Open letter to graduating students

Dear Students,

All of you are gearing up for careers in the field of technology, which is changing at an exponential rate. While you have unprecedented opportunities to learn, from the internet, you also have the formidable challenge of coping with VUCA - volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Make the most of your opportunities in terms of the benefits that increased globalization has to offer. The internet is a gold mine of information. The open source movement, MOOC - Massive Open Online Courses, blogs and video tutorials, SAAS – software as a service, online development environments and instant availability of latest research from all fields on the internet, are some of the fantastic opportunities that you can avail of, to further your learning and career.

Understand that learning is a continuous process, rather than a time and institution based thing. Most of the knowledge that you get from your colleges will soon become quite outdated, but what will remain with you for your life, will be the learning habits and practices that you picked up during your college days. The ability to focus, think systematically and imagine solutions are the traits that will help you throughout your life. Use your time to develop these faculties, along with your formal studies.

Innovation is the name of the game. Ask why. Question everything, especially the status quo. Be lazy, find out better ways of doing things. Raise your technical standards and then live up to them. Learn continuously. Experience is no doubt the best teacher, but learn from the experience of others as well, by reading, viewing videos and tutorials. Learn > Unlearn > Re-learn newer things. Take risks, experiment, fail fast and learn quickly. Set aside dedicate time from your schedule to sharpen the axe. Ask for opinions from the right people with the right experience. Don’t let your ego come in between learning new things. Pursue capability and not success with short cuts.

I cannot emphasize, the need to develop your soft skills. Having a good EQ and a good temperament is equally important. As professionals, you will be required to solicit cooperation from your colleagues at work, be good team players and lead teams as well. Your professional life is nothing but a specialized form of social interactions. So I would suggest that you develop good social and interpersonal skills. Communication is the cornerstone of all great achievement. Develop excellent written and verbal skills. Balancing work and personal life is equally important. Align your interests and passions with your work. This will help you lead fuller and more meaningful lives personally and professionally.

Above all, be the best, that you can be, in the profession of your choice. Wish you the very best for a great future ahead.

Computer Engineering - 1995 Graduation Batch

Alma Mater - VESIT