Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Manabendra Saharia
Harish Borah
Amartya Dey
B.Tech (Civil Engineering)
Class of 2011
Certi – Certificate of completion re- An Internship is probably the best (and most fun!) mode of knowledge
ceived at the end of your Internship. discovery beyond the traditional classroom delivery of lectures in Engi-
neering. Our curriculum necessitates that you spend minimum 8 weeks in
PPO - Pre-Placement Offer an external organization during your B.Tech years. While previous batch-
es mostly fulfilled this requirement during the summer after Junior year,
RECO-Recommendation Letters. Very but increasing competition and awareness has meant that a huge majority
Important for MS/PhD abroad. of students now work in both Summers after Sophomore/Junior year as
well as corresponding winters. It is a very welcome change and this mo-
RI– Research Internship mentum must be built upon.
Many different terminologies ranging from training, apprenticeship to
II– Industry Internship summer project are popular in India which is equivalent to the word In-
ternship. The term most popular in NITS is ‗Summer Training‘, which is
FI– Foreign Internship generally used to denote work in all kinds of summer destinations- R&D
dept of a company, Research Labs, IITs/IISc, Site, NGOs etc. However,
NOTE on FIs the work involving Interns in all these sectors is vastly different and a
blanket term ‗training‘ doesn‘t justify its purpose and confuses most stu-
PLEASE APPLY FOR FOREIGN dents. We prefer ‗Internships‘ because it best explains the purpose of
INTERNSHIPS IF YOU CAN! Spe- working in your summers and because a large number of destinations
cially through DAAD and directly to don‘t offer any training per se.
N.B Some people are of the opinion that paid trainings should be called
Professors. If you can afford, getting a
Internships. It is factually WRONG. The meaning of the term Internship
foreign Internship is not tough. But if has actually got nothing to do with money.
you want to be funded, better concen-
trate early! Dictionary meaning - A student who works (often without
pay) in order to gain experience.
Pre-Project
1. Area of interest (AOI)
Identify an AOI
Today‘s is the world of specialisation. The first thing in your quest for an
Find an advisor Internship is to decide on an area of your branch to specialise in. Eg. for
Prepare a nice CV Civil Engineering (CE), it could be Geotechnical Engg, Water Resources
Engg, Structural Engg, Concrete Technology, Transportation Engg, En-
Email Profs/Scientists
vironmental Engg. etc. Though they are just general names of the various
Meet them sub-fields and in actuality, you will be working on very specific problems,
you are not expected to know in detail about them, especially in second
In-Project year. Don‘t keep more than two AOI. How to choose? It is best not to
Slog! Slog! Slog! choose by market perception. Go for what catches your imagination and
how much opportunity it can provide you. While the general trend of
Develop contacts
Civil Engineers in India is to go for Structural Engg, you will be amazed
at the gamut of possibilities that exists, both in Industry as well as re-
Post-Project search, in all specialisations like GIS, Climate modelling, hydraulics, Con-
Accomplishments crete technology, Geotechnical etc. Civil Engineering is the largest branch
Mythbusters of Engineering with most number of specialisations and globally it is an
Share! even more diverse field than you can imagine. Most academic depart-
ments abroad have been renamed as Civil and Environmental Engg
(CEE), reflecting the changing nature of challenges confronting the
world.
One of the prime objectives of A simple equation may serve you well - Choose an area that is perceived
MISSION 2015 is to diversify the to be less in demand in the market (Hence less popular among students
interests of the graduating class of third-world countries like India) but has lots of potential for research
which may eventually help us to at- and learning. Also, this means that your chances of funding in MS/PhD
tract a diverse range of employers admit will be better than your peers. At the end of the day, there are more
like the premier IITs do, instead of than enough opportunities in Industry as well as Research to succeed in
primarily construction companies. all branches of Civil Engineering.
Less Competition = More opportunities
4. Email Profs/Scientists:
Write a short and formal email expressing your interest in working with the Prof. NEVER Spam!
Don‘t write long emails with crap like ―With great respect and humility‖, ―I‘ll be highly honoured‖ and ―I hope I am
not wasting your time‖. We have heard from Profs first-hand how much they hate reading these emails.
In-Project
1. Slog Fest
Nothing can substitute the good ol‘ days of slogging! If you are intending to app for MS/PhD, this is the single most
important event that can make or break your funding chances. Try to soak in everything you can!
2. Develop Contacts
A very important point many Interns forget is that a prime purpose of their Internships is to develop contacts. If you
have spent an entire summer only working on your project and didn‘t develop good relations with atleast one Graduate
student (M.Tech/PhD) and your advisor, you have wasted an entire summer for nothing. These are the people who can
help you in your project, share their insight and give inside info. Ofcourse, this doesn‘t mean that you hound them all
the time in the name of developing contacts. But a chance-meeting at the coffee outlet is a golden opportunity to start a
chit-chat. Show them you are committed to your work and be respectful while asking for advice.
This is very important for those who apply for Graduate School. Good relations with these people will help you for the
rest of your professional life.
Post-Project
1. Accomplishment
The reason for a separate heading for this is that an overwhelming majority of the students undergoing Internships in
Research Labs/IITs have little idea what encompasses an achievement in a research internship. While a certi from a
high-profile lab does look well in your CV, it shouldn‘t be regarded as a big achievement and something to brag about.
It is different for Industry Internships where better companies usually provide better Internships and a certificate from
such places will serve you well in your initial career. You may as well as brag about that! But an RI is a totally different
deal. Yet another reason why the word ‗training‘ doesn‘t justify the purpose of an RI. The purpose of your RI is to
In increasing order of importance, these are the things you should look to achieve through an RI (As told by an IIT
Professor):
The biggest myth surrounding an RI is – The duration of a project is two months. While Industry Intern-
ships usually end in 8 weeks, there is NO SUCH THING as ‗duration of a project‘. Though your official timeframe
will indicate 2 months, you have to continue your work even beyond the summer to come up with something that may
be counted as a significant achievement. So, Continue to work after returning on-campus! The beauty of Internet is you
no longer have to stay near your advisor to continue your project.
Sometimes a student discovers he doesn‘t like the field or wants to discover some other avenues, then it‘s understanda-
ble. In such a case, you should either try a different Prof or go for an II next summer. But an overwhelming majority of
Interns don‘t return because they were not clear what the objective of their work was or were probably too lazy. The
duration depends on your ability to finish work and subject to hundreds of factors like your knowledge of the tools em-
ployed, hardwork etc, it may take you anywhere from 2 months to 2 years to come up with publishable results. Also,
you might have to do very menial or uninteresting work in your first summer. Persevere! After you impress upon the
Profs about your sincerity, you will get interesting projects to work on.
For those of you looking for MS/PhD admits abroad, it is absolutely imperative that
you continue your projects beyond the summer. Professors will not give you strong
Recos unless you have impressed that person with your work. Besides, two months of
work is usually not enough to come up with any publication whatsoever. Your
GradSchool funding chances will be a lot better if you have one. Also, try and work
with research-active Professors of our Department for papers.
Read the selection of AOI part for Research Internships as it is equally applicable here also. Structural & Construction
engineering are usually the most popular discipline among Civil Engineering students. Geotechnical Engineering and
Earthquake Engineering has its fanbase too! Some of the hottest Civil Engineering areas in Indian Industry currently are
Transportation Engineering, Remote Sensing and GIS. Research on these disciplines and find out what interests you the
most. Try and justify your list. Make sure you have valid reasons! And please don‘t use job opportunity as a criterion
while selecting this!
All specializations have more than enough scope in Industry. Your focus should be to become a MASTER/EXPERT
in one or atmost two sub-fields.
2. Public/Private Sector?
Having decided your AOIs, the next thing to work upon is to try and figure out, what kind of institution would you
‗preferably‘ like to work for post graduation- public undertaking or private corporation. Again do not be adamant, it‘s
just about preferences! Immense opportunities of career growth exist in both. Don’t take starting salary alone as a
criterion while deciding on this. The focus should be to become an industry expert in your AOI within 2-3 years and
choose the route that serves that goal. E.g. Joining a power company won‘t be the ideal choice if your dream is to be-
come, say, a great geotechnical engineer. Again, don‘t be adamant!
For those seeking public sectors jobs should preferably look for opportunities in the PSUs. Most of these organizations
conduct well planned summer Internships/Training for 3rd year engineering students at their various respective project
sites nationwide.
Similarly, private sector job seekers should preferable look for opportunities in the various private organizations, keep-
ing in mind their field of interest. Here bigger the brand, the better! Many private companies offer paid internships
that students can apply for. Besides PPOs are always an ‗icing on the cake‘ offered by some!
One must realize that training/internship in a public sector/ private sector does not necessarily guarantee a placement in
the same ,but it definitely gives you an edge during recruitment interviews. Moreover, it provides you an understanding
of the nature of work of the respective sectors (which are very different in their own way) and gives you a feel of the
corporate world that you will venture into after graduating.
A good resume always makes the difference. Take your time and prepare a good one. Highlight your positives only and
mention worthwhile projects/assignments. Avoid mentioning petty achievements - winning Musical Chair, participated
in first round of Indian Idol is NOT an achievement! The various ways to enhance the effectiveness of your CV has
been dealt with in case of RIs before as well as online on our blog.
The importance of internships to college students in terms of networking and gaining new resources cannot be under-
stated. Building a network of "People I know" through summer/winter internships can pay great dividends upon gradua-
tion. By networking successfully with Industry people (including NIT Silchar alumni if any), you might later have a shot
at companies other than the one you Interned in.
So get in there and mingle. Make it a point to meet as many people as possible. Learning about someone as a person can
be as valuable as learning about what his or her job entails. Strike up constructive discussions. Social gatherings with co-
workers after hours or on weekends are great ways to network and build meaningful bonds that make the most of col-
lege internships. Remember the value of college internships often lies in the people with whom you will work with. You
never know who may be of help later!
Sidenote
Most of the PSUs approach the TRAINING AND PLACEMENT CELL of NIT Silchar with their programmes.
However , strong personal contacts can also help you find a place. For the private companies , a lot of slogging is re-
quired from the concerned TNP team. They don‘t really come easy! Good contacts can again help big time in this per-
spective. It is worth mentioning that some organizations such as RELIANCE METROs start plans from Mid Decem-
ber. So for those of you dreaming big, it‘s time you start your effort!
I am a B.Tech pre-final year (5th sem) student of Civil Engineering from NIT Silchar and I am writing to explore the
possibility of pursuing a project under your Guidance in the ensuing summer/winter of 2011.
(First Paragraph) Write your Research Interests/Areas of Interest here. Also, your CPI (If it‘s a good one.
Needn‘t mention if not). If you have read some paper of the Prof, write a short line mentioning you have. Also write
your skills if any –(Like GIS/ StaadPro/ ANSYS/ Matlab)
(Second Para ) Papers, Projects, Trainings, Internships, Scholarships etc. Don‘t elaborate too much. Second
year students may mention your Techfest paper presentations/contests winnings/coding war wins too. Third year
students should elaborate on your Summer (After 4th semester) and Winter (After 5th semester) Projects/Trainings.
Anticipating an encouraging response.
Warmest Regards,
XYZ
B.Tech (5th semester)
Dept. of Civil Engg.
NIT Silchar
Phone: 00000-00000 SMART TIPS
1. Embed/Type your CV in the website and send the link instead of an attachment. Chances of a reply from a Pro-
fessor becomes tenfold.
2. Needn‘t know HTML or FLASH! Just use GOOGLESITES or WEEBLY (Preferred). It is so easy!
3. Best time to make it is during your Summer Internship/break after 4th semester. After that, as you learn more
and gather qualifications, add it continuously to your homepage as well as CV.
4. Put your research papers/term papers/project reports/presentations/scanned certificates/Codes/contest wins
etc here. Don‘t put useless stuff like antakshari wins.
5. This is the BEST way to keep track of your progress during B.Tech years. While IITians have been doing this
for a long time, very few here have homepages. So start building it today itself!
6. Your web presence matters a lot in today‘s world. Prospective advisors/professors sometimes will google your
name before they reply. So try to be responsible on the Internet. Use LinkedIn to connect with Alumni.
7. If you are planning for M.Tech/MS/PhD, join www.academia.edu or www.researchgate.net. Meet
like-minded people and have general chats on your work. It helps!
8. Never hurt your college‘s image because the only one who will lose by that is YOU.
Our larger vision is to help each and every student of NIT Silchar of all branches receive top-notch Internships, better jobs and
more opportunities in Higher Education as well as give adequate coverage to the major strides taken by Faculty members in Re-
search, Teaching and Consultancy as well as Alumni in Industry and Academia.