Hi guys.

Was willing to have a quality discussion here.
I'm planning to crack IIT in 2010. I know its hard but I'll be working harder and I hope eventually I can get there.
Now I've heard a lot but now I want real time opinion. What is the international value of being an IIT'ian?
Its extremely high. But as someone mentioned, it depends on the line you choose, and how well you do in the core subjects for that particular line.
My boss here in Schneider is from IIT Kharagpur, and he is bloody brilliant. I have a few colleagues from some of the other IITs as well, and they are rubbish, so I do not know whats happening now.
m_vaughan added 17 Minutes and 1 Seconds later...
Kshitiz....am not the right person to give educational advices as i hate
the indian education system...but anyways...my advice would be to try
as much as you can to get into it but keep in mind not to sacrifice your
social life as most of the wannabe iitians will just sit the whole day(15-16 hrs) inside a room and only come out during lunch and stuff...!!
if you get it good for you, but if not, then its not the end of the world. and
IIT will only give you a headstart and some better exposure towards professional standards but its actually your knowledge, skill and passion for
the field that'll make you a successful man NOT IIT !!
remember - "all work and no play makes jack a dull boy"
I do not disagree completely with what you say but there a few things about which I feel you have gone a bit overboard.
Firstly the general Indian education system is indeed pathetic, but this does not include the IITs, BITS, and some of the regional institutes which are absolute top class (IIMs, ISB, XLRI for management). What is rubbish is the state boards, and this goes right down to the school level.
Also, you do not need to study 15-16 hours to get through IIT. There are people who get through with minimum practice as well, and a lot of those long working guys dont even make it past the entrance exam. There is no fixed method to get through actually, which is why the actual brilliant guys are the ones who do it in the end. Which is also why I fully agree with ZoraxDoom, that the IIT entrance and main tests are far better than the SATs. But MIT > anything. I went there in 2006 and spoke to a few students, and it was so clear how smart and unique those guys are. And there were NO americans at all. NONE.
IIT is special, and you need to be a bit special to get into that. But it certainly is not the end of the world, which I totally agree with you. There are limitless options out there, and if you really like doing something you will certainly do it. (Is what my advisor at college had told me)
By the way, I had passed the entrance exam in 2004 but failed miserably in the main test. I missed out on BITS Pilani and Goa as well, the second by 0.2%, and ended up going to BITS Dubai. I am glad I made the move and did not stay in Mumbai because I can say for a fact that I am better off now than all my friends who did their engineering in Mumbai.
m_vaughan added 3 Minutes and 44 Seconds later...
IIT'ians here in the US all have top jobs, making a solid $150,000 a year on average.
That is, after a good 12 years of living here. Probably start off with like, $70k.
That most probably is for the merit or M.Tech holders. I know good students who have started off with $30K.