Date-15th September, 2020
Time-11 am
Mode of Session -Online
On the occasion of Engineer's Day, Society of Women Engineers (SWE CCEW) had organised an online talk on Career Opportunities for Women in Defence with a special reference to the Air Force. The session was conducted by Wing Commander Rocky Rodrigues (Retd.), who has served in the Indian Airforce for more than twenty years. He is from the Administration, Air Traffic Control branch and is trained in Radar Controlling. He was the Squadron Commander of ATS squadron at Gorakhpur and also served as a Principal of Admin Training Institute at Belgaum. He was Chief Instructor, Outdoor Training for two years at the prestigious Air Force Academy. The session covered topics related to work for women engineers in DRDO, DOT, sports, DIAT, CMO and other defence related fields. Sir started the session by saying that if a person has a good qualification, if he/she has a degree, then everything in life will sooner or later work out. He has heard of many cases where people have completely changed their fields or career paths, even two to three times, and are still doing well in their lives. There always will be a chance to bounce back. Sir highlighted the fact that there are certain expectations people have from a person in uniform, which they have to live up to. The rules they have to follow, the expectations they have to live up to, give them motivation and they hold these very close to their heart. Sir explained that defence is a kind of an organisation which is non-political, non-religious, and there is no reservation of any kind to gain entry into defence, which is the beauty of it. If there is no kind of reservation, the candidates chosen are selected entirely on their merit and that is the reason why we can sleep peacefully at night while it is them who are protecting us even in extreme conditions like cold weather or deserts. Sir shared anecdotal experiences from his own life to make everyone understand the kind of sacrifices defence officers have to make in order to fulfil their duty. Apart from that, the audience was also introduced with the perks of being in defence. A person in defence fields has a chance to become the member of prestigious clubs, he/she gets to travel the length and breadth of the country, they get to know about various cultures, they get transfers at different places which they would have never been able to visit normally. The opportunities are galore and the work environment is amazing. Sir shared the history of ladies working in the defence services, how he worked with the first batch of 12 women officers 28 years ago, and the kind of integrity, dedication and zeal the women officers had, to do as good as their male counterparts. Then, Sir, touched upon the fields which were available for the audience, which mainly was comprised of women engineers. He laid out all the rules and criteria to join defence, be it, army, navy, or air force. However, he made emphasis on the fact that whatever you are doing now, be the best in it because that will be favourable for you while joining. He said that the basic criteria are that you should be well qualified, should be physically fit, have to develop your communication skills, should have command over your language, and most importantly, you should inculcate moral and ethical values intrinsically. The board will judge you on your leadership skills, the ability to motivate yourself and the people around you, and the ability to make tough decisions like national decisions in times of crisis. Sir explained about the selection process and how it is very strict in nature since there is no reservation of any kind. He said that sometimes the entire batch is washed out and not even a single candidate is selected. This is because they are extremely specific about their criteria. He even explained the examination process which consists of physical tests, some tests which test your thinking ability, group discussions, etc. Sir told us that the selection committee does not look for some super intelligent people but normal people with a good thinking ability. He also said that engineers not only have the option of becoming technical officers in the aeronautical fields but also the option of becoming pilots. In fact, 70 to 80 percent of the pilots are engineers. Engineers have an option to become technical officers, pilots, administrative officers or something in logistics. Then the session was open for questions and Sir answered all the questions in detail and patiently. Topics like opportunities in DRDO, post retirement opportunities, air traffic control, fighter controllers, the examinations like EKT and AFCAT for engineers and the selection criteria for them, the height restriction for women, some doubts about eye vision, opportunities after MS, were taken up during the question and answer session. Sir ended the session by wishing us well and encouraging us to join defence related fields.