GATE and After: The Reality Check

A Master's Programme in higher technical education is certainly a credible career-making option. Contrary to the undergraduate programme, where the pupils are subjected to learning of disparate subjects together with strict rigorous environment particularly from the faculty side, the Master's Programme offers considerable autonomy for the scholars to pursue their academics. And moreover, as we'd be matured adults, we would have relinquished some of our adolescent instincts and would have made serious plans about our careers. The GATE exam serves as a large opportunity for prospective engineers who wish to catapult themselves into the higher orbit of technical education. We provide here a holistic analysis of what GATE has to offer for the aspirants. It is our intention that the pursuing candidates are better informed of the many aspects of the GATE and GATE non-invigilated test series for electrical engineering, so he/she makes his/ her decisions wisely and prudently. The students should not sway away from extraneous factors or influences unless they're completely cognizant of the problem at stake.

1. Diverse Fields of Interests: The M.Tech or equivalent programme, after qualifying in the GATE non invigilated test series for electrical engineering offers the pursuant diverse fields of research programmes to study. This would not only eliminate some of the disliked and often boring topics we'd have compelled to study in graduation, but also opens new vistas for the prospective graduates to choose from the variety subjects and pursue his or her academics. 

2. Focused Research and Intensive Studies: This is one of the core aspects of higher technical education. An enabling environment for focused research, as we'd have squared many unwanted areas and intentionally chosen one in which we are deeply interested, makes us to flourish for intensive studies in that particular subject. Also, since the Master's Programme is largely autonomous, our work wouldn't be routinely subjected to scrutiny except for what is warranted in the academic programme. 

3. Infrastructure and Financial Assistance: the majority of the institutions offering Master's programme have excellent infrastructural facilities well equipped with laboratories, instruments and other technical paraphernalia. Many of the projects undertaken by M.Tech students will be sponsored if the concerned department recommends. Also, almost all the M.Tech pursuant, barring those who fail to score a minimum in their semester exams, have the right to receive a stipend in the institution. 

4. New frontiers of Technology: The Government of India has declared the decade 2010-2020 as the "Decade of innovation". As India transforms to become a technology superpower with a solid base of knowledge economy, the Government invests massively in achieving this objective. In recent years there has been spurt in investment made in new frontier technologies and many new centres dedicated to these disciplines have come up in certain elite universities. For instance, recently a Centre for Nanotechnology Research has been established in IISC Bangalore. Similarly, Centre for Advanced Computing involving critical superconducting materials and related technology has come up in several IIT's. These frontier technologies have opened up new vistas for prospective aspirants to pursue these studies. These new disciplines and their dedicated centres provide government fellowships, a higher grade than the standard Master's Degree, and is well-funded. 

5. Better Placement Prospects: A Master's Degree is certainly valued over the plain B.Tech degree. For those who have graduated from low profile engineering colleges and consequently could not find adequate placement opportunities in B.Tech, doing an M.Tech is certainly well thought out option. Many companies value the students' higher education tag and offer attractive incentives to hire them. This is particularly true in case of the elite IIT's and NIT's. Although those students who have done B.Tech from these colleges might get the same rating as that of M.Tech students, but this is surely an improvement for those who have not completed their UG in IIT's or NIT's. Moreover, when it comes to advertising in companies, Master's Degree will be an added advantage. It should also be noticed that doing M.Tech is necessary for doing doctoral programme or for obtaining any other fellowship. Thus even if one doesn't search for placements, doing M.Tech will not go unrewarded. We have put the prospects of qualifying in GATE non invigilated test series for electrical engineering and the subsequent career in M.Tech or equivalent Master's Programme. We hope the reader would be convinced with our arguments and be better informed to make decisions regarding the Master's Programme and by corollary the GATE exam.