Choosing Civil Engineering is one of the best decisions I ever made: Mohammed Maseeh Ibrahim

PES University, Bangalore

Choosing a career is something we start thinking about quite early in our life. What we think then is generally based either on the career of our parents eg: engineer, doctor, etc. or after some activity we really enjoy, eg: cricketer, actor, etc. After we reach a higher class, we start thinking more rationally about our future based on our skillsets and our interest, giving both these factors equal importance. A lot of times when we are confused, we get influenced by the career choice of someone we know closely such as our friends or cousins.

After my tenth standard examinations, I realised that I was very weak in Programming, hence, I opted for the combination of PCMB (Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Biology), in class 11th and 12th. Once I started clas 11th, I realised that I had to start preparing for my competitive entrance tests for admission into prestigious institutions such as IIT, AIIMS, etc. I started training for JEE at a reputed coaching institute. Soon, I realised that attending school and coaching after school was really hectic and it affected my school studies. My grades dropped drastically and from a student scoring straight 90s, I fell to the 70s. In my 12th, I left the extra coaching and started focusing only on my Board exams. After ten months of focus and determination, I managed to score 94% in my CBSE board exams.

I decided to opt for Engineering due to my excellence in technical knowledge and reasoning skills. I was weak in programming so decided to pursue Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication. Due to poor planning, I wrote only two entrance exams, namely:

• JEE Main
• K-CET

My performance in JEE Mains was pitiful. I managed a score of 90 and obtained an All-India rank of 70000 odd. My KCET score was also average, 97 out of a possible 180. I obtained a state rank of 5724 because of my good performance in CBSE Exams. Since I had written only two entrance exams and didn’t want to waste a year, I had to make a difficult choice. I could either obtain a seat in Civil Engineering and Biotechnology in a reputed college, or a seat in my favoured course of ECE in an average college. I decided to give precedence to college over the stream, and this is how I ended up in PES University to pursue Civil Engineering.

I made mistakes in preparing for my entrance exams. I started preparations only after my Board exam ended which completely backfired. I could not complete the portions of two years from a competitive exam point of view in a couple of weeks. The approach to prepare for a subjective exam and a competitive exam are completely different. You have to simultaneously prepare for your competitive exams for a few hours in a week preferably on weekends. This was the difference I observed between myself and people who performed wonderfully in competitive exams.

I attended a crash course at Aakash Institute for my CET. Crash courses aren't helpful at all. It takes a lot of motivation to maintain focus and drive after the Board exams, if there is a break. Hence, I don’t recommend you all to take a break after your Board exams, rather continue working hard till the entrance exams so that you can breathe easy once you’ve performed well in them. Getting a good college in India depends completely on your scores in board exams and the entrance exams, hence, top scores in both the exams are very important.

Everything aside, I started my undergraduate studies at PES University and honestly, I was overwhelmed by the college atmosphere. The difference in the size of the campus between my school and college was overwhelming. It took me a few days to digest the fact that I wasn’t a kid studying in a school anymore. I decided to focus only on studies in the first semester and I didn’t want any distractions, hence, I did not join any of the numerous clubs in the college, a fact that I very much regret now that I am in the seventh semester. Joining a club in the college helps you to make friends in the different departments and make your life in the college much more memorable. Participating in various events in the college is very much important for your resume too.

Humans tend to make mistakes and I  made more than often. My studying pattern in the college was wrong and I took a lot of time to realize the simple trick. Engineering is very fast-paced and you finish a semester in roughly 4-5 months. Hence, deciding to study at the last moment is a really bad move, and studying only from your class notes leads to mediocre results. Studying a little bit every day and studying from more than one source is very essential for the development of a student to an engineer. Practical knowledge is something we have to look for in our everyday life, just to raise our bar as a thinker. The world is growing faster than you think and a new idea that can change everyone’s life is more valuable than you think.

Now, I am preparing for my higher studies in construction management and I have realised that choosing Civil Engineering was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Also, choosing a good college also worked in my favour as I sit amongst the top students in the state and there is a very driven environment on the campus, and I know I can’t take my foot off the pedal.

I would like to conclude by saying that never regret your decisions or get depressed by bad results. A bad result makes you work on improving yourself and a bad decision makes you wiser into making good decisions in the future. Your life is what you make of it and your efforts determine your rewards.

About the Author:

My name is Mohammed Maseeh Ibrahim and I am pursuing my BTech in Civil Engineering from PES University, Bangalore. I am a sports enthusiast and a foodie. I love playing video games and help others in choosing their career path. I want to pursue a Masters course in Construction Management from a reputed university abroad.