Are IITians overvalued?
A talented base, kneaded with years of preparation and a dash of luck — These probably went into the making of an IITian.
Some might have had a skewed amount of talent or hard work, nevertheless, they’re there.
What’s with IITs anyway?
IITs are a group of institutions primarily focused on imparting some of the best technical, engineering knowledge in the country.
Over 6 decades of heritage and an ever-expanding list of these colleges have turned them from a knowledge imparting temples of learning to a well-recognised name.
I’m not sure how long this has been the case, but for at least last decade and beyond, IITs have been the place to get “the best packages”
It’s a usual trend that average packages are more than double of what one might expect at, what’s called, Tier-2 and beyond colleges of India.
While I’ve been privileged to have studied at an IIT, I’ve witnessed it personally how certain companies/roles open up only to IITians.
And on the other side, they’re hired for similar roles at a bigger paycheck compared to other colleges.
That has always caught my attention as to why IITians get that premium?
IIT Premium
As mentioned earlier, several students made it with a combination of hard work, talent and dash of luck.
Thanks to JEE, people have a yardstick to evaluate a person’s exhibition of skill and hard work at that age.
So, all those “toppers” of the school and “achieving” kids probably made it through along with many other students.
They’re an IITian, probably the only few, if any, from their family/school/area/town etc. This sense of achievement drives up a sense of self-worth and pride within a student.
The first day of college, guess what, everyone’s an IITian here.
Everyone displayed similar levels of talent/hard work for the past few years. All in their own right talented and capable of success.
Here comes, in my opinion, the bigger test, performing in tests at IIT.
Some students wither away, lose a sense of motivation and drive.
Some students are content, or end up being contented, with losing grade to pursue an interest
Some magically manage insane grades and tonnes of other stuff
Some manage to carve out a niche for himself/herself amongst such competitive environment of probably some of the brightest/working students of their age, that itself sets him apart from lakhs of other students.
It’s one of my observation that some of the courses at IIT are in-depth compared to similar courses at other colleges. I agree this might be a case of limited data, but it may apply to many colleges.
Recruiting side
Now a company wants a proven talented/working individual who has proven himself/herself in the field relevant to the company.
It’s a safer bet to explore recruiting at IITs, add an extra minimum grade condition, primarily because
- Proved their earlier mettle at JEE
- Proved they’re better than similar ranked JEE folks through their consistent grades.
This filter probably explains the premium attached to IITians.
Also, demand-supply explains further hike in packages
Now, I’m certainly not in a place to explain the exact numerical value to this Premium, which I feel is usually market decided, I do feel the premium is for the safe bet a company places to recruit good employees.
Even in fields not directly relevant to majors, the ability to learn quickly and strive through tough environments make them favourable employees.
That’s not what I’m saying
I’m not saying that IITians are the only people who would be successful in a firm or destined to make great contributions to society. That would be such an arrogant and stupid claim from almost anybody.
Yes, several IITians may not seem all that deserving as compared to that particularly bright guy/girl from other colleges.
Yes, there is all possibility that someone who hasn’t been IITs has got the highest package.
Yes, there is all possibility that someone who hasn’t been into any of the premier institutes made the biggest contribution to the world.
No, people aren’t rewarded just for clearing one exam. Spoiler alert, people end up not getting jobs, low (relatively) packages at IITs due to bad grades.
Conclusion
Talking from a recruiters perspective, yes IITians, as a whole, are worthy of a premium.
Individually if someone is worthy or not is debatable and cases can be made on either side.
Answering the main question- No, I don’t think IITians are overvalued in India in terms of the initial package offered. The exact value may be debated, but the concept of premium being attached to IITians? No.
Once someone is out of IIT, I feel what matters is just the work put in and magic one conjures through their innovation.
But at an initial step, I do feel I’ve listed some reasons for my understanding as to why I feel IITians aren’t overvalued.
Epilogue
This might sound like a narcissistic, ego-driven article coming from an IIT alumnus.
With many negative posts in my feed surrounding why IITians aren’t worthy of premium, I felt that I should tell my views (not that I’m an influencer, lol, but just wanted to type it out)
Also, I’ve not discussed IITs as institutions if they’re overrated. That’s a different topic.
And yes, I do believe these points are valid to other well-known colleges like BITS, DTU, several NITs etc.
In my limited understanding, IIT tag isn’t all that cherished at an international level, unless someone has met an IITian earlier. Many institute admissions across the globe have not shown any favouritism towards IIT.
So, it’s always good to respect individuals and be in a constant push to better yourself.
Do let me know your views on it.
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