Academic Development: Cultural contrast

Many of us know of the pay discrepancies when comparing the US with other countries, but let’s compare India and the U.S. A typical PHD student may earn around $250 USD a month, while in the US $10 per hour is very easily attained as a computer scientist. One can consider that cost of living is significantly lower in India, but the work and effort required to attain a degree is not so different, if not tougher at times.  While in India I have learned of the huge pay discrepancy, level of experience and expectations when comparing Indians to their U.S counterparts.

My field is viewed in a favorable position, as the pay is still relatively better than other focuses. Traversing through India, you can’t help but notice all the technical schools for computer science and engineering.  In the U.S having a focus into one language gives you the title of expert in that language but much more is needed than the understanding of one language. I met a guy who had worked on only Java for 10 years, which is good, but he found it harder to learn other languages and started from the most intermediate steps. It seems that focusing on one language is more accepted in India than it is in the U.S for coders of my generation.

            Coders are expected to pick up new languages and techniques along the way, but in my experience businesses require you to have knowledge in a certain field. While my co-worker was skilled in his field, I felt that it did not apply to my project at the time. I noticed that as long as you held a certain title, you were expected to be able to do a multitude of things. I was also tasked to do something which a person with my experience wouldn’t typically do, due to the technicality and level of difficulty. But being a Computer Scientist, I could not deny the challenge as I knew it was plausible to complete the project at hand.

            Overall, I did notice a trend, not just for my field but for others. Everything under the direction of my advisor was utilized to help Indian society. People in my field were tasked with creating games and applications to teach children and lower class people in ways that would enhance their life. Games were made to be able to measure understanding of subjects, so that subject matter could be improved to teach children better. Tools and methods were made to help artisans in their crafts. I made a 3D web player to teach people of different professions almost any skill.

My academic field of Computer Science is an avenue for University Students to reach the United States in hopes of a better future. Many favor Computer Engineering, Computer Science and Robotics due to its wave of focus in society. People join competitions for drones and design, in hopes of being seen in the limelight and to share their accomplishments. Being in Computer Science is more than just a good paycheck, but a chance to help others and forge a better future for families.