Civil Engineering Graduate Is Now A Shoe Maker To Make Ends Meet

Karthik, a BE civil engineering graduate from Sivagangai, Tamil Nadu is now forced to be a shoemaker due to lack of job opportunities.

When it comes to a civil engineering graduate, the very first thing that crosses our mind is a handsome salary along with a luxurious and comfortable lifestyle. But what if an engineering graduate has to stitch shoes for a living? This is exactly the case with Tamil Nadu’s Karthik. Karthik, a BE civil engineering graduate from Sivagangai, Tamil Nadu is now forced to be a shoemaker due to lack of job opportunities.

As said by his father Shanmuganathan, that despite his poverty stricken situation, he had given all his three children a good education by purchasing debts with high interest. But unfortunately, they are only degree holders and could not find suitable employment. The father belongs to a poor background and does the job of a shoe stitcher. But despite all the hurdles he faced, Shanmuganathan managed to enroll his son, Kartik into a B.E. Civil Engineering course.

But Kartik was not lucky enough as a graduate because he failed to find a lucrative job in his profession and could only get a salary of four to five thousands per month, which was not enough to meet his and his family’s daily needs. Hence, he decided to leave the job and join hands with his father to extend his business of shoe stitching.

He started making shoes for the nearby school children, college students and many more. In order to extend his business, he needs some financial help for micro-business but banks are not ready to help him. He also pleaded by saying, “It would be helpful if the government could help me get a government job for my degree”. He also added, “Running a family has become difficult due to the rising costs of living.”

Why do Civil Engineering graduates find it difficult to establish a career in the modern economic times?

The last few months have left the economy in an uncertain position due to COVID-19. Although some industries have seen heavy job losses and others are relying on government stimulus packages to maintain operations, industries like civil engineering offer hope for continued growth during tough economic times. Since India is a developing country and it is growing at a good rate, civil engineers will be needed to build the huge infrastructure of the country. But after 4 years of civil engineering not many students could establish a stable career.

Due to this situation many of them proceed for higher studies. Some started to prepare for government exams, GATE, GRE or even try for jobs in some other fields.

On the other hand students from other branches for example, computer or mechanical engineering are easily placed in good companies with good packages without even worrying too much. Civil engineering is an experience based field, therefore it means there is scope but only for experienced people, but for freshers it’s very difficult to get a job. Due to lack of experience, companies need to provide training to certain engineers for a period of about 6 months and due to introduction of RERA, builders especially need to complete the project on time and can’t bear to incur penalty if the project isn’t completed on time.

Nonetheless the demand supply is also a hindrance for the students. There are nearly 4000 colleges across India. All producing 15 lakh engineers per year but for every single job 300 members are competing. The ratio increases every year due to the previous year unemployed.

Here are some steps you can follow when you’re trying to find the ideal civil engineering job based on your career wants and needs: