Civil House - Abhishek

Today marked the start of the Series 2 of "Civil House", the alumni interaction series of the department which was started back in June 2021. The enthusiasm of alumni to volunteer in the program has made the series 2 materialise. Mr. Abhisek Nair V of the 2013 graduating batch was the guest today. He is currently working in the Directorate of Lighthouses and Lightships as an Engineer. Abhishek shared his session by talking about his career path and how he was able to get into the job he is currently in.  

He urged the participants to keep looking for the job opportunities which are published in the employment news and also websites of big construction and consulting companies. A large number of openings are announced every day. There are a large number of opportunities available in the government sector as well and one must be prepared for the test process and grab those opportunities.  It takes a consistent effort to get into the job which one seek. He also talked about the opportunities in defence and how to apply for it. Abhishek patiently replied to the queries posed by the students and gave suggestions about the subjects that one can concentrate on, how to prepare and apply for jobs. 

It was great to have you back in campus, Abhishek. Thank you for your time!!!

Civil house - Akshaye

Akshaye, 2013-2017 batch was the guest today for the fifth session in the series Civil House. Akshaye is currently working in Australia as Junior Project Manager. He started off the session by sharing the experience of working in a construction industry after graduating from FISAT. Working here instilled in him a desire to learn and get exposure and it eventually prompted him to explore the possibilities outside India. He stressed on the reasons for doing a through research before finalising on what to study and which university to choose from. 

According to him, agencies which help students getting admission abroad tend to market only certain universities. It is important to explore beyond those. He also shared some thoughts about identifying good universities in Australia - the "Group of Eight" and the benefits of choosing from this league. Akshay also shared his learning experience and the marked differences in the way in which the course is delivered and evaluated. He also stressed on developing good communication skills, it helps a lot, not just for getting admission but also for networking and getting a good job. Another key aspect is developing a good personality.

His one hour session touched upon all the aspects of getting an admission to choosing the course to part time works to getting a job to managing the fee to getting a PR. He patiently answered the queries posed by the students. 

Thank you Akshaye for sharing your time, it means to a lot. Wish you all the very best in your future endeavours. 

Alumni Fresher Interactions!

Fresher induction is always special for the department. This year, the admissions were delayed due to several reasons and the classes are yet to start. The department organised a two week online program for the students who took admissions. The program was designed to give the students an insight into engineering as a whole and also the specifics of Civil Engineering education. As part of this program, an alumni interaction was also organised on 5th November. The idea was to bring together our alumni and make them interact with the freshers, share their experiences, both while on campus and after graduating.

Six of our alumni came forward - Athira Thilakan and Linda Baby from the first batch, Alphy Christo from 2014 batch, Abhishek Nair, Achu Konath and Divya Abraham from the 2013 batch. Meeting them was a memorable and enriching experience both for students as well as faculty members. Both Athira and Linda are working in the IT field, they shared the experience of shifting from Civil Engineering to IT Domain. Both of them encouraged students to take advantage of the various placement training programs offered by the college. 

Alphy focussed on the various career options available in the Civil Engineering domain after graduation and how to pursue it. She stressed on the importance of acquiring in depth knowledge in the subjects.Abhishek Nair stressed the importance of balancing college life as well as academics and how it can help in building a career. He shared his fond memories of playing on the college ground!! He is presently working in the Directorate of Lighthouses and Lightships. Achu, currently a Structural Design Engineer in Australia, emphasised the importance of focusing on the core subjects.

The last session by Divya Abraham was really inspiring. It was interesting to hear about the challenges and difficulties she had faced when becoming an entrepreneur. She currently owns a design and contracting firm.

--

Anu Roy

Asst. Prof

Civil House - Alphy Christo Thomas

The fourth edition of Civil House was held today 4:00 PM. Alphy Christo Thomas of 2014-2018 batch was the guest for the event. Alphy is currently working as Assistant Engineer, TATA Steels Ltd at Jamshedpur. Alphy shared her vivid experience during the training which she had undergone at TATA steel. She stressed on the importance of preparing on the entry test and interviews. In her words, everyone should research the different options available for future studies rather than going with the crowd. One should always connect with professionals, create a network using using websites like Linkedin and explore the various options before taking decisions about career and higher studies. 

Thank you Alphy for spending your time with us!

Civil House - Thank you Gouri

The third webinar in the series Civil House was hosted today 18 Sep, 4:00PM. Ms. Gouri CT, 2012-2016 batch was the guest of honour. Gouri is currently Senior Associate - Strategic Consulting CBRE South Asia Pvt. Ltd. She had completed her Masters from NICMR, Pune, after completing  B.Tech from FISAT. 

The one and a half hour session was quite interesting, Gouri sharing her journey on how she ended up in Industry. One of key point Gouri initially mentioned was about Identifying that one subject you like the most - the favourite subject and focussing on it. She also focussed on the importance on understanding the industry and understanding the different types of opportunities. She spoke in detail about Contracting and Consulting, the differences and the types of job profiles in those. The importance of doing internship was also stressed by Gouri.

It was a great privilege to have Gouri back in campus and speaking to the students - Virtually. Looking forward to more of you alumni coming forward. Indeed, this online platform is becoming a great opportunity for the current students.

Civil House - Session 2, Akhil Unni

The department hosted the second in the series "Civil House" on 18 June 2021, 4:00PM. The guest of honour was Mr. Akhil M Unni, graduate from the first batch of B.Tech at FISAT (2011-2015). Mr. Akhil is currently working with Hills and Fort Constructions LLC, Dubai. He beautifully narrated his life after B.Tech focussing on how he was able to start off his career as a Civil Engineer. 

His talk focussed on underground structures, the work he has undertaken. The highlight of the session was the photographs of the construction sites he worked and the way he beautifully connected theory to practice. He stressed on the importance of understanding the theory behind what is practiced in the field. 

He opened up for questions at the end, and was very open to the questions raised by students as well as faculty members. The questions ranged from how to apply for the job, how to search for job, the job sites that can help, what should be the focus of the fresher, opportunities for women engineers and the importance of using contacts for getting an opening. He also shared his experience working abroad, work atmosphere, the challenges he faced in his life. Thank you Akhil, we appreciate the time you had spent with us. We wish you all the very best.

#ThrowbackFISAT 2014-2018 batch

It was yet another moment of joy and happiness as the students of 2014-2018 batch came together to take a trip down memory lane. The department organised the first batch wise alumni meet #ThrowbackFISAT of the year on 13 June 2021, Sunday. 

The initial plan was to start the program at 7:30PM and then close in an hour or so. But, when the the event started, it exceeded the expectations of every one. With nearly everyone from the batch joining, the meeting became a big fun place to share sweet memories the students had during their studies here. 

Though there was a formal welcome by group advisor of the batch, Ms. Preethi followed by felicitation by the HoD, Dr. Jiji Antony, the meeting turned into a very enjoyable one with students sharing the stories of mischiefs, hostel and campus memories, tours, class and started pulling each others legs. 

The event was hosted by the student team of ASCE student chapter, Gokul, Catherine, Swetha and a couple of others. The students and teachers shared nostalgic moments of those times. The highlight was a collage video with fond memories prepared by the junior students. 

It would have been more fun if the event was hosted on campus, but, may be the participation was high since it was online. It was almost 9:30PM when the group reluctantly said good bye and closed the session. Thanks to Ms. Gayathri, "alumni turned faculty" for organising the event.

CIVIL HOUSE - Connect, Chat, Inspire

The Department kick started a new series of sessions to the connect the students pursuing their graduate course with the alumni. The first in the session was handled by Mr. Ashish Johnson (2017 B.Tech graduate) who is currently working as Project Supervisor at Concretec New Zealand Ltd. 

He started off by encouraging his juniors to give more attention to what they are learning now as it will benefit them when they go on site. He also shared his experience while deciding to move abroad to pursue his higher studies and the hurdles he faced in the process. He ensured the students that ample opportunities are available for Civil Engineering graduates in the industry. 

He also shared pictures of projects undertaken by him and the company he represents now. Asish patiently clarified the doubts raised by students and teachers during the session. 

The session started with a welcome address by Dr. Jiji Antony, Head of Department and concluded around 6:00 PM with a vote of thanks by Navya K, S4 CE. The session saw an attendance of 120 participants. 

It was a pleasure see Ashish after a long time and to know the heights that he has achieved. Congrats and all good wishes to him.

Alumni Webinar Series

The department took a step forward today with the ASCE student chapter hosting the first session of the Alumni Webinar Series. The guest of honour was Mr. Ananthu Krishanan who is a passout from the first batch(2015) of the  CE department.  

The session was about the different professions within the Civil Engineering domain. It was fascinating to listen to Ananthu sharing his experience working abroad and describing the nuances of the various job titles.  We could sense the enthusiasm in his presentation and it was reflected in the feedback obtained from the attendees.

Kudos ASCE and Ms. Gayathri Krishnakumar, Asst professor and Alumni of the department who took the lead and created this opportunity.

The department looks forward to more alumni volunteering and sharing their experience and guiding their juniors. This lovely poster was designed by Divya S from S6.