Orientation Module 2 Attitude towards Academics and Career Goals

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Orientation Module -2 Attitude towards
Academics and Career Goals

• Resource Persons
• Dr Anjan Ray
• Dr Rajesh Prasad
• Dr Sangeeta Kohli

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Why this discussion?

• Having come to IIT, what is important now?
• What I become after 4 years depends on
• the system and the environment here
• teachers
• the courses I choose
• my friends circle and the like
• But most importantly on MY ATTITUDE towards
  everything around
• Hence, need for being conscious about our
  attitude
• Input from seniors!

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Need to look at our decisions closely

• Why did I choose to come to IIT?
• Why did I choose CSE or ME or CE?
• Am I dejected that I did not get the branch of my
  choice?
• Do I know what any of these branches is all
  about?
• Do I have the aptitude for the branch I wanted?
  
• Am I ready to make the best of what I got?

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In my decisions so far

• Have I been going with the crowd?
• Have pressures of family, peers or society got
  the better of me?
• OR
• Have I made an informed choice considering what I
  indeed liked and my aptitudes?
• Am I going to continue making decisions in future
  the same way?

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More about decision making

• What am I finally seeking
• happiness?
• How am I sure my choice will lead to lasting
  happiness?
• Most commonly sought after goal
• a lot of money!!
• How much happiness can it provide?
• Is the crowd always right?
• Need for informed choice getting the right hat
  for your head!

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Defining Goals

• What can I aspire for to get sustainable
  happiness?
• need for a holistic outlook
• Need to define meaningful goals
• Beyond clearing JEE !!
• Working for goals a continuous and lifelong
  process
• Earlier you get clarity, the better
• Start HERE and NOW.
• Can anyone become an achiever overnight?
• What you make out of IIT directly linked to your
  larger goals And IIT environment itself shall
  mould your goals.

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Training at IIT
Other activities
Academics
Need to strike a balance
Learn Time management
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What affects my attitude to academics in IIT?

• Objectives of IIT
• to create good engineers
• who can help provide technical inputs to solve
  countrys problems
• Who can contribute to advancement in knowledge
• My objective in IIT
• to get a good job (What is good?)
• Is that sufficient?
• Acquiring abilities to deliver the best in my
  job??
• Acquire abilities to live a fulfilling life??
• Are the two in consonance with each other?
• If not confusions arise

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Common Confusions about Academics

• Grades Vs Learning
• JIT preparation for exams Vs regularity
• Co-operation in learning Vs Co-operation in
  evaluation process
• Short-cuts Can they reach the same goal with
  much less effort?
• Teachers Vs Students
• Classes Vs Books
• Spoon-feeding Vs self-learning
• Why attendance rule we are mature.
• Notion of good or interesting courses

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Situation A

• Why should I learn the engineering subjects. I
  only want to do MBA and be a finance manager?
• Any fallacy in that argument?
• Any ethical question arising
• out of the above?

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If Learning takes a back seat

• Tendency to take short-cuts
• Distorted definition of good courses
• Teachers and Students appear on two opposite
  sides
• Are you losing anything?
• The joy of the learning process
• Capacity to learn
• Time
• Self-esteem
• Culture of mediocrity
• Excellence??

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Why attend classesI can read from books

• Can you read a new topic entirely on your own
  with ease?
• Or does it take much longer?
• Have you experienced the joy of reading a good
  book to supplement lectures?
• Lectures and classes like two wheels for the
  cart of learning to move forward

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Why attendance rule

• We are mature enough to attend interesting
  courses
• Others not worth attending
• What makes a course interesting?
• A one way transaction?

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Situation B
Can any course interest us in such a situation?
Week 1
Week 2 Late night fun in the hostel
Week 3
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Let us

• nurture an attitude of learning
• and thus experience the joy of learning
• make the best of what is offered to us
• Not allow the ice-cream in my hand to melt
• do things with involvement.
• take responsibility for our own decisions and
  actions.
• set meaningful goals for life
• think before we act lest we should regret later.