IIT-KGP: Get Real-World Experiences and Take Risks, says Google CEO Sundar Pichai

When Google CEO Sunder Pichai sets out to interact with students, it is a session to behold. Mr. Pichai visited his alma mater, IIT Kharagpur after 23 years of passing out as a graduate. On his second visit to India as the CEO of Google, he relived his days as a student at the institute. Mr. Pichai also interacted with the with the students of IIT Kharagpur on January 5, 2017.

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Mr. Pichai encouraged the students to take risks and focus on getting real world experience. He added that there is a lot of pressure and Indian students are asked to follow a set of rules. He stressed upon the importance of learning from experience along with academic learning.

Surprised at the focus and determination of students, Mr. Pichai said that people who get admission in IITs are now looking forward to IIMs. He interacted candidly with the students and talked about his days at colleges.

Remembering his college days, Mr. Pichai said that he has come a long way but the first computer he saw was when he arrived at IIT Kharagpur. Talking about his ordinary life as a student, he told the students that the first time he traveled on a plane was when he flew to the US to start his post-graduate at Stanford University.

Mr. Pichai also talked about his interests apart from business and academia. He told students to not limit themselves to books and studies. He added that rules can sometimes confine the path therefore, real world experiences are very important. He motivated students to value creativity and look at things differently.

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Sundar Pichai graduated IIT Kharagpur in 1993 as a metallurgical engineer. He went on to pursue his masters from Stanford University and then studied MBA from the University of Pennsylvania.