Technology and Education in India

The era of 21st century is often regarded as an era of technology. Technology, today, plays a very important role in our life. It is seen as a basis of growth of an economy. An economy which is poor in technology can never grow in today’s scenario. This is because technology makes our work much easier and less time consuming. The impact of technology can be felt in every possible field and aspect of our life and one such field is education.

The education system of India has undergone a radical change over the past decade. This change has occurred not only through the recruitment of well qualified teachers, an improved curriculum and better school campuses, but also through the introduction of technology in education. The knowledge of computers that the students get at the school level proves to be quite beneficial for them at a later stage even if they do not select computers as their subject. Going a step ahead in bringing technology to the classrooms, these days schools have even started using i-pads in order to make the delivery of education more effective. However, many more steps should be taken in order to bring technology to the classrooms.

Communication is a key of grabbing a child’s attention. Thus, efforts should be made to introduce features like the interactive whiteboard or use 2D and 3D demonstrations, videos and animations in place of textbooks. Due to this, children will be, certainly, more interested to learn. Also, internet must be made compulsory for the students of schools and colleges in India as this is the only medium which allows learning of anything at any place and during any time of the day.

In an age of distance education, gone is the time when a teacher waited for his student to bring back homework the next day. Rather, all homework, assignments, projects and class notes can be shared between the teacher and the student during any time of the day if both parties are equipped with an internet connection. Moreover, technology not only helps in better communication but also helps to learn hands-on which eventually makes the education more interesting and easy-to-grasp.

However, one of the drawbacks of Indian Education System is that government has still not played a major role in bringing technology to the schools and higher education institutes. Since most of the families in India cannot afford a private school, the children of such families usually find it difficult to secure a job as their knowledge is quite limited about the technological developments.

In the conclusion, education helps in differentiating one country from another. It is education again that makes a citizen global. In a world where borders are breaking down, it is education which will help to classify the best from the worst; it is thus time for India to introduce a more technologically equipped education sector in the future.

Computer software jobs- meaning and nature of work

Computer software! These are the jobs which are really in boom these days as far as all the computer related jobs are concerned. Computer software engineers are among the occupations projected to grow the fastest and add the most new jobs over the 2008-18 decade, resulting in excellent job prospects. In this article, we will precisely talk about the meaning of computer software jobs and their nature of work.

Who are computer software engineers?

Computer software engineers design and develop software. They apply the theories and principles of computer science and mathematical analysis to create, test, and evaluate the software applications and systems that make computers work. The tasks performed by these workers evolve quickly, reflecting changes in technology and new areas of specialization, as well as the changing practices of employers.

Nature of work

Computer software engineering has various specializations within itself about which we will talk here.

Software engineer/system programmer
Systems Programmers research, develop and adapt application programs for computer systems. In other words they direct the computer and tell it what to do and how to function. Software Engineers create new program and, sometimes, new languages. However, the responsibility of both the jobs many times lies on one person only.

Systems Programmers and Software Engineers find employment with software firms, computer manufacturers, large firms who use computers and develop their own programs. They are problem solvers and must approach problems systematically and logically to provide effective solutions.

Systems analyst
Systems Analyst job involves: firstly, analysing and understanding the company’s needs and the kind of work involved and secondly, providing a cost-effective solution by outlining and developing a new system. After the analysis has been carried out, the Systems Analyst or Systems Designer can devise a practical computer system with the appropriate software.

Systems analysts must have an excellent understanding of business methods and a sound knowledge of the availability of computer hardware and software when working at the design stage.

Application programmers
Applications Programmers work on briefs by systems analysts or designers and work together with them for part of a project as a team. Applications programmer follows designer’s instructions to allow the computer system to operate effectively. The applications programmer uses certain computer languages, to write an application for a computer. Third and fourth generation computer languages (or codes) are normally used.

Like people in the information technology industry, applications programmers must also be numerate, logical, meticulous, and clear minded. They should be able to work systematically through programs, particularly when running tests or implementing modifications. Graduates with good programming skills start their career as trainee programmers in a medium-to-large organisation. With constant improvement in skills, the trainee programmer can become an applications programmer then systems programmer and so on.

EDP manager
EDP manager means Electronic Data Processor (EDP) manager. He is also known as Information Systems Manager. His job is to ensure the smooth running of the EDP department, so that users get accurate reports on time. He is a technical person and is responsible for assimilating technology into the company.

Employment avenues

Professionals such as Systems Analysts and Administrators, Analyst programmers, Application Programmers, Information Systems Managers, Systems maintenance analysts, Software Quality managers, Computer Operations Manager, Operations Research Analysts, Electronic Data Processing managers, Database managers need MCA, a degree in engineering or computer science for these positions. Scientific Applications Programmers have mathematics, physics, engineering background or a combination of these with computer applications.

Computer Engineering

Computer engineering, also called computer systems engineering, is a course where several fields of electrical engineering and computer science are integrated and out of this you are required to develop computer systems. Computer engineers are taught not only about electronic engineering and software engineering but also about hardware-software integration.

Devices such as cell phones, digital audio players, digital video recorders, alarm systems, x-ray machines, and laser surgical tools all require integration of hardware and embedded software, are all the result of computer engineering. Computer hardware engineers research, design, develop, test, and oversee the installation of computer hardware and supervise its manufacture and installation. Computer software engineers apply the principles of computer science and mathematical analysis to the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the software and systems that make computers work.

The scope of computer engineering is huge in today’s time. it is a constantly changing profession and is highly demanding. The average salary for fresh computer engineers from good institutes ranges between Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh. However, as you move up the management ranks (like design engineer, project manager and eventually CTO) your pay can go up from R20 lakh to R30 lakh per annum. These packages are much higher as compared to other conventional streams.

Computing professionals might find themselves in a variety of environments in academia, research, industry, government, private and business organizations — analyzing problems for solutions, formulating and testing, using advanced communications or multi-media equipment, or working in teams for product development. Also, they get opportunities to work overseas.

To get into computer engineering, you need to have following skills:

  • Should have a keen interest towards computers and should have an analytical bent of mind
  • Should have a scientific temperament
  • Should have good logical and reasoning
  • Should have good mathematical skills
  • Should have the ability to work hard and sit in front of a computer for long hours

If you feel you have the right skills and aptitude for computer engineering then here’s the field which can provide ample opportunities to you. There are a number of prestigious colleges and institutes which offer computer engineering like various IITs, IIFT, BITS Pilani, NITs, etc.