Engineering: Make your dream a reality

Many among 10 lakh aspirants were not able to make the grades this year. Even if you failed in your first attempt in JEE does not prove that you cannot be an engineer. There are many who can't crack even after second attempts and fritter three years time for this opportunity. Students generally lose confidence in themselves. But they need to accept that the JEE score is not the turning point to decide the intelligence.

Life is much more than just cracking JEE exam. IIT is just a route but if you look around there are equally good colleges expecting your tough grind. . In case you have the option to take another attempt go ahead.

If not, then choose the next best option of Colleges under JEE (Main) or your State Level Engineering colleges and take up a suitable branch at the undergraduate stage. You may still go to the IITs after graduation through GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) for pursuing Postgraduate studies in the IITs and IISc.

What you must have learnt from this experience could be one of the following:

If I had prepared seriously and given sufficient time so that I could have made it. I could not do well in JEE because I had to do well in my Class XII board exams.

I did not start my preparation early and by the time I became serious, I had actually lost most of the valuable time for preparation

I believed in self-study and did not take coaching, so I could actually not gaze my preparation level and coverage of syllabus plus JEE level problems. Also, I could not know my potential to clear JEE at the right stage.

I had opted for local/home tutors who could not provide me the right platform to check my preparation level for a national level competitive exam. I was totally dependent on my local /home tutors.

Few suggested solutions to make you closer to your engineering dream:

There are three attempts for JEE (Main) and two attempts for JEE(Advanced). In case you are still eligible to appear, join a coaching Institute which would understand your problems and could channelize your potential towards your engineering dreams.

Which could provide you with the best study material, exposure to numerous JEE level Test Series conducted at All India level, where you could know your Rank Potential Index. An institute which has a legendary track record of producing toppers. Which has a system of giving you your Success Potential Index and syllabus coverage Index.

Get the right kind of faculties who could clear your concepts in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Take up exams like FTRE of FIITJEE/ Join AITS/Droppers Batch to check your preparedness for JEE 2020 and improve your preparation for a sure shot selection.

In case your attempts are exhausted, and it was your last attempt in JEE, you may consider the next level of Colleges after IIT, i.e. NITs, IIITs, GFTIs (Govt. Funded Technical Institutions) under JEE main. You may consider colleges under BITSAT and engineering colleges under your State Engineering Exam (in case you have appeared).

These will help you pursue your engineering dream at the undergraduate stage and later you may take up Exams like GATE/GRE to continue your engineering studies at Masters level in the IITs/IISc or even Universities abroad. So, you must not give up.

Mostly the students start the preparation with great enthusiasm and leave no stone unturned at start. But due to lack of proper guidance they give up in the last crucial months when they really need to maximize their chance of selection. To overcome the demotivation, write the reasons why you want to crack IIT-JEE and paste it where you study. So that you never forget the importance of achieving your Goal.

Lastly, life is not only about clearing JEE. Remember "JEE is just a part of your life, not whole LIFE". You have a lot more things other than that like family, friends, parents and most important YOURSELF. You cannot think of yourself like this, just because of not clearing an entrance exam.

This is not a question of life and death rather it's just an opportunity to know your capabilities. I know it's difficult and testing time for you but don't let this get into your heart.

There are many people who became successful and exceptionally great personalities without clearing JEE. Failing in JEE doesn't stop you from attaining success in life.

1) Satya Nadella

Didn't qualify for JEE, did what he loved and today runs a 78 billion $ software major.

2) Kalpana Chawla

Didn't qualify for JEE, did what she loved and became the first Indian woman to fly into space, as a primary robotic arm operator.

3) Vinod Dham

Didn't qualify for JEE, did what he loved and today is popularly known as the "Father of the Pentium Chip" and as the pioneer and inventor of the most popular Pentium processors.

4) Dr APJ Abdul Kalam

He definitely didn't go to IIT, but still remains one of the finest engineers this world has ever seen. He is "The Missile Man of India" and surely a superstar for students like me.

All of these great people had just one thing in common - fire to do something and revolutionise the way things were done. IIT's do not ensure success but just provide a Launchpad for success. Believe in yourself and do what you love and you would definitely find your launch pad sooner or later.

Who knows you might be one of them in future, but this is only possible if you stay determined and passionate. Have patience for that to happen. There are hundreds of doors open to pursue your dream career, always stay optimistic and positive. Once again JEE is not end of life, failing once or twice is never a mistake; it turns to mistake only if you don't learn anything from it.

-Ramesh Batlish