Company culture

But that’s the temperate way of putting it: the fact of the matter is that it’s a desperate situation for most.

The investment in time and money made by an international student is not negligible by any standards. Besides the pressure of recovering the expense of the MSc program, the uncertainty associated with the job market can indeed be very stressful. Students are haunted by questions ranging from the right time to start applying to companies, to the kind of positions to target. Beyond that, there is always the issue about how to best proceed with one’s job applications and interviews. To that end, this would be the target subject covered in this and a few subsequent columns.

To begin with, probably one of the most difficult yet crucial decisions to make would be regarding the selection of a specialization stream. As frustrating as it may be to make this choice, no one else can help simplify this decision. Each student has to make this choice based on personal interests, aptitude, long- and short-term career goals. Having one’s priorities clearly laid out, on paper if need be, helps ease this process.

In today’s volatile and unforgiving industry, it’s imperative to be passionate and skilled in one’s chosen niche. Many companies are steady shifting away from making sizable investments in engineering, research and development, to a marketing-based, asset-light approach. In the present scenario of zero job security, the only avenue to attaining and retaining job satisfaction is in the job’s content. In today’s world, entry level and lower-rung employees are expected to retain their motivation even in spite of having experienced a morale-bursting lay-off. So developing a passion for technical achievement is more important than the traditional striving for promotions and personal growth within an organization.

An industry-based graduation thesis is the ideal test-drive opportunity. Besides systematically shaping one’s technical aptitude in attaining the thesis’ objectives, it’s an excellent opportunity to feel out the culture of a company. In my own personal experience, I’ve seen quite a few brilliant engineers being asked to resign from their post because they did not fit in with the company’s way of working. While most large organizations allow for some flexibility, don’t underestimate the significance of company culture. However, the solution is not to blindly try to change one’s own attitude, but rather to choose and target companies based on their working environment as well.

Most importantly, one must be prepared to fully cater to one’s own unique sense of individuality. Each person has a special set of skills, priorities and goals. To ignore these factors in pursuing a career option is asking for trouble. Introspection, research and feeling-out options take time. So it’s never too early to start.

Ramesh Chidambaram is from India. He is a recent MSc micro-electronics graduate of TU Delft and currently works for NXP Semiconductors in Nijmegen.

“The dawn of a New Year marks the beginning of an extended period of a peculiar anxiety for many final year international MSc students. While a few set their sights on carrying on with a doctoral program, the majority is subject to sketching a path into a suitable position in industry. But that’s the temperate way of putting it: the fact of the matter is that it’s a desperate situation for most.

The investment in time and money made by an international student is not negligible by any standards. Besides the pressure of recovering the expense of the MSc program, the uncertainty associated with the job market can indeed be very stressful. Students are haunted by questions ranging from the right time to start applying to companies, to the kind of positions to target. Beyond that, there is always the issue about how to best proceed with one’s job applications and interviews. To that end, this would be the target subject covered in this and a few subsequent columns.

To begin with, probably one of the most difficult yet crucial decisions to make would be regarding the selection of a specialization stream. As frustrating as it may be to make this choice, no one else can help simplify this decision. Each student has to make this choice based on personal interests, aptitude, long- and short-term career goals. Having one’s priorities clearly laid out, on paper if need be, helps ease this process.

In today’s volatile and unforgiving industry, it’s imperative to be passionate and skilled in one’s chosen niche. Many companies are steady shifting away from making sizable investments in engineering, research and development, to a marketing-based, asset-light approach. In the present scenario of zero job security, the only avenue to attaining and retaining job satisfaction is in the job’s content. In today’s world, entry level and lower-rung employees are expected to retain their motivation even in spite of having experienced a morale-bursting lay-off. So developing a passion for technical achievement is more important than the traditional striving for promotions and personal growth within an organization.

An industry-based graduation thesis is the ideal test-drive opportunity. Besides systematically shaping one’s technical aptitude in attaining the thesis’ objectives, it’s an excellent opportunity to feel out the culture of a company. In my own personal experience, I’ve seen quite a few brilliant engineers being asked to resign from their post because they did not fit in with the company’s way of working. While most large organizations allow for some flexibility, don’t underestimate the significance of company culture. However, the solution is not to blindly try to change one’s own attitude, but rather to choose and target companies based on their working environment as well.

Most importantly, one must be prepared to fully cater to one’s own unique sense of individuality. Each person has a special set of skills, priorities and goals. To ignore these factors in pursuing a career option is asking for trouble. Introspection, research and feeling-out options take time. So it’s never too early to start.

Ramesh Chidambaram is from India. He is a recent MSc micro-electronics graduate of TU Delft and currently works for NXP Semiconductors in Nijmegen.