IIT Gandhinagar (IITGN) is the most recent of all IIT to adopt a Deferred Placement Policy. In fact, it is also the only one amongst the newer IITs to have implemented this change. The idea behind this initiative is to encourage the start-up culture among IITGN students as well as to provide them leeway to take some time off to prepare for competitive exams like UPSC, GRE, etc. Professors and students both perceive the policy as a positive initiative and expect better placement outcomes in the institute in the coming years. However, an investigation into the whys and hows of the policy has revealed some interesting facts.
In the past, IITs have taken
several initiatives to encourage their students for entrepreneurship. SineLabs
(IIT Bombay), Entrepreneurship Development Cell (IIT Delhi) and Deferred
Placement Policy are some of these initiatives. Many students would like to go
through an experimental stage after graduation wherein they get to explore
options other than plain corporate jobs. As per the Deferred Placement Policy,
students can choose to skip placements in their final year and instead apply
for it up to 2 years after graduation. According to Ajinkya Jain, 4th
year student at IITGN, “The policy gives students 2 years to explore career
opportunities after their graduation. Some prepare for UPSC or IAS exams, some apply
for junior research fellowship with IITs, while others start their own business
venture.” Thus, students have a fall back option, in case they face failure in
their endeavours after graduation.
However, the question that this
policy raises is, ‘Is 2 years an adequate time period to determine the success
or failure of a start-up?’ Ideally, any start-up would require at least 5-10
years to achieve profitability. Avinash Patel, a 3rd year student at
IIT Delhi, says, “If the Deferred Placement Policy was extended up to 5-10
years, the academy would not be able to accommodate so many students for placement.
Besides, the policy is not just for students with start-ups, but also those who
take up research or further studies and decide to opt for placement after that.”
According to Ajinkya, “It is a known
fact that 2 years of experience in one’s own start-up holds more value than the
same amount of experience in a corporate. Various start-up companies like Ola,
TinyOwl, etc. that come for placements here, prefer students with start-up experience.”
Speaking about the popularity of
this policy with students at IITGN, Prof Jay Mehta, IITGN, says, “Last year about 9 BTech students (approx. 8% of total
students) applied for deferred placement, whereas this year, the registrations
have increased to 15-17 students.” The policy is gradually gaining momentum
amongst students. As per the rules of the institute, the student will have to render
an email to the Training and Placement Office with justification for their choice
of skipping placements.
Many older IITs like IIT Bombay,
IIT Delhi and IIT Madras have also implemented deferred placement since 2014
only. Thus, they are all in the experimental early stage of the policy. As for
IITGN, “The success or impact on final placements can only be seen after the
students return to apply for placements in 2 years,” says Prof Mehta.