u/Healthy_Sea2407

On a personal note, I think institutes like IST are a part of a larger movement within engineering education rather than a trend. From the little bit of knowledge that I possess about the field, all institutes including IITs are shifting toward AI, practical learning, internship opportunities, and project-based learning and away from theoretical concepts and examinations.

Institute such as IST are also attempting to adapt to these changes by emphasizing on learning about coding, using AI techniques, and working on projects right from the beginning stages itself. I came across various discussions on Reddit platforms where people were mentioning how these courses tend to be more skill-oriented when compared to those offered by traditional universities which rely heavily on self-learning of concepts.

However, in my opinion, we are still at the beginning stage of this kind of institute and should not place our full faith in them just yet. This is because they lack the same kind of credibility, reputation, and placement track record of traditional universities.

To be honest, based on what I have seen, schools such as Intellipaat School of Technology (IST) try to support students to initiate projects early in comparison to several other colleges. Their entire curriculum appears to emphasize coding, artificial intelligence, GitHub, and other practical tasks from the very start rather than in the final year. This may aid the students to develop a portfolio in the early stages if they utilize the resources available to them.

It was found that most students fail in projects due to theoretical studies during the initial two years and initiation of projects at the last minute. The project-oriented environment will definitely motivate students to remain consistent and innovate. On the other hand, not even a single institute can build a portfolio overnight. Students must practice consistently, develop something themselves, and actively participate outside classrooms.

Hence, it can be said that IST can definitely support students to engage in projects from the early stages; however, the outcome remains reliant on the dedication and commitment of the students.

In my opinion, if someone did not make it to good colleges, then the most important thing is to stop thinking that their journey has ended and to shift focus on developing skills early. In my experience, after a few years, companies have started to give less importance to entrance exam ranking and more emphasis is on how well candidates develop their skill sets.

Students must keep working hard on their skills and be consistent like people from average colleges who land in good software companies by working consistently and spending time on the right things during their studies. Peer groups play an important role in deciding the future too, having peers with motivation can change everything for someone.

Other than this, students need to explore their interests in different fields like web development, AI, cloud computing, application development, etc.

College gives the stage to perform, while skills determine the final outcome.

Based on my understanding, BITs Pilani, IIIT Hyderabad, and other institutes under the Indian Institutes of Information Technology, specifically IIIT Allahabad, would be the top names in terms of coding culture. Coding in IIIT Allahabad is even referred to as "legendary" due to its reputation for competitive programming and tech community.

The popular private colleges that get mentioned frequently in this context include Vellore Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Thapar University, DAIICT, RVCE, IST, and PES institutions.

However, the environment plays an equally important role compared to the institute name. For instance, at institutes with high intake like VIT and SRM, I found that those who enroll in coding clubs and remain dedicated always stand out in their studies, whereas others simply pass college life by.

Frankly, I believe that colleges or programs focusing on AI right from the early semesters may prove beneficial for their career, particularly if the student has made up his mind regarding pursuing a career in software, AI, or data related sectors. As far as I understand the current scenario in the industry, everything is quickly transitioning towards AI based technologies, automation, and cloud computing platforms, and hence exposure right from the beginning will offer them more time to tinker with various projects.

Moreover, there is research that suggests that project-based AI learning enables the development of more practical knowledge than purely theoretical.

Colleges such as the Intellipaat School of Technology seem to follow this approach by including coding, AI/ML and projects from early semesters rather than waiting for the final year and emphasizing more on hands-on projects, internships, and industry mentorship programs that actually do sound more relevant to the contemporary job requirements.

Nevertheless, being AI oriented in itself does not necessarily mean that such colleges are superior as fundamentals such as Data Structures & Algorithms, System Design, coding experience, and peer groups matter a great deal.

Really if you want to start coding from the very beginning of college, don't overload yourself with everything; that is what most people get stressed out about. Learn only one programming language first. It could be either Python, Java, or C++. Learn basics like loop, function, arrays, or OOP.

Once you know all these concepts, gradually work on solving problems on LeetCode or HackerRank. Intellipaat and coursera provide certification. They could be very basic but that is okay in the beginning. Simultaneously you should work on building some projects because projects will tell you much more than theories. For example, build websites or an application that could perform some operations.

By the second year, you can begin learning topics such as web development, app development, AI, or cloud computing, depending upon your interests. And learn Git and GitHub because many students ignore this until later on during their internships.

With AI growing at this rate, I believe that engineering students should place more emphasis on adaptability rather than just aiming for one particular skill set. As far as I have observed, simple coding skills are no longer sufficient since AI algorithms can automatically generate a large chunk of code. Instead, what seems to be valued by corporations is the ability to solve problems and comprehend systems, as well as the knowledge of using AI technology.

The best combination is that of fundamentals and practical skills, and that is where such things as DSA, projects, GitHub, internships, and communication skills come into play. like new age college provide more opertuniety. Learning AI, cloud computing, and automation technology also provides a competitive edge without forcing students to become AI scientists right away.

If a person aims to be a software engineer, there are some skills that they should have regardless of the college they are enrolled in. First of all, one needs to learn basic programming, like acquiring fluency in just one programming language like Python, Java, or C++.

As far as my experience goes, working on projects is equally important. No matter if a project is big or small, they always help us understand software better. On top of this, learning how to use Git and GitHub at the very beginning proves to be really helpful as almost every IT company uses these tools nowadays.

What's more, most students often tend to neglect such subjects as DBMS, OS, and networks, but in reality, these skills play an important role in internships and placements. Finally, communication skills prove to be extremely important as well.

In my opinion, based on my observations, it is essential for freshmen to prepare themselves well as anything that one does or fails to do in his or her freshman year can shape the success he or she will attain afterward. In this light, there are many ways to prepare oneself. One way is to commit yourself to learning by starting programming classes early in your freshman year, although it might mean that your programming skills are not highly developed. At the same time, you can earn your certificate in coursera and Intellipaat. Another option is to begin doing projects as you learn since this will enable you to comprehend everything much quicker, and do not fear venturing into different areas, including web development, artificial intelligence, and other areas. Finally, it is crucial to get the right peers since this will enhance your development, and you cannot overlook vital concepts such as problem-solving and data structures.

From my experience, it would be wise for the students to consider internship preparations right from the first year, but in a relaxed manner without any stress. It is all about building up some basics such as coding, working on small projects, learning about various fields in technology, and not waiting till the third year, as that might make it very hectic. Serious preparation begins in the second year, whereby emphasis is laid on data structure, doing projects, and applying to small-scale internships or startup firms. In the third year, one should ideally have done some projects and gained experience, enabling them to go for bigger and better firms.

As far as I can tell, establishing a GitHub page throughout university studies is quite essential since it demonstrates your capabilities rather than simply receiving good grades, especially when applying for internships or job positions having a few projects makes a huge difference compared to simply mentioning skills

the projects that could make an impact aren’t extremely complex from the beginning; however, they should be projects that you understand well, such as a basic web application, a relatively straightforward artificial intelligence program, or even automated scripts, with time coming to more complex and interesting projects such as full-stack applications, solutions for practical problems, or projects with actual users; I observed that projects with neat coding, an excellent README, and consistent commits always stand out compared to random copies

I’m not sure if this is anyone else’s experience, but it is generally more effective to have 3-4 projects that you fully understand and can confidently discuss than ten unfinished projects

I am not sure if other people have the same feeling but tier-2 institutions can provide adequate exposure for technology-based career paths if you make the best use of their offerings, from my observation, most of the tier-2 institutions offer pretty decent coding societies, hackathons and even placement offers from IT companies, however the key thing to keep in mind is that you are not spoonfed all these things unlike tier-1 colleges and you need to put in efforts and work hard in order to create projects and take part in various competitions and internships, what I observed was that people who were consistent in coding and had a good circle of friends could land into good IT jobs even through tier-2 institutions, Side by side develope a Industry skill and certification Earn Intellipaat, Courseera.

However, Intellipaat School of Technology seems more beneficial as they emphasize learning how to construct actual products instead of theoretical knowledge, such as early coding, project work, and becoming familiar with technology-related processes, which could significantly assist in pursuing software and artificial intelligence positions, whereas in some conventional institutions, the first two years of education are focused on theoretical knowledge, and students need to learn practical aspects independently, although conventional colleges possess greater brand value, larger alumni networks, and well-established placement opportunities, making them seem more reliable, which is quite evident that project-oriented courses would be more suitable if individuals are sure of their career direction and maintain consistency throughout the course, while conventional colleges could be suitable for those having an integrated interest and flexible attitude towards education, but this completely depends upon personal perspectives.

Honest advice if you're starting CSE first year, there aren't a lot of things that need your attention, only a couple. So, choose a language for example Python or C++ and master the basics. Don't try jumping from one language to another.

From my experience, doing some small projects is a huge plus in your learning journey, for instance, a small website, application, or tools are helpful than theories. Moreover, learn Git and GitHub, a lot of people don't and regret their actions.

It's recommended that you explore one domain slowly like web development, artificial intelligence, or mobile apps development to figure out where your interest lies. And finally, a peer group is highly essential if you want consistency in your studies.

Seems like the effort put in daily is important than cramming everything in one day. Have any of you done this already, what did you find helpful?

I mean, if your JEE rank is not very good, no worries, man. In my experience, after a couple of years, no one gives a rat’s ass about your JEE rank; everyone is interested in how much you know and how well you can apply your knowledge. For now, concentrate on finding a decent university where you will have enough time and opportunities to learn, e.g., BITS, VIT, SRM, IST, Manipal, or whatever.

The key here is to start programming early, pick a single language, become comfortable with it, then switch to solving problems and making small projects. I noticed that those guys who are working on some cool projects, constantly updating their GitHub page, and hunting for internships starting from the second year tend to perform much better.

It looks like practical skills and dedication matter much more than JEE rank after a certain point.

To be honest, at a certain point, college branding becomes irrelevant for most of the software positions that are available. In my opinion, the best determining factor for a candidate is the skill set that includes coding, problem-solving skills, and projects built.

I have also observed that candidates with a great portfolio on GitHub and hands-on experience tend to perform much better than their counterparts who lack practical experience. Problem-solving skills such as DSA also play an important role in an interview round. One aspect that should not be overlooked is the peer group and surroundings of the person. If the surrounding environment is dedicated, it automatically improves the person’s performance.

Communication and presentation of the candidate also become relevant at times. There might be cases when the person possesses excellent skills but fails to deliver the same.

To be honest, if your target is software engineering right from the start, then going with organizations such as the Intellipaat School of Technology might make sense for you, although it really all boils down to your preferences. From my understanding, they emphasize learning how to code and develop projects during early semesters rather than postponing it for later semesters.

In the same manner, the more conventional colleges such as BITS, VIT, SRM, or even Manipal would serve great choices as well, yet you might have to go out of the way in terms of putting extra effort outside classwork in order to learn similar things that you would learn in places like Intellipaat School of Technology.

In other words, it is indeed a trade-off between having an established curriculum and being able to learn new skills faster. Not sure about others, but I would choose either of the two.

Projects play a vital role in any BTech course, possibly more than one would generally think. From my experience, there is little benefit in studying theoretically without building something practical at the same time. Projects teach one how a concept works practically, such as how to debug, use tools, and solve real-world issues.

It appears clear that students who take up projects will definitely be ahead of those who do not, as the employer will always want to know what you have created apart from your academic course material. Small-scale projects are equally helpful; the idea is to learn gradually. Certain institutions now recommend students to take up projects from an early stage, which has a remarkable effect compared to starting projects later on in their studies.

In essence, projects seem to help transform theoretical knowledge into practical skills. I am curious to know how many projects you did during your BTech