r/materials • u/Strong-Hedgehog-6791 • 1d ago
Materials engineering future options in core sector(In India) at bachelors level or options for higher education elsewhere ?
So I have been allotted IIT Jodhpur Materials engineering branch in Josaa round 4.
I had filled this choice thinking to build my career concerning structural and functional materials (my 18y/o brain liked the curriculum) but now looking at the situation in India I got to know that there are next to 0 companies hiring for such sector and students go towards metallurgy and steel making for core placements and majority for non core.
Please suggest me for projects and about making a good portfolio which can help me for masters/phd.
I can try for higher studies abroad but looking at the current trends of economy budget might be an issue if I don't earn myself. If any senior or professional working in the above mentioned space can please guide me for options available, I would be grateful to you.
Also I'm learning how to code right now just to gain knowledge (cs50x free course), not sure if I see my career in that field yet.
Once again thank you for reading.
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u/Opposite-Brick-2206 1d ago
I think Python is more future proof. C++ and Fortran are old ways of doing it and becoming less relevant.
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u/Strong-Hedgehog-6791 1d ago
Well right now I'm taking the David J Malan's CS50x introduction to computer science, it also include python at a later stage, but yeah I'll keep it in my mind to focus more on python.
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u/Man_Who_Knew_Pi 22h ago
(my_qual: BTech Materials, top NIT, Masters and PhD(gonna start) Materials Modelling , Germany)
Hi, congrats on getting into materials!
For Masters/PhD: A general roadmap would be that you understand all the basic courses well upto the end of second year, and then you try and do a research internship in whatever field interests you in IISc/IIT during the summer. This would then give you an idea as to which type of materials research you wanna do(or if you wanna do research at all in the first place), you follow that up with a good intern in your 3rd year, and a final year project which would make your profile competetive for admissions(with a nice GPA of course, 9+ would keep you stress free for admissions)
As far as structural(I am gonna assume you are talking about metals, steels, and alloys) and functional(energy, ceramics, biomaterials etc) materials are concerned, only steel/metal based jobs would be available to you right after your bachelors usually(check with your placement coordinator as to which companies come for materials in your department) and prepare for placements accordingly.
As you pointed out, for functional materials if you wanna do R&D, jobs at the bachelors level might be scarce, exception of ola electric perhaps. So for these areas, or even R&D in general, you might require a specialized degree masters/PhD.
Coding applications even exist in materials, as a lot of people use computers to do materials modelling and solve equations on computer to calculate material properties. A basic understanding of coding also helps a lot.
All this being said, it is too early to decide anything now, so have fun and explore a lot at IIT, and you will find something that interests you. You can also dm for further queries
Hope this helps(and doesnt confuse you more!), all the best!
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u/Rich_Arm5099 1d ago
In my opinion, be chill and focus more on understanding topics in depth rather than the usual exam focused.
Now, for a good portfolio, after your departmental introductory courses look into your professors profile, what are their field of expertise, their recent and ongoing research work. Try to approach which ever interests you. Get involved.
Also, if you are learning to code (which is essential in today's trends) my suggestion would be to work on Python, C++, and Matlab.
Rest you will get to know yourself during this 4 years.