Why this IIT Bombay graduate is taking up the Group-D job of trackman in Indian Railways

'Microsoft offers Rs 1.14 crore package on first day of IIT-Bombay placements' is a headline that will catch the attention of most in a country obsessed with IITs and IIMs. But what if the IIT graduate refuses that offer?

An IIT Bombay graduate has taken the entire country by surprise with his unexpected move of taking up a Group-D job of a trackman in the Indian Railways - India's largest and world's eighth largest employer.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, Shrawan Kumar, with a dual degree (BTech and MTech) in Metallurgy and Material Sciences from IIT Bombay, has been posted at Chandrapura under Public Works Inspector (PWI), Telo, and looks after the track maintenance between Chandrapura and Telo section. He started his new job on July 30, 2019.

This move by a graduate from one of the most prestigious institutions of India, has surprised many senior officers of the Dhanbad Railway Division.

Why would Shrawan, who graduated from IIT Bombay in 2015, take up a job which requires only Class-X as minimum educational qualification and pays Rs 3 lakh per annum? Shrawan believes that no job is small and whatever opportunities we get in life, we should capitalise on them. He is reported to be happy to join the Indian Railways, and feels a government job's security cannot match that of a private sector job.

He wasn't keen to take up campus placements as there weren't many (job) options in core sector where he wanted to work. According to a media source, this is Shrawan's first job which he got from RRB (Railway Recruitment Board) NTPC examination. Reportedly, Shrawan will try to get a promotion within the department in the future.

It is unclear what Shrawan was doing between 2015 and 2019, since he graduated from IIT. We wonder what you think about his move? Is Shrawan trying to make a point in a country that is going through a jobs crisis? Leave a us comment.