At IIT Roorkee’s recent convocation, Director Prof. Kamal Kishore Pant shed light on a powerful shift in student career preferences. He revealed that fewer students are now opting for traditional placements, instead showing interest in start-ups, higher education, and independent ventures. The trend, he noted, reflects a growing entrepreneurial spirit on campus, with students forming teams and working towards building innovative companies within India.
The Allure of Lucrative Pay and Job Comfort
While placements have long been a highlight of the IIT journey, Prof. Pant expressed concern over the declining interest in “hardcore” process industries such as mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering roles. Instead, students are increasingly drawn towards IT, finance, consultancy, and banking, largely because of the attractive pay packages and job comfort these sectors offer.
“Students are now not going for hardcore jobs, which is a kind of worry. They look at IT jobs, banking, finance, and consultancy. In the beginning, they look at the (pay) package, and the job comfort — an office, computer, AC room,” said Prof. Pant.
Hardcore Industries Still Offer Rewarding Careers
Despite the fascination with multinational tech giants like Google and Microsoft, Prof. Pant argued that core industries remain equally rewarding in the long term. While multinational companies offer packages as high as ₹1–2 crore annually (sometimes paid in dollars), hardcore industries also provide competitive salaries, averaging around ₹20–25 lakh per year.
“Industries are coming to the institute, and we are building strong connections with MSMEs as well as large-scale industries. Computer and IT jobs may look lucrative, but in the long run, hardcore industries pay equally well,” he added.
Decline in Placements Across IITs
This shift in student aspirations is reflected in national data. A recent Parliamentary Standing Committee report revealed that in more than half of India’s 23 IITs, BTech placements dropped by over 10 percentage points between 2021-22 and 2023-24.
At IIT Roorkee, for instance, 98.54% of students who appeared for placements in 2021-22 were placed, while in 2023-24, the figure fell to 79.66%. However, Prof. Pant cautioned against misinterpreting these figures. He clarified that the real measure should be the percentage of students placed among those who registered for placements, not the entire graduating class.
“I would not call it a decline, because on average about 85% of those who appear for placements are getting jobs. If you calculate against the total number of graduating students, the figure looks lower, since many do not sit for placements. That is not the correct way to measure,” he explained. Beyond placements, Prof. Pant highlighted the emerging culture of entrepreneurship among IIT students. With training in entrepreneurship and skill development, many are now venturing into start-ups and independent projects.
“Students today have different mindsets. Some want to start their own companies, some are pursuing higher education — though that number is now decreasing — and many prefer to do something independently within the country. They are forming teams and launching different kinds of start-ups, so that trend is also emerging,” he said.
A Call for Balanced Career Choices
As IIT Roorkee marks another milestone in its legacy — being the country’s first engineering college before its transformation into an IIT — its Director urged students to adopt a balanced view of career opportunities. While IT and finance may offer quick rewards, the long-term contributions of core industries and start-ups are equally crucial for personal growth and national development.
Prof. Pant’s reflections underscore a transformative moment in India’s higher education landscape: the nation’s brightest minds are not just chasing jobs, but increasingly creating opportunities of their own.
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