Engineering, as a career prospect, losing its sheen in Tamil Nadu, say experts

Is engineering as a career prospect losing its appeal among students in Tamil Nadu?It could well be the case when compared to last year, if the trends of student intake this year are to be interpreted. Long-time career guidance counsellors believe that there are indications of a slowdown, going by the latest statistics pertaining to students’ intake at the end of the three rounds of Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions (TNEA) 2026.“Preference for engineering as a career has begun to slide compared to last year, with a marked drop in demand for colleges in the rural areas,” says Jayaprakash Gandhi, a senior career guidance counsellor. To shore up his argument, he presents the following facts: This year, only 112 colleges could fill more than 90% of their seats as against 164 last year. Also, o