Long hours of work and sheer monotony is forcing several software engineers in the city to quit IT sector to pursue their pet interests.
The lustre and shine of IT is gradually waning off for some engineers in the city.
After trying it out for a while, many engineers from electronics and electricals, mechanical, civil, electronics and communications, biotech, and even computer science are opting out and entering into sectors not even remotely similar to coding or programming. Like cinematography, event management, baking, or NGOs for example.
“It’s monotony that creeps in,” they echo, stating that if not bound by any financial commitments, “we decide to quit and plunge into a different sector, or explore our passion, or start out on our own.”
Suresh Kodoor, member of ITEC, a welfare association for IT/ITeS employees, says working 10-12 hours everyday ultimately take a toll on those are not passionate enough about IT.
“It is the aura and pay attached with an IT job that draws in a large chunk of youngsters, rather than their interest in the subject. But after a while they realise the grass is not so green,” says Kodoor.
Often limited placements by firms from biotech, automobiles, and electronics force engineers to opt for IT.
About 1.5 million engineers graduate annually across India. Of which 60-75% end up in IT, the leading private sector recruiter.
Rough estimates peg IT hiring numbers this year to be around 150,000. In good times like 2007, the sector hired 4 lakh in a year.
“Other firms don’t hire these many. Thus engineers end up taking the first offer that comes their way, which often is by an IT firm,” says Kris Lakshmikanth, founder CEO of search firm HeadHunters India.
Samyuktha S, an electronics and electrical engineer currently working with a top IT firm, says when she graduated in 2011, compared to the 15-20 IT firms making a beeline, “there were less than five non-IT firms for campus placements. That gave us no choice to explore the field we had studied in, but to jump at the IT offer.”
After training and working out from the set cubicles, in a set manner, on a daily basis, boredom gets to you, say engineers.
Former Cognizant employee Niti Shree says she was interested in chip design, courtesy her electronics background. “But since the campus placements were mostly by IT firms, I grabbed the Rs3 lakh per year offer...” And after joining IT, realization hits that the initial training period and subsequent projects are totally different from their 4 year engineering course that was in electronics or biotech.
Shree says from her 2011 training batch of 30 candidates, only about 10 still work with the tech firm. “Rest have branched out into territories like event management or communications, or have gone ahead to pursue higher studies.”
Ofcourse there are many who have worked in IT for decades. “But that’s mainly because they are either genuinely passionate about IT, or due to financial commitments that prevent them from exploring other channels,” says Kodoor.
He adds that though the percentage of those quitting IT in search of diverse work profiles is about “5-6% of the total workforce”, the numbers do reflect disillusionment amongst a section of the manpower.
To motivate employees, tech giant Google, at its Mountain View headquarters in the US, has an outdoor mini-pool, bowling alleys, bocce courts; and also provides its employees with free haircuts and 3 full meals and unlimited snacks per day.
Microsoft’s Hyderabad campus mirrors its Redmond campus in the US, complete with a pool table, table tennis, football courts, outdoor amphitheatre, mothers rooms.
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