions and verbally and practically testing and verifying his knowledge, and his findings. Then they ward him a Research degree and his doctorate and our man is now one of the highest on the rung of knowledge of the ladder that constitutes his tiny field. He now finally sits down and selects which company(yes, selects!) and choose one where he will teach more bachelors and masters of engineering, and will encourage them to become like him, a researcher and academician and scholar. Thus the cycle goes on and on, and science seems to be improving only for the case of fatter salaries and pay packages and social respect and esteem. People are more interested if G.E. or Mercedes will recruit them, or if they end up working with N.A.S.A, or some other high five multinational company or organization that hits the headlines every time their CEO farts or their management takes a hike or their product fails miserably in the market, but they suddenly make a comeback with "amazing new technology"... It is pretty pathetic that nobody learns and studies for their thirst for knowledge or for self satisfaction.Alas, man has made a slut of science as well.

As my prof said, "higher studies is where you learn more and more about less and less, and finally you know everything about nothing!!!"

HOW TRUE!!


Cheers,
Techmechanic !