Home > Career > Question
Need Expert Advice?Our Gurus Can Help
Dr Dipankar

Dr Dipankar Dutta  |1840 Answers  |Ask -

Tech Careers and Skill Development Expert - Answered on Jul 03, 2025

Dr Dipankar Dutta is an associate professor in the computer science and engineering department at the University Institute of Technology, the University of Burdwan, West Bengal.
He has 27 years of experience and his interests include AI, data science, machine learning, pattern recognition, deep learning and evolutionary computation.
Aside from his responsibilities at the college, he also delivers lectures and conducts webinars.
Dr Dipankar has published 25 papers in international journals, written book chapters, attended conferences, served as a board observer for WBJEE (West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination) exams and as a counsellor for engineering college admissions in West Bengal. He helps students choose the right college and stream for undergraduate, masters and PhD programmes.
A senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (SMIEEE), he holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from the Jalpaiguri Government Engineering College and a an MTech degree in computer technology from Jadavpur University.
He completed his PhD in engineering from IIEST, Shibpur (formerly BE College).... more
Rajan Question by Rajan on Jun 29, 2025Hindi
Career

In JoSAA round 1, my daughter got a seat in IIT Gandhinagar Chemical engg. She could get EEE in IIT Bhubaneswar, Patna, ECE in Dharwad, Metallurgy/Civil in Kharagpur and Roorkee, but she kept all these below Gandhinagar in preference list. In 2nd/3rd round, she could get IIT Kanpur Materials Science, but she opted for slide. In MH CET, she got 99.55 percentile and she has Maharashtra domicile. If she gets COEP CSE or ECE, I prefer COEP, but she wants take admission in Gandhinagar Chemical engg, but I know she does not like Chemical engg. Pls guide me.

Ans: Wait for later rounds
Career

You may like to see similar questions and answers below

Nayagam P

Nayagam P P  |10854 Answers  |Ask -

Career Counsellor - Answered on Jun 22, 2025

Career
Hello Sir, My daughter scored 97.4 in JEE mains with rank 39750 (General category) and 98.88%ile in MHCET. She is interested in doing Mechanical Engineering. We stay in Pune. We are open to sending her out of Pune or for that matter out Maharashtra to get the best college. JOSAA we have given NIT Trichi, Surathkal, Warangal, VNIT, SVNIT, NIT Jaipur, BITS Mesra as our preferences. In round 1, we are getting BITS MESRA in Round 1. We secured provisional admission in VIT Vellore, but ok to cancel for better prospect. She is also appearing for BITSAT 2nd attempt. Need your advice on the following: 1) What should be our order of preference amongst SVNIT(Surat), VNIT(Nagpur), CoEP (Pune), Cummins Engg for women (Pune), VJTI (mumbai), SPCE (Mumbai) ? 2) If we get BITS, should we prefer BITS over others ?
Ans: Vivek Sir, For Mechanical Engineering, VJTI Mumbai and COEP Pune are the top choices, both offering 100% placement rates for mechanical, strong national reputations, and excellent industry connections, with VJTI having a slight edge for Mumbai-based students and COEP for those preferring Pune. SVNIT Surat and VNIT Nagpur are premier NITs with strong academics, but recent placement rates for mechanical are lower (SVNIT: 32–71%, VNIT: 23%), though both have excellent infrastructure and research opportunities. SPCE Mumbai and Cummins Pune are highly regarded regionally, with SPCE reporting nearly 90% placements and Cummins close to 100% for mechanical, but their national brand is not as strong as the top NITs or VJTI/COEP. Order of preference should be VJTI Mumbai, COEP Pune, SVNIT Surat, VNIT Nagpur, SPCE Mumbai, Cummins Pune. If your daughter secures Mechanical at BITS Mesra, it is preferable to all except VJTI and COEP, as BITS Mesra offers a national brand, strong placements, and a vibrant campus, but VJTI and COEP provide better location advantages and placement consistency for Maharashtra students. The recommendation is to prioritize VJTI Mumbai and COEP Pune, followed by BITS Mesra, SVNIT Surat, VNIT Nagpur, SPCE Mumbai, and Cummins Pune for Mechanical Engineering. All the BEST for the Admission & a Prosperous Future!

Follow RediffGURUS to Know More on 'Careers | Money | Health | Relationships'.

..Read more

Nayagam P

Nayagam P P  |10854 Answers  |Ask -

Career Counsellor - Answered on Jun 22, 2025

Career
My son got 4400 rank in JEE Mains, 5100 in JEE Advanced. He got Chemical engineering in IIT Guwahati in Round 1 of JoSAA. He also got ECE in IIIT-Hyderabad. He is expecting to get CSE in IIT Tirupati or at the best to Chemical engineering in IIT Kharagpur in Round 6 of JoSAA. We are from Hyderabad.Which course/institute do we prefer now? To freeze which college/course in further rounds of JoSAA or to opt ECE in IIIT-Hyderabad? .
Ans: For a student from Hyderabad with JEE Main rank 4400 and JEE Advanced rank 5100, the main choices are Chemical Engineering at IIT Guwahati, ECE at IIIT Hyderabad, a likely chance at CSE in IIT Tirupati, and a possible Chemical seat at IIT Kharagpur. IIT Guwahati Chemical Engineering offers a strong placement rate (79%), average package of ?22.5 lakh, and broad core and non-core opportunities, with an IIT brand and robust campus life. IIIT Hyderabad ECE is among the best in India for tech placements, with a 98%+ placement rate, average package of ?21–29 lakh, and top recruiters like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, plus a strong research ecosystem and Hyderabad location. IIT Tirupati CSE, if secured, provides a 73–77% placement rate and average package of ?20–25 lakh, but is a newer IIT with developing alumni and industry connections. IIT Kharagpur Chemical Engineering is highly respected, with an 83% placement rate and strong alumni network, but core placements are less lucrative than tech roles. The recommendation is to prefer ECE at IIIT Hyderabad for its unmatched placement outcomes, tech focus, and Hyderabad location, followed by CSE at IIT Tirupati (if allotted), then Chemical Engineering at IIT Guwahati or IIT Kharagpur, as IIIT Hyderabad ECE offers the best balance of career opportunities, industry exposure, and academic excellence among your current options. All the BEST for the Admission & a Prosperous Future!

Follow RediffGURUS to Know More on 'Careers | Money | Health | Relationships'.

..Read more

Nayagam P

Nayagam P P  |10854 Answers  |Ask -

Career Counsellor - Answered on Jul 07, 2025

Career
Hello Sir, my daughter got IIT Bhubaneswar- Engineering Physics until Josaa round 4 and also scored 99,90 in Maharashtra CET. Which one should she opt ? She has appeared for BITS too. Pls suggest - She wants to take CS. So we are confused with location n preferences.
Ans: Deepa Madam, You have NOT mentioned your daughter's score in BITS. IIT Bhubaneswar’s B.Tech in Engineering Physics is NBA-aligned with PhD-qualified faculty, advanced photonics, nanotechnology and computational labs, mandatory ISRO/DRDO internships and a flexible curriculum blending physics and computing. However, its focus is foundational science rather than core computer science. Scoring 99.90 percentile in MHT-CET opens seats in Maharashtra’s premier home-state colleges offering CS or related streams for female students: College of Engineering Pune’s CSE with specialisations in AI-DS and Cybersecurity; VJTI Mumbai’s Information Technology and AI-DS; Pune Institute of Computer Technology’s Computer Engineering; Sardar Patel Institute of Technology’s CSE and AI-DS; MIT World Peace University Pune’s CSE, CSE (Data Science) and CSE (AI & ML). All boasting modern AI/ML labs, PhD faculty, robust internships and 80–95% placement consistency over three years. BITS Pilani CSE remains the gold standard for research, Practice School internships and 90–100% placements.

Top 5 MHT-CET Maharashtra Institutes (99.90 percentile) for CS-focused streams:

College of Engineering Pune – CSE (AI-DS, Cybersecurity).

Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute Mumbai – IT (AI-DS).

Pune Institute of Computer Technology – Computer Engineering.

Sardar Patel Institute of Technology Mumbai – CSE (AI-DS).

MIT World Peace University Pune – CSE, CSE (Data Science), CSE (AI & ML).

BITS Pilani CSE.

(If needed, continue with other options.)

For core CSE excellence and proven placement pipelines, Prioritize BITS Pilani CSE if admission is secured. Next is College of Engineering Pune CSE, followed by VJTI Mumbai IT. Then Pune Institute of Computer Technology, Sardar Patel Institute of Technology CSE (AI-DS). MIT WPU CSE (Data Science/AI & ML). IIT Bhubaneswar Engineering Physics is less aligned with her CS aspirations but remains a strong science-research option. MY SUGGESTION: Give 1st priority to BITS for any branch your daughter is very interested in, followed by any one of the top 3 colleges in Maharashtra (mentioned above). Go for Engineering Physics only if she very interested in this domain. All the BEST for Your Daughter's Prosperous Future!

Follow RediffGURUS to Know More on 'Careers | Money | Health | Relationships'.

..Read more

Latest Questions
Nayagam P

Nayagam P P  |10854 Answers  |Ask -

Career Counsellor - Answered on Dec 14, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Dec 12, 2025Hindi
Career
Hello, I am currently in Class 12 and preparing for JEE. I have not yet completed even 50% of the syllabus properly, but I aim to score around '110' marks. Could you suggest an effective strategy to achieve this? I know the target is relatively low, but I have category reservation, so it should be sufficient.
Ans: With category reservation (SC/ST/OBC), a score of 110 marks is absolutely achievable and realistic. Based on 2025 data, SC candidates qualified with approximately 60-65 percentile, and ST candidates with 45-55 percentile. Your target requires scoring just 37-40% marks, which is significantly lower than general category standards. This gives you a genuine advantage. Immediate Action Plan (December 2025 - January 2026): 4-5 Weeks. Week 1-2: High-Weightage Chapter Focus. Stop trying to complete the entire syllabus. Instead, focus exclusively on high-scoring chapters that carry maximum weightage: Physics (Modern Physics, Current Electricity, Work-Power-Energy, Rotation, Magnetism), Chemistry (Chemical Bonding, Thermodynamics, Coordination Compounds, Electrochemistry), and Maths (Integration, Differentiation, Vectors, 3D Geometry, Probability). These chapters alone can yield 80-100+ marks if practiced properly. Ignore topics you haven't studied yet. Week 2-3: Previous Year Questions (PYQs). Solve JEE Main PYQs from the last 10 years (2015-2025) for chapters you're studying. PYQs reveal question patterns and difficulty levels. Focus on understanding why answers are correct, not memorizing solutions. Week 3-4: Mock Tests & Error Analysis. Take 2-3 full-length mock tests weekly under timed conditions. This is crucial because mock tests build exam confidence, reveal time management weaknesses, and error analysis prevents repeated mistakes. Maintain an error notebook documenting every mistake—this becomes your revision guide. Week 4-5: Revision & Formula Consolidation. Create concise formula sheets for each subject. Spend 30 minutes daily reviewing formulas and key concepts. Avoid learning new topics entirely at this stage. Study Schedule (Daily): 7-8 Hours. Morning (5:00-7:30 AM): Physics concepts + 30 PYQs. Break (7:30-8:30 AM): Breakfast & rest. Mid-morning (8:30-11:00): Chemistry concepts + 20 PYQs. Lunch (11:00-1:00 PM): Full break. Afternoon (1:00-3:30 PM): Maths concepts + 30 PYQs. Evening (3:30-5:00 PM): Mock test or error review. Night (7:00-9:00 PM): Formula revision & weak area focus. Strategic Approach for 110 Marks: Attempt only confident questions and avoid negative marking by skipping difficult questions. Do easy questions first—in the exam, attempt all basic-level questions before attempting medium or hard ones. Focus on quality over quantity as 30 well-practiced questions beat 100 random questions. Master NCERT concepts as most JEE questions test NCERT concepts applied smartly. April 2026 Session Advantage. If January doesn't deliver desired results, April gives you a second chance with 3+ months to prepare. Use January as a practice attempt to identify weak areas, then focus intensively on those in February-March. Realistic Timeline: January 2026 target is 95-110 marks (achievable with focused 50% syllabus), while April 2026 target is 120-130 marks (with complete syllabus + experience). Your reservation benefit means you need only approximately 90-105 marks to qualify and secure admission to quality engineering colleges. Stop comparing yourself to general category cutoffs. Most Importantly: Consistency beats perfection. Study 6 focused hours daily rather than 12 distracted hours. Your 110-mark target is realistic—execute this plan with discipline. All the BEST for Your JEE 2026!

Follow RediffGURUS to Know More on 'Careers | Money | Health | Relationships'.

...Read more

Dr Dipankar

Dr Dipankar Dutta  |1840 Answers  |Ask -

Tech Careers and Skill Development Expert - Answered on Dec 13, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Dec 12, 2025
Career
Dear Sir/Madam, I am currently a 1st year UG student studying engineering in Sairam Engineering College, But there the lack of exposure and strict academics feels so rigid and I don't like it that. It's like they don't gaf about skills but just wants us to memorize things and score a good CGPA, the only skill they want is you to memorize things and pass, there's even special class for students who don't perform well in academics and it is compulsory for them to attend or else the student and his/her parents needs to face authorities who lashes out. My question is when did engineering became something that requires good academics instead of actual learning and skill set. In sairam they provides us a coding platform in which we need to gain the required points for each semester which is ridiculous cuz most of the students here just look at the solution to code instead of actual debugging. I am passionate about engineering so I want to learn and experiment things instead of just memorizing, so I actually consider dropping out and I want to give jee a try and maybe viteee , srmjeee But i heard some people say SRM may provide exposure but not that good in placements. I may not be excellent at studies but my marks are decent. So gimme some insights about SRM and recommend me other colleges/universities which are good at exposure
Ans: First — your frustration is valid

What you are experiencing at Sairam is not engineering, it is rote-based credential production.

“When did engineering become memorizing instead of learning?”

Sadly, this shift happened decades ago in most Tier-3 private colleges in India.

About “coding platforms & points” – your observation is sharp

You are absolutely right:

Mandatory coding points → students copy solutions

Copying ≠ learning

Debugging & thinking are missing

This is pseudo-skill education — it looks modern but produces shallow engineers.

The fact that you noticed this in 1st year already puts you ahead of 80% students.

Should you DROP OUT and prepare for JEE / VITEEE / SRMJEEE?

Although VIT/SRM is better than Sairam Engineering College, but you may face the same problem. You will not face this type of problem only in some top IITs, but getting seat in those IITs will be difficult.
Instead of dropping immediately, consider:

???? Strategy:

Stay enrolled (degree security)

Reduce emotional investment in college rules

Use:

GitHub

Open-source projects

Hackathons

Internships (remote)

Hardware / software self-projects

This way:

College = formality

Learning = self-driven

Risk = minimal

...Read more

DISCLAIMER: The content of this post by the expert is the personal view of the rediffGURU. Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related document carefully before investing. The securities quoted are for illustration only and are not recommendatory. Users are advised to pursue the information provided by the rediffGURU only as a source of information and as a point of reference and to rely on their own judgement when making a decision. RediffGURUS is an intermediary as per India's Information Technology Act.

Close  

You haven't logged in yet. To ask a question, Please Log in below
Login

A verification OTP will be sent to this
Mobile Number / Email

Enter OTP
A 6 digit code has been sent to

Resend OTP in120seconds

Dear User, You have not registered yet. Please register by filling the fields below to get expert answers from our Gurus
Sign up

By signing up, you agree to our
Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy

Already have an account?

Enter OTP
A 6 digit code has been sent to Mobile

Resend OTP in120seconds

x