By Jatindra Dash and Hemant Kumar Rout
IANS
Bhubaneswar : If you think civil service is the most sought after profession among the students in Orissa, think otherwise. Even toppers of 10th and the 12th class examinations prefer to work in the private sector – more particularly in IT.
With salary packages in the private sector soaring up and more scope for travelling abroad, students here generally look down on government jobs. They are opting for technical jobs and a sharp competition is being witnessed among urban students to join prestigious technical institutes like Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) or the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS).
"I want to study at IIT and want to become a scientist like President A.P.J Abdul Kalam," Priyanka Das, who topped this year's Orissa high school certificate examination (Class 10th), told IANS.
Priyanka, a resident of Balasore, scored 96.93 in her exams – an all time high in the history of the states' matriculation exams.
Sushobhan Nayak, who topped science stream in +2 (12th class) examination, expresses almost the same desire. "I want to become an engineer. I would join any IIT institute or Pilani Engineering," he said.
Jyoti Prakash Swain of Revenshaw Junior College who topped the commerce stream wants to be "different" professionally but not an IAS or IPS.
"I would prefer to be a chartered accountant," Swain said.
The choices of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Indian Council for Secondary Education (ICSE) state toppers are no exceptions.
"I want to be in IIT and do something for future generations," Gourav Mishra, Orissa topper of ICSE said. Mishra, a student of Sriram Chandra Bhanja Medical College public school at Cuttack scored 97.8 marks in his exams.
CBSE Orissa topper Abinash Pati of DAV public school, Pokhariput here who scored 98.6 marks too aspires to study in IIT and study science – preferably the quantum physics.
Understanding the admission in IIT is never going to be a cakewalk, Abinash has already started preparing for it without resting on his laurels.
When asked why not the civil services, Shushobhan said: "Now a day bureaucrats are becoming the victims of political apathy. Political interference in all most all sections has become the order of the day. If any one wants to reform, he can't do it on his own."
However, Baidyanath Pati, a psychology professor says: "Fat pay packets are one of the main reasons behind the students' changing in choice. Besides, the images of bureaucrats now-a-day have not been so good and the urban students are also taking it into consideration."