Change in ourselves is the biggest achievement : Jitendra Patel

In class 11^th and 12^th, I decided to pursue with engineering in its Electronics and Telecommunications branch. Reason being, ever since I was a child, I was fond of figuring out how electronic equipment work and what is inside it. I used to open them and learn from its mechanism. One of the other reasons is that as per latest industry statistics, Electronics and Telecommunication industry has a vast growth in future, and since technology is changing day by day, there might be a vast scope of research and career enhancements.

I started preparing for JEE after completing 10^th. Also got enrolled into Shree Gajanan Coaching Classes for JEE preparation, which was locally situated. It was the same coaching institute which guided me during my class 10^th board exams. We were the first batch, so they were experimenting on us with their teaching skills. During my preparation for JEE, the coaching centre became a new home to us. Out of 24 hours in a day, 12 to 15 hours were spent at the coaching institute. The only reason to return back home was to take our meals and sleep.

Those were very hectic days as I used to study till late night and slept only for 4-5 hours. The best way to prepare for JEE is to practice PYPs/mock tests and clear the doubts. Also, the two main thing required for a thorough JEE preparation is self-study and studying from NCERT books. For MHTCET, the only thing required is to study from your 10^th and 12^th curriculum. Preparing for JEE is enough for a candidates to clear all the other engineering entrance examination.

I appeared for JEE Main and MHTCET, two among the popular engineering entrance examinations in the country. I thought I would score well in JEE, hence, will easily get admission in Ramdeobaba College. However, I also appeared for MHTCET without any preparation.

It is obvious to say that I did not score well as I did not have a thorough preparation. It was later, when I realized that admission into the BTech purses offered at SRCE were offered through MHTCET.

I always dreamt of seeking admission in Shri Ramdeobaba College of Engineering but could not make it to its eligibility norms as my MHTCET score was not up to the mark. My MHTCET rank was near about 42,000. Not being disheartened, I somehow managed to bag a seat in G. H. Raisoni College of Engineering, Nagpur to pursue engineering. I wanted to take admission through TFWS seat but I didn't get it. So I took EBC scholarship.

Henceforth, I started researching about GHRCE. It was an autonomous body and its infrastructure was also good. The college had NAAC A+ rank, which was an addition to its existing qualities. Moreover, they were taking new initiatives for the betterment of their students.

What I learnt from the above incident is that proper guidance is important for a candidate while making important career decisions. Had I been informed about admission criteria at Shri Ramdeobaba College, things would have been in my favor. However, I decided that whatever happened to me would not happen to anyone else, and so I joined Shiksha.com as a campus ambassador to guide students.

Tips to get admission:

1. Be clear with the course you wish to opt for.

2. Prepare a list of colleges offering that course.

3. Give entrance exams for those colleges.

4. Compare your rank with the last year’s cutoff ranks or use Shiksha college predictor tool.

5. The most important thing is to fill the colleges in the right order during the exam counselling, otherwise, you will get the wrong college.

If I think of the first day of college, it was somewhat fine. I met new people, and in total, it was a great experience. I also made a lot of friends. A sad thing I want to share is that when I was new to the college, I didn't know where the canteen was, so I didn't eat at all. This is otherwise insane because I should have asked people around me, but I was shy hesitated to take the first move and talk to people.  

Initially, I wanted to make a good impression on my classmates, which eventually happened after the first class assessment. I scored good marks and came to everyone’s notice. Thereafter, everyone was my friend. Not only academics, I participated in various extra-curricular activities too.

While I was surfing the internet, I read about Shiksha.com’s Campus Connect programme, which changed my life. Through this programme, I learnt various skills and earned lots of rewards. After that, I never stopped participating in tasks and reward programmes. At one time, I was on the leader board of the month. Through it, I started applying to various new companies.

I did an internship at two different organizations (NGOs)- Eride and UNV Volunteer, where I learnt a lot from educating children about digital India to promoting women empowerment.

Sometimes, when I think of whether I chose the right career for myself, I hear a 'yes' because there are lots of new things to learn in Electronics every day. I keep myself updated with latest technologies and advancements.

The only mistake I committed was that I did not stand in front of the stage. I always had stage fear. But after participating in various presentations, I achieved confidence and learnt that taking part in competition is important for the career growth and enhancement. My college helped me a lot in my practical life and I understood how things work.

The most important subject is communication skills. Every student has to put in great efforts in this subject and do it honestly. It will help one throughout life. My college has taken great initiatives, like CoCubes test, etc. The workshops organized by our college helped me a lot in my journey. Change in oneself is a very big achievement. If I look back, there was nothing in me; I was a simple boy. But now, my personality has improved and my confidence has increased. I have learnt to respond to situations quickly.

I would like to share some tips for selection of your career-

1. The first thing is to decide what you want to become. Start planning for it from 6^th or 7^th class and thereafter take the final decision in 10^th and 12^th.
2. Your interest is very important for career selection because if you choose forcefully, you will get stuck, and it will get very difficult to deal.
3. Keep your vision simple and select a subject according to your interest.

About the Author

My name is Jitendra Patel, I am in my 3^rd year BTech in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from G.H. Raisoni College of Engineering. My hobbies include reading newspapers and magazines, listening to music, cooking, etc. I have always been fond of AI machine learning, photography, website making, and entrepreneurship.