First Words

The pandemic and post-pandemic age can be termed the virtual age, as more and more personal and professional activities turn "virtual". Yet, the competencies required to succeed remain the same, although some aspects need greater rigor and accentuation.

Building relationships with customers and stakeholders have always required social skills. Attention is the currency of leadership. Listening and paying attention are pre-requisites of leadership. In the new world order, in the absence of listening with body language and gestures, a new set of skills are required to listen intensely and decipher the intonations so that the intent and intensity of these interactions can be better understood.

Likewise, learning by doing is, in many cases, replaced with learning by seeing. Understanding Physics by watching Richard Feynman videos or Chemistry by Donald Sadoway will be the new norm. After all, Bill Gates and Alan Shepard learnt it that way - outside college.

I am sure this book will help students prepare for a new learning experience.

I am happy to note that CA V Pattabhi Ram & Dr. Anbuthambi, President ICT Academy, have developed a book titled "Post Pandemic Graduate", which will guide the millennial new generation college students. The Pandemic has ushered in "The New Normal", which has in probability changed the old world order. We have to think anew & formulate new strategies to succeed & survive in the post Pandemic era.

No doubt, as the students make the giant leap from school to college and university life, the transition is not always smooth. They have to learn & relearn new skills, set goals, take a broader view of life & become career conscious. We need experienced peers & guides to handhold them in this long journey of self-exploration.

I congratulate the authors for their efforts in bringing out this unique publication, which may charter a road map for our aspiring youth & mentor them to become responsible citizens & good human beings.

I wish the publication all success.

The power of a learning mind is vast and helps a student during the crucial academic journey. Various elements in this book take the reader through a reflective journey, which helps see the constraints or challenges as opportunities rather than a roadblock. I personally feel this is a practical book for the right stage of life being brought out at the right time as we rediscover ourselves after the disruptive Pandemic.

The impact of the pandemic has been devastating. In the wake of this global crisis, our Higher Education Institutions have to take the lead in preparing our graduates as professionals in cutting edge areas. Encouraging the youth to acquire the skills needed to succeed in work is essential in this post-pandemic area. Automation, artificial intelligence, and micro-innovation will impact the way we educate and skill our youth.

The "Post Pandemic Graduate" is an engaging book covering farsighted ideas for a student: starting with the transition from school to college, goal setting, habits, entrepreneurship, learnings in the new normal, careers, self-awareness, mentorship, etc. It is a well-structured and well-written book, and makes things easy for college-goers to understand.

In the light of the National Education Policy-2020, this book would be helpful for our graduates and educational institutions to build a self-reliant India.

I compliment the authors for bringing out this timely publication that will help students prepare for unprecedented situations like the current pandemic.

This book is timely because the Pandemic has resulted in challenging times for the generation finishing school and entering college. The old order of learning is changing, yielding space to the new. Many of the issues taken up by the authors may appear timeless: the need to set new goals, form good work ethics and find a good mentor. The authors have rightly said that building a career is like running a marathon and not a sprint.

Peppered with stories, examples, and quotes, the book is absorbing reading. I think that those entering colleges or universities and those already there will find this book very interesting and valuable. I compliment and appreciate the authors for their timely work.

The Pandemic has impacted the education of nearly 1.4 billion students across the world. The crisis has forced the universities to rethink alternate teaching and learning and push students to revisit their career prospects. In such a challenging situation, the wards need a robust support system for providing valuable advice, suggestions, and motivation. They also need Mentors to help in career choices with the right attitude. Developing entrepreneurial skills is crucial for students to be competitive in the knowledge-based global market. Universities can play a lead role in developing entrepreneurship culture and nurturing necessary entrepreneurial skills in students.

The universities should take this opportunity to rethink system-wide initiatives that sustain pedagogical and technological innovations and cultivate a culture of lifelong learning. Collaboration is desperately needed to co-develop better learning methods and create opportunities for students and academics across nations and cultures. The book, The Post Pandemic Graduate - A Companion on your Journey through College -- offers valuable insights that will help students adjust to the "New Normal" and aid in developing 21st-century skills, much needed for the holistic development of students in the post-COVID era.

I congratulate the authors for producing this wonderful book.

The nuances that demarcate graduation as distinct from complete education are an oftenignored aspect of formal learning. Education best serves its purpose when it draws its definitions and practices from the socio-economic scenario along with individual preferences and abilities. A radical change in the process of learning was long overdue and as the authors CA V Pattabhi Ram and Dr. Anbuthambi Bhojarajan state, the pandemic has in a sense facilitated this change.

"THE GRADUATE-A Companion on your journey through College" is a wonderful compilation of thoughts and processes along with anecdotes that stem from lives of real people who have embraced the change to add value to both education and their ensuing careers. The book promises to be more than just a script and if used diligently and consciously, it might well be the game changer. In a sense, it promises to be an experience with the narrative serving as a companion to advise and accompany as one sets about scripting a whole new journey that promises better fruition both through and beyond formal education. Enabling individuals to accept and accommodate the challenges and opportunities of 21st Century learning and living including online resources, social media, ideation, innovation and entrepreneurship, all in a "Digital Age" which is heading to an automation drives "Machine Economy". Aptly advocating the power of small habits the book definitely enables oneself to inculcate the attributes "Attitude, Skill, and Knowledge" which are key determinants of a corporate career. It promises to be an experience that empowers individuals to embrace the "New Normal" and the power to adapt to any newer normal that may arise in times beyond. More power to "The Graduate" for the future of humanity rests in individual and collective ability to identify, understand and assume larger responsibilities.

The sincere efforts by CA. V Pattabhi Ram and Dr. Anbuthambi Bhojarajan, in bringing out this book, are laudable. The book aims to sensitize the post-pandemic graduates on the qualities essential for survival and progress in an ever-changing world. As the authors rightly emphasize, Emotional Quotient (EQ) and Social Quotient (SQ) have taken precedence over Intelligence Quotient (IQ). Though this trend began at the turn of this century, the Pandemic has made it indispensable for people to possess high EQ and SQ to wade through uncertainties. Graduates must quickly adapt to change and be open and flexible in their personal and professional lives to succeed in the world of surprises. I wish the authors all the best for their faithful attempt in reaching out to the new-gen graduates.

The pandemic has changed the world. Several new terms, including the word "pandemic", have become household utterances. Despite that the pandemic has wrecked many a life, positive perspectives have also emerged.

Mankind is into a new world. Teaching-Learning processes have metamorphosed into different styles, work culture has taken a different approach, the home environment has expanded into multiple zones; and the world is not the same as before.

The growing-up student, on one side, is deprived of simple studentship pleasures; on the other, newer avenues have opened out. Opportunities hitherto unheard of are now available.

I am delighted that V Pattabhi Ram and Anbuthambi Bhojarajan have thought of "looking from a different angle" and attempted to guide the post-pandemic graduate. The book makes for an exciting read and

provides insights into novel areas of work and activity. In fact, it instigates a desire to become a post-pandemic graduate.

I wish the book and all those readers who derive from it, all success.

At the onset I would like to congratulate the release of the Book- "Post- Pandemic Graduate."

Every moment marks a new beginning. The past two years we have lived the trauma that comes once in a hundred years. We assumed to think that we knew how the scene of academics works and looks like in school, college and university. It was possible to consider it as perfect! But Pandemic brought us to understand our humble and human existence. It made us realise that our vision of perfect learning has shifted. A new thinking has evolved to accept the new normal. The digital mode of education is the extraordinary skill that we've developed. This transformation will yield us as better students, teachers and researchers. It has enabled us to try newer teaching and learning methods and become more and more innovative to do and to try to accomplish. Despite the challenges offered by COVID-19, the pursuit of learning continued in a relentless manner globally, resulting in well-timed completion of courses and timely convocations delivered from the ramparts of digitised forts.

These Graduates of today as they prepare to become the post-pandemic leaders of tomorrow are nurtured in the creative handling of obstacles through their own personal narratives of adversaries. They have endured the pain to garner the strength to achieve success in their academics and career development. The post-pandemic graduate has derived the traits of Leadership, Critical thinking and Entrepreneurial skills even amidst looming recession. Their adaptations will be easily viable to a more lasting impact of a cashless society and work in remote conditions on account of technological advancements.

The Book is like a Vademecum to guide our students towards the post-pandemic new normal living.

It is the change which is the permanent thing and as Winston Churchill says "To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often." We must, therefore look forward to the post-pandemic new normal!

This book is unique -- it offers light on many prominent areas in HOW THE FUTURE IS GOING TO BE specifically for college students. The analogies, metaphors, and illustrations are picturesque, and both clarify and accentuate the "New-age Graduate." The book is highly readable and will be helpful for graduate students to embark on college with a vision.

Career building is all about passion and hard work. When your passion and path of choice meet, the work can quickly appear as no work or even pure enjoyment. In such a case, you will be ready to face practically any challenge that may present itself to you on your way. The Pandemic certainly was a massive challenge - and this guide certainly is an excellent asset to best prepare for the aftershocks and beyond - giving the greatest hints from living life when it is time for it to setting your goals and pursuing them in these special times.