Jeywin Blog

Just three per cent engineers are job-ready

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012

R. Ravikanth Reddy
Engineering education is expanding but quality engineers aren’t being produced by them. The quality of education dished out can be judged from the scenario that the percentage of ready-to-deploy engineers for IT jobs is dismally low at 2.68 per cent of the among five lakh engineers passing out every year in the country.

In fact, among these five lakh engineers only 17.45 per cent are employable for the IT services sector, while a dismal 3.51 per cent are appropriately trained to be directly deployed on projects. Only 2.68 per cent are employable in IT product companies, which require greater understanding of computer science and algorithms, according to the National Employability Report of Engineering Graduates done by Aspiring Minds.

The report is based on the data of more than 55,000 engineers who graduated in 2011. The report goes deeper to identify patterns in employability across different regions and kinds of colleges, analyzing in detail the distribution of employability.
The baffling situation is more relevant to Andhra Pradesh that has the largest number of engineering colleges in the country. The unbridled growth of colleges without concentrating on quality and employability has done more harm to the students while the managements made tons of money cashing in on the craze. In fact, the report submitted by the three-member committee of the Government has also revealed the same.

The National Employability Report too says concentrating on increasing quantity has impacted quality drastically. It was found that employability decreases logarithmically with the number of colleges in the state. It means opening more colleges is directly impacting the percentage of employable engineers graduating every year. “The need of the hour is to focus on not opening more colleges, but improving the quality in existing institutions,” says the report.

Former Technical Education Commissioner, K. Laxminarayana, who headed the three-member committee of the State Government agrees and says engineering education will be at loss if drastic steps are not taken. A senior official of the Government says focus of the Government has been hijacked by the colleges in the last few years to pay their fee arrears rather than concentrating on quality.

The quality varies drastically with only a few colleges figuring at the top of the quality ladder. With regard to employability distribution among campuses, the survey found that the quality of education falls steeply among the top-ranked colleges, implying that even colleges ranked very closely have very different quality of education. A large number of colleges are at exceptionally low employability. The bottom 45 percentile campuses have less than 1 in 100 candidates employable in an IT product company, while the bottom 20 percentile campuses have none.

The situation is more apt to the State where majority colleges don’t posses the academic and administrative infrastructure and also make no efforts to improve it. Companies don’t even step into more than 70 per cent of colleges for campus recruitments realising that lack of potential candidates there. Top companies visit only the top 50 colleges while the smaller companies recruit from the top 100 colleges. The rest have just no takers.

Dream Dare Win
www.jeywin.com

*****

.NET Framework

Sunday, August 22nd, 2010

S. Saravanan
A programming infrastructure created by Microsoft for building, deploying, and running applications and services that use .NET technologies, such as desktop applications and Web services.
.NET Framework version
.NET Framework version 2.0, 3.0, or 3.5
.NET Framework 2.0
The following technologies shipped with the .NET Framework 2.0.
• Common language runtime (CLR).
• Support for generic types and methods.
• Compilers for C#, Visual Basic, C++, and J#.
• Base class libraries.
• ADO.NET.
• ASP.NEt
• Windows Forms.
• Web services.
.NET Framework 2.0 SP 1
The .NET Framework 2.0 service pack 1 updates the CLR and several assemblies that shipped with the .NET Framework 2.0 and can be installed independent of the .NET Framework 3.5.
.NET Framework 3.0
The .NET Framework 3.0 requires the .NET Framework 2.0 to be installed on the computer. If a user installs the .NET Framework 3.0 on a computer that does not have the .NET Framework 2.0, the .NET Framework 2.0 is installed automatically.
The following technologies are introduced with the .NET Framework 3.0:
• Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF).
• Windows Communications Foundation (WCF).
• Windows Workflow Foundation (WF).

.NET Framework 3.0 SP 1
The .NET Framework 3.0 service pack 1 updates several assemblies that shipped with .NET Framework 3.0 and can be installed independent of the .NET Framework 3.5. The updates include non breaking changes, new API elements, and additional functionality to the technologies that shipped with .NET Framework 3.0.
.NET Framework 3.5

The .NET Framework 3.5 introduces new features for the technologies in 2.0 and 3.0 and additional technologies in the form of new assemblies. The following technologies are introduced with the .NET

Framework 3.5:
 LINQ.
 New compilers for C#, Visual Basic, and C++.
 ASP.NET AJAX.
 Additional types in the Base class library.

Key Benefits of the .NET Framework
• ASP.NET
Simplify browser-based development
• ADO.NET
A more powerful model for data access
• New languages
VB.NET and C#
• Web services
New approach to providing computing functionality over the Internet

Fresher – Few Important Points to Ponder

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

D. Hariprasad

Introduction
Okay, so you have managed to hold your nerves in control and brave the questions of the HR. You are now at the end of your interview session. What next? The answer is, there are a few more steps to go. For instance, the HR person may ask you if you have anything to ask of him/her. How do you respond to that? It is quite likely that you are stressed out and nothing comes to your mind. This article deals with this situation and gives you a few intelligent questions that you may ask.

The Rationale
First of all let us try to understand why the HR person puts you in such a situation. Is he/she simply being nice to you or is there more to it? One possible reason is that the company wants to project an image of transparency. The company wants you to know that it encourages two-way communication between the top management and the subordinates, an atmosphere where everyone can ask relevant questions and expect to get answers. In other words, the company respects the employee’s need to know about matters that affect him, no matter where he is in the hierarchy.

Next, and more important, this situation checks your presence of mind and ability to form intelligent questions. So far you have been simply answering questions asked of you. How do you behave when you are in a position to ask questions? What kind of questions do you ask? It also shows how serious you are about the company and the job.

Let us get on to some questions now.
Some Useful Questions
Before you set out to ask questions, keep the above reasons in mind. It would be good to sincerely thank the HR person for such an opportunity. You can start with something like “I have really enjoyed this opportunity to meet you and your team at … (the company name). Yes, there are a few things I would like to know, thank you for asking” However it is not wise to ask the HR a volley of questions and turn it into a counter interview. Consider the questions below and choose one or two from them that you find the most useful to you.

What do you personally find the most enjoyable part of working for this company?
May I ask why or how you joined this organization? / What brought you here?
I would like to know about the work atmosphere here…
Would you be able to tell me about this company’s vision/philosophy?
How would you evaluate this organization’s strengths and weaknesses?
I would like to know a little about my day-to-day responsibilities.
Is this an immediate requirement? How soon would you be taking people on board for this position?
I would like to know how my skills compare with the other people who have applied for this position.
I am really interested in this opportunity and I feel I have the required skills for this position. What would I have to do next?

Now that our interview is coming to close, is there anything you would like to know about my ability towards this job?

Would you be able to tell me a little about what the company expects from its employees? What are the most important assets and skills for this company?

Does the company follow a structured path in promoting the employees? How does it go?
If the company finds me good at the job, how would it advance me? What would be the next step in my career growth?

If I performed well in the current position, what are the additional likely opportunities for me within this company?

Are there any special areas in this company that the top leaders emerge from?/ Are there special areas like say sales or engineering that have more prospects for growth within this company, or do the leaders come from a cross section of different areas?

The company has decided to recruit for this position from outside. How does the company choose between recruiting from within or outside?

How far does this particular position contribute to the bottom line?
What advice would you give to someone selected for this position?
What are the current challenges of this position/department within the company?
Before I leave, can I have a formal/written description of the position? This would help me to review the activities and evaluate what is expected of me.
Is this job likely to lead to other positions in the company? What is the usual route?
Would you be able to tell me a little about the people I will be working with?

Before I take your leave, let me check my understanding of the position. The designation is …., the responsibilities are …., it is in the ….. Department and I would be reporting to ……. Please correct me if I have got it wrong anywhere.
How does this company promote equal opportunity and diversity?
Would you be able to tell me who the company regards as its stars? What have been their most important contributions?
How do the subordinates address their seniors in this company?
Could you tell me about the management style of this company?
If you selected me for this position, what assignment would I be starting on?
Does this company have a formal mission statement? Am I allowed to see it?
What are the most important parameters along which this company evaluates an employee’s contribution?

Some Useful Question Answers
1. Tell me about yourself?
I am down-to-earth, sweet, smart, creative, industrious, and thorough.
2. How has your experience prepared you for your career?

Coursework:
Aside from the discipline and engineering foundation learning that I have gained from my courses, I think the design projects, reports, and presentations have prepared me most for my career.

Work Experience:
Through internships, I have gained self-esteem, confidence, and problem-solving skills. I also refined my technical writing and learned to prepare professional documents for clients.
Student Organizations:

By working on multiple projects for different student organizations while keeping up my grades, I’ve built time management and efficiency skills. Additionally, I’ve developed leadership, communication, and teamwork abilities.

Life Experience:
In general, life has taught me determination and the importance of maintaining my ethical standards.

3. Describe the ideal job.
Ideally, I would like to work in a fun, warm environment with individuals working independently towards team goals or individual goals. I am not concerned about minor elements, such as dress codes, cubicles, and the level of formality. Most important to me is an atmosphere that fosters attention to quality, honesty, and integrity.

4. What type of supervisor have you found to be the best?
I have been fortunate enough to work under wonderful supervisors who have provided limited supervision, while answering thoughtful questions and guiding learning. In my experience, the best supervisors give positive feedback and tactful criticism.

5. What do you plan to be doing in five years’ time?
Taking the PE exam and serving in supervisory/leadership roles both at work and in professional/community organization(s).

6. What contributions could you make in this organization that would help you to stand out from other applicants?

In previous internships, my industriousness and ability to teach myself have been valuable assets to the company. My self-teaching abilities will minimize overhead costs, and my industriousness at targeting needs without prompting will set me apart from others. Additionally, one thing that has always set me apart from my scientific/engineering peers are my broad interests and strong writing abilities. I am not your typical “left-brained” engineer, and with my broad talents, I am likely to provide diverse viewpoints.

7. What sort of criteria are you using to decide the organization you will work for?
Most importantly, I am looking for a company that values quality, ethics, and teamwork. I would like to work for a company that hires overachievers.

8. What made you choose your major?
My academic interests are broad, so I sought civil engineering to achieve a great balance of mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, and writing.

9. Have your university and major met your expectations?
The College of Engineering at MSU has exceeded my expectations by providing group activities, career resources, individual attention, and professors with genuine interest in teaching.
My major has met my expectations by about 90%. I would have enjoyed more choices in environmental courses, and would have preferred more calculus-based learning.

10. What made you choose this college?
I chose this college for the following reasons: my budget limited me to in-state schools, I was seeking an area with dog-friendly apartments, the MSU web site impressed me, I saw active student groups, and the people were very friendly.

Resume:
A very well done CV is indispensable to getting the most desirable jobs and goes hand in hand with a successful career. Recruiters skim through thousands of job applications every day, so a definitive CV is the best way to get noticed, get the interview, and get the job. We know that fresh graduates are not the best people to write great CVs and we are here to help. Now, here is the inside scoop. Recruiters often use automated software to extract CVs based on filters and it is important that a CV is written keeping this in mind. We know that fresh graduates are not the best people to write great CVs and we are here to help. Now, here is the inside scoop. Recruiters often use automated software to extract CVs based on filters and it is important that a CV is written keeping this in mind. Hence, we have introduced a 5 step process in helping you make this and you will have a better chance of getting short listed if only all the fields are filled with relevant genuine information. We also believe that CVs have to be customized for different needs and we are providing with the option to create 3 different types of CVs. Also to note that companies want employees who act with integrity, communicate well with others and are willing to adapt to the organization’s requirement. A resume must convey all these characteristics. We have already promised that we will do the needful with respect to customization and keeping in mind the filters recruiters use. We just need you to fill relevant information and we are counting on you to do this well.

What is relevant information?

Personal Information – Name, address and full contact information.
Education Skills & Achievements – Highlight key experiences that a stand out for a recruiter or potential employer: projects completed and prizes won. Make a list of everything you’ve accomplished in your academic career.

Mind your Language - Do ensure that you don’t make any silly grammar mistakes Beyond the basics, a professional CV will include a number of other key qualities that will put you one step closer to achieving your career goals. It all starts with knowing two things.

Some useful links:
It Companies Need of Freshers in Bangalore
Jobs for Freshers
B Tech Freshers
MCA Freshers Jobs
Freshers Software Job in Bangalore
Freshers Party
Sample Resume Format for Freshers
Jobs for Freshers in Software Industry
Freshers Recruitment in Bangalore

Dream Dare Win
www.jeywin.com
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Programming Style

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Saravanan

1. Introduction

Programming style is a set of rules or guidelines used when writing the source code for a computer program. It is often claimed that following a particular programming style will help programmers to read and understand source code conforming to the style, and help to avoid introducing errors

Everyone may have different definitions for the term ‘good code’. In the following are the characteristics of good code.

• Reliable
• Maintainable
• Consistency
• Efficient

If your code is not reliable and maintainable, you will be spending lot of time to identify issue, trying to understand code etc throughout the life of your application.

2. Naming conventions

• Always use Camel Case or Pascal Case names.

Camel Case
A word with the first letter lowercase, and the first letter of each subsequent word-part capitalized.
Example: customerName

1. Use Camel casing for method

int totalSum = 0;

void SayHeading()
{
…
}

2. Camel Case for Variable (inline)

Avoid using single characters like “x” or “y” except in FOR loops.
Avoid enumerating variable names like text1, text2, text3 etc.
Parameter

3 Camel Case for Parameter

Example:
public void Execute(string commandText, int iterations)

4. Field (Private) Camel Case and prefix with a single underscore (_) character.

Example:
private string _name;

Pascal Case
A word with the first letter capitalized, and the first letter of each subsequent word-part capitalized.

Example: CustomerName

1. Use Pascal casing for Project File

Myproject.Web

2. Use Pascal casing for Class names

public class HelloWorld
{
…
}

3. Use Pascal casing for Method names

void SayHello(string name)
{
…
}

4. Use Pascal Case for Property

Property name should represent the entity it returns. Never prefix property names with
“Get” or “Set”.
Example:
public string Name
{
get{…}
set{…}
}

5. Use Pascal Case for Field (Public, Protected,or Internal)

6. Use Pascal Case for Enum (both the Type and the Options).

7. Use Pascal Case for File names

• Avoid ALL CAPS and all lowercase names. Single lowercase words or letters are acceptable.

• Do not create declarations of the same type (namespace, class, method, property, field, or parameter) and access modifier (protected, public, private, internal) that vary only by capitalization.

• Do not use names that begin with a numeric character.

• Do add numeric suffixes to identifier names.

• Always choose meaningful and specific names.

• Always err on the side of verbosity not terseness.

• Variables and Properties should describe an entity not the type or size.

• Do not use Hungarian Notation!

Example: strCompanyId or iIndex

• Avoid using abbreviations unless the full name is excessive.

• Avoid abbreviations longer than 5 characters.

• Any Abbreviations must be widely known and accepted.

• Use uppercase for two-letter abbreviations, and Pascal Case for longer abbreviations.

• Do not use reserved words as names.

• Do not use single character variable names like i, n, s etc. Use names like index, temp

One exception in this case would be variables used for iterations in loops:

for ( int index = 0; index < count; index++ )
{
...
}

If the variable is used only as a counter for iteration and is not used anywhere else in the loop, many people still like to use a single char variable (index) instead of inventing a different suitable name.

• Do not use underscores (_) for local variable names.

• All member variables must be prefixed with underscore (_) so that they can be identified from other local variables.

• Prefix boolean variables, properties and methods with “is” or similar prefixes.

• File name should match with class name.

3. Indentation and Spacing

For example, for the class HelloWorld, the file name should be helloworld.cs (or, helloworld.vb)

There should be one and only one single blank line between each method inside the class.

The curly braces should be on a separate line and not in the same line as if, for etc.

Good:
if ( … )
{
// Code
}

Bad:

if ( … ) {
// Code
}

Use a single space before and after each operator and brackets.

Good:
if ( i>0 )
{

for ( int index = 0; index < 4; index++ )
{
//Code
}

}

Bad:

if(i>0)
{
for(int index = 0; index <10; index ++)
{
//Code
}
}

4. Formatting

• Group internal class implementation by type in the following order:

a. Member variables.
b. Constructors & Finalizes.
c. Nested Enums, Structs, and Classes.
d. Properties
e. Methods

• Sequence declarations within type groups based upon access modifier and visibility:

a. Public
b. Protected
c. Internal
d. Private

• Never declare more than 1 namespace per file.

• Avoid putting multiple classes in a single file.

• Always use a Tab & Indention size of 4. Do not use SPACES

• Declare each variable independently – not in the same statement.

• Comments should be in the same level as the code (use the same level of indentation).

5. Exceptions

• Do not use try/catch blocks for flow-control.

• Only catch exceptions that you can handle.

• Never declare an empty catch block.

• Always use validation to avoid exceptions.

Example:

// Bad!
try
{
conn.Close();
}
Catch(Exception ex)
{
// handle exception if already closed!
}

// Good!

if(conn.State != ConnectionState.Closed)
{
conn.Close();
}

• When you re throw an exception, use the throw statement without specifying the original exception. This way, the original call stack is preserved.

Good:

catch
{
// do whatever you want to handle the exception

throw;
}

Bad :

catch (Exception ex)
{
// do whatever you want to handle the exception

throw ex;
}

• Do not write very large try-catch blocks. If required, write separate try-catch for each task you perform and enclose only the specific piece of code inside the try-catch. This will help you find which piece of code generated the exception and you can give specific error message to the user.

6. Architecture

• Always Use multi-tier architecture (often referred to as N-tier architecture)
• N-tier application architecture provides a model for developers to create a flexible and reusable application. By breaking up an application into tiers, developers only have to modify or add a specific layer, rather than have to rewrite the entire application over.
• There should be a presentation tier, a business or data access tier, and a data tier.

Dream Dare Win
www.jeywin.com

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