In the current era of competition, there is no place for an average person. Specially in a student’s life, he can either be the best to stand out or not get noticed at all. We all have grown up listening to tags and benefits associated with premium colleges in India like the IITs and the NITs. But, what we have not listened is how to reach at the same place as an IITian without actually being in IIT.

Things that students know or what they are actually told:-

1. Complete the whole curriculum laid down by the school or university with utmost dedication and score a great GPA (8.5+).
2. If you are a computer science student then coding is the only thing you can do and you should just keep coding day and night.
3. If you are not able to crack a company you can take the one with less CTC offering just to have a job.
4. Top companies prefer students with Top GPA and Top institutions and others have to just take the mass hiring.
5. Communication skills and co curricular activities are just a side thing and are not important when compared to academics.
6. Finish whats in course rather than learning external things from outside.
7. What teacher tells is correct because experience is more trustworthy than any book.

Things that students should know but they are not told :-

1. 90 % of the school and college curriculum gets outdated by the time you complete your degree and is of no use to the corporate industry.
2. There are more than 100 career options apart from being a software developer for students in the field of Computer Science Engineering like Network Architect, Software Designer, Consultant, Information Security Analyst, Database Administrator, Server Administrator, Forensic Expert, Tester, DevOps Engineer, Cloud Architect, etc.
3. The probability of you cracking a particular company depends of the following things:-
1. Is the profile offered by the firm matched your field of work and expertise ?
2. Have you gained enough qualification and certifications in the field as required by the profile ?
3. Do you have the best competency among all candidates appearing for the job ?
4. Do you have the communication skills to convince the interviewer that you actually have the skills that your CV shows ?
4. Any firm demands candidates who have top skills, not Top GPAs. Thus, if you are competent enough, it doesn’t matter which college you actually belong to.
5. Communication skills at some point are equally important as academic skills as they are one which help you in standing out and showing the world what you actually know. Co Curricular activities provide the best platform to improve and showcase your communication skills.
6. What you learn in the course curriculum is hardy 1% of what corporate demands on day 1 of your job, its better to learn the most you can in your field rather than just relying on limited knowledge.
7. Experience does matters a lot but facts do change over time, it is better to verify rather than just to rely.
8. Events, certifications, courses and every other available thing are enablers for you being the best in your field and achieving your goal.

At the end its you who need to decide whether you wanna be the average unnoticed one who lands up into a mass recruiting company or you wanna be the best stand out one who lands up into your dream company and live up-to your expectations.