The global economy is like a giant wheel with millions of working parts. Each part needs replacement at some end, whether in the form of human beings as professionals or as resources in numbers. Such a huge machine will constantly have to be fed with work and skills that would need upgradation and critical changes now and then.

The industry initially called for labour in the form of people who had basic skills and were taught how to work at factories. This was essentially the foundation of ‘skilled personnel.’ With the evolution of science and the advent of technology, the industry witnessed immense growth, and the definition of ‘skills’ changed drastically.

The conversation about knowledge and skills has never been a question of this or that. Instead, it has always been about striking a sweet balance between the two, starting with one and developing the other along the way. The ideal candidate in today’s job market has all the relevant industry skills and basic knowledge of their craft. Skills compound over the years and transform into ‘experiential’ knowledge, which makes one a proper professional.

To understand this with more clarity, consider a chef. When chefs begin their careers, they use their skills to follow recipes and make interesting dishes, which might also be imperfect. They work with other experienced chefs to understand the craft’s workflow and dynamics. With time, their skills improve and transform into knowledge, making them ready to work on existing recipes with perfection and curate new ones and create signature dishes of their own. They can also guide newer chefs, and hence they become valuable assets to various entities like hotels, food chains, and restaurants, taking up various leadership roles.

A similar paradigm is observed with today’s engineers. Every engineer who completes his/her degree from the best private engineering college in Jaipur is expected to thoroughly understand the curriculum taught in the course. Be it mechanical, civil, electrical, computer science, or any other engineering stream, the subjects taught as part of the degree must be read properly and understood. They form the foundation of any engineer’s career. But do note that they do not constitute ‘skills’ and hence only form one of the requirements of employers.

Returning to a chef’s example, their course might teach them which ingredients are important and which vegetables to use in a particular recipe. Still, it can never teach them how to be creative with their dishes or manage and multitask properly while working in a dinner service. They learn these aspects of their field during practice, which means going a mile beyond their curriculum and learning ‘real’ skills.

Students must understand that reading and scoring well in exams are important but are not enough to be relevant in today’s job market. One ought to be well-read along with being well ‘practised.’ For engineers, this translates into two things – internships and good projects. The former is good to have since working in the field gives them a good picture of how things work in their field. But the latter is a must-have. Every interviewer looks for a candidate who can showcase his/her skills in some manner, and projects form the perfect medium for the same.

Working on projects gives engineers a chance to put newly acquired skills into actual use and create something meaningful. Engineers should identify a list of problems they can solve and pick the one which interests them the most. It might relate to any field to which the person feels connected, be it farming, mining, manufacturing, construction, creative arts, or something related to everyday life. They can then work and present their solution as a project. With this approach, an engineer is not only able to create an impact in people’s lives but is also able to identify the challenges and features of ‘actual’ engineering. Such candidates are very well appreciated during interviews. Employers rely heavily on projects to assess an engineer’s skill level, and if one is able to score well in this area, the chance of getting selected for good opportunities increases exponentially.

Concluding Thoughts

To summarise, it is important for any student to study subjects well during college, along with being proactive in parallelly learning new skills and creating good and meaningful projects. Remember that eventually, one’s skills shall cultivate into knowledge and take one to greater heights with each passing day. So, which skill will you be learning today?