KOLKATA: Even five years ago, no one would imagine that a 21-year-old undergraduate would command a salary package of Rs 4 lakh even before he/she passes out. Now, even ‘ordinary graduates’ from Kolkata are hot picks for top firms like Infosys and McKinsey, who are roping in freshers not by the dozens but by the hundreds.
This year 100 graduates from Presidency College have been offered jobs by corporate houses and St Xavier’s has already managed to place over 250. Scottish Church College, Lady Brabourne College, Bethune College and Ashutosh College have already placed several students — and the placement season is not yet over.
Students are thrilled that a new world of opportunities has opened for them, sparing them the drudgery of going through a masters degree. While St Xavier’s has been routinely holding placements for its graduate students for more than six years now, the others have taken to it over the last three years.
And the phenomenon is still gaining momentum. Even colleges like Lady Brabourne and Bethune, which were somewhat conservative about students getting into jobs right after graduation instead of going for higher studies, have chucked their inhibitions. “Unless one wants to become a teacher, there is no point pursuing an MA or MSc course,”said Ashish Fogla, an economics student of Presidency College, who has just given his part-two exam and has already bagged a job with the Gurgaon outfit of McKenzie with a starting salary of nearly Rs 4 lakh. His classmates Swati Nahata and Chetan have bagged similar offers while a third, Rahul Singhal, has been picked up by Maruti Udyog for a comparable offer for its Faridabad unit.
Google has picked up 12 graduating students from English, economics, sociology and political science departments, whereas Infosys has netted 14 students for its Bangalore office. “We are noticing a marked change in the job scenario. Even two years ago, it was difficult for a fresh graduate to bag a decent job. This year we have had undergraduates hooking jobs that pay over Rs 4 lakh annually,”said Amitava Chatterjee, faculty member and placement cell in-charge of Presidency College.
At St Xavier’s College, where at least 50 graduating students have been offered packages of over Rs 4 lakh per annum, this year’s placements have been much better than expected, said placement cell in-charge, Aniruddha Sinha. McKinsey, which has picked up 12 students, Google (16 students) and Jet Airways (10 students) have made the highest offers.
It’s a boon for students of English, political science, mass communication and BBA. “Though we have not bagged jobs worth Rs 4 lakh, we are happy with our offers of nearly Rs 3 lakh. It is not only the money that excites us, but also the fact that we have been able to start a career without forcing ourselves into higher studies,”said Ankush, Ajay and Kalpana, who have been offered jobs by CTS, ITC Infotech and Future First.
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