Welcome to KGiSL Institute of Technology (KITE)!

Dr. V. JeyakesavanUniversity of Texas at Dallas, USA

jeyv@utdallas.edu

Agenda• My background • Why am I here?• Past: School– Memorization

• Present: College– Why this college?– How is different from school?– How to get the max out of college?

• Future: Higher studies or Industry– How to prepare yourself?

• What parents should do?

Little bit about myself

• Dad was a school teacher in our village.• B.E. (ECE) in CEG Guindy, Anna University –

1986-90• UNIX System Software Engineer, HCL Limited,

Chennai, 1990-91• MS Computer Science, University of Texas at

Dallas (UTD), USA, 1991-94

Little bit about myself

• Telecom Software Engineer, Northern Telecom, Dallas, USA, 1994-97

• Ph.D. Computer Science (part-time), University of Texas at Dallas, USA, 1994-99

• Technical Lead, Samsung Telecom, 1997-2010• Adjunct Faculty, UTD CS department, 1999-

2002• Online Adjunct Faculty in several online

universities from 2000

Little bit about myself

• Sr. Lecturer (full-time), UTD Computer Science, 2010-present

• Passionate about teaching – I travel to India twice a year to share the latest ideas to improve CS & Engg. education in Indian colleges.

School Education : Tamil medium9th - 12th St. Xaviers Hr Sec School,

Palayamkottai

8th Govt Hr Sec School, P.Ramachandrapuram, village near Srivilliputtur

6th & 7th Nadar Hr Sec School, Rajapalayam

5th AKDR Elementary School, Rajapalayam

1st - 4th Kasturi (Govt) Primary School, P.Ramachandrapuram, village near Srivilliputtur

Why am I here?

• Today is my 13th day in KITE in the past 2 months.• Activities:– Faculty Development Workshop : 4 days– Java workshop for 3rd CS/IT students: 4 days– “Enjoyable introduction to programming” workshop –

open for all Coimbatore faculty : 2 days– 2 day C/C++ placement training for final year CS/IT/ECE

students– 1 day programming workshop for final year Mech

students (next week)

Why am I here?

• I know little bit about KITE and its management

• I am both an outsider and an insider • I have visited lots of Engg colleges recently &

know how each one operates.• I hope to share my thoughts & observations.

Past: Your School Education

• Was it enjoyable?• Involved lot of memorization? • Tons of information dump • Was it all about +2 scores? Unfortunately, yes• Fierce competition

Present: KITE

• I am sure each student & family have your own reason to join KITE.

• KITE is reasonably young institution, so it does have a few challenges.

• But I can say you have come to a great college!– My sister’s son is here to prove my words

Why KITE is a great college?• Management passionate about quality and

results– Excellent resources & staff in labs– plan to train 1000 school students this December– Management working hard to improve

placements• Unique co-existence of companies and

colleges inside the campus.• Simple & efficient processes in place –

business-like environment

School College : Major changes?

• Memorization Understanding• Enjoy the learning process• Ask questions & keep the class interactive• Try something new in the lab sessions• It is time to become an adult & professional!

Get max out of college life

• Time management skills• Make new friends• Explore - Go beyond what is required • Self-discipline - Stay away from destructive

habits• Put your brain to the test

Steve Jobs – convocation speech

“You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

Future: Higher education or Industry• What do you want to do in your life?• 3rd year is the great time to start preparing for

life beyond college!• Go for internships during breaks – build

industry experience!• Present papers in college symposiums• Improve your English language skills – needed

to handle “Group Discussions” and interviews.• Decent programming skills is a must for all.• I am sure management will do their part!

Future: What do companies want?• Communication Skills: – Constructive criticism– Comprehension skills

• Professional behavior• Learn quickly and apply your knowledge to solve

problems• Ok to make a mistake once, but NOT twice!• Team-work• Confidence, passion and positive attitude• Help your office run like a “well-oiled machine”.• Use the next 3 years to get prepared.

Future : Higher Education in US

• MS or MBA degrees• take TOEFL and GRE or GMAT exams in 3rd year • Be ready to spend a lot in first 2 semesters,

then you will be eligible to work in companies.• It is possible to graduate debt-free!• Unforgettable International Experience!

What parents should do…

• Allow your children to grow up!• Do not be their personal assistant/manager or

provide reminder service, etc. If you do, you are setting them up for failure in life

• They are in a safe and friendly environment – enable them to become well-rounded adults!

• Slowly transition from “parent” role to “friend” role!

Questions & Answers

Dr. V. Jeyakesavanjeyv@utdallas.edu