Project Ideas for Students under Anna University curriculum

One fine day when I was working, one of my favorite professors (Dr. D Surendran) came on gtalk and asked me to write a blog on project ideas for final year students studying Computer Science or Information Technology under Anna University, Chennai. Having faced a lot of interviews and having interviewed people for jobs and admissions, I know how important a project is in helping you get your first job. So here is what I wish I had done a few years back.

Plan B - An IEEE Project

Pick an IEEE paper published last year in your domain and do it! Well I didn't have to tell you this, that's why I titled it "Plan B".

Plan A - Non IEEE Project

Most colleges in Tamil Nadu make it mandatory that students should implement a recent IEEE paper and improve on that. It is intended to make sure that the projects are of respectable quality and are not some simple Android or Web app. So once we understand that IEEE is just for street cred, we can look out for even cooler projects, that'll make you stand out in every interview you attend, projects that'll be cool in an IIM admission's interview, as well as cool in an interview with Google.

Cool Project Idea #1 - Google Summer of Code

If you want a job with Google, start with Google!
Pros :
* You get paid!
* Guaranteed success in every 2nd tier programming job in India (I mean Infosys, TCS, CTS,..).
* You have a good shot at 'dream companies' (I still remember the student lingo) - Google, Amazon, ...

Cons :
* You have to be selected.

What to do?
* Visit the page.
* Follow instructions.

Try hard, ask people, bug your professors, for ideas... give it your best shot.

Cool Project Idea #2 - LibreOffice GSoC Ideas

This is as good as #1, but that gets you paid, so this becomes #2.

Pros :
* No rejection.
* Very supportive community.
* Same street cred as #1.

Cons :
* You don't get paid.

What to do?
* Sign up for the libreoffice mailing list.
* Create a local build of libreoffice in your computer.
* Complete an Easy Hack first.
* Email the list with the patch and tell them that you want to work on a GSoC idea.
* If anyone replies, they'll help you out with the basic ideas. (If you complete an Easy Hack or some other small patch, people will definitely reply).
* If no one replies, email the people on the ideas page directly and take it from there.

Cool Project Idea #3 - Some patch in the Linux Kernel

Get something done in the linux kernel. Needn't be big, but something quite significant enough for a project (not the kernel).

Pros :
* Great chances in any company which work on the kernel - nVidia, Intel, IBM (cool jobs, not the 'ordinary IBM jobs'), heck, Google again.

Cons :
* Very agressive community.  You'll get blasted if you act smart or act foolish. Got to tread the line carefully.
* Your patches might not be given the slightest damn.

What to do?
* Visit http://kernelnewbies.org/KernelHacking

Cool Project Idea #4 - Help professors in their doctoral prusuit

It is the best solution if the previous ideas are too daunting. Find out professors who are pursuing their PhD and ask them whether anything can be worked out. When I was a student, I tried and gave up on Dr. Surendran's research (sorry sir, but you didn't need my help after all!), helped prof Maheswar Rajagopal with some simulation and used that a lot in interviews!.

This will get you lots of points in interviews as it shows that your professors who kind of know you well after three years, trust you. And this is a win-win for both professors and students. And this is far easier to get, when I was a student, I could have easily worked with three or four lecturers, just look and ask around.

Pros :
* Interview points (not as much as others, but far more than any IEEE project)
* A healthy relationship - lecturers will appreciate this a lot, they'll be even flattered you asked!
* Best guidance possible. They will have a clear understanding of your knowledge, and since they a critical stake, they'll also give you good bite sized chunks of work according to your ability.

Cons :
* If anything goes bad - heaven help you! Things can become nasty really quick.

Cool Project Idea #5 - Internship At Any Reputed Company

If you get  a job in any company they'll let you do your project there if you 'ask' them. Some dont even required that you be placed there, like CDAC. Call people and ask if you can intern with them.

Pros :
* Smooth transistion from education to work.
* You can skip training when you join later in the same organisation.
* You might get paid!

Cons :
* You'll face work issues a bit earlier in life.
* No counter strike in college lab.

So that's it. Bug your professors. Email me. Ask people for ideas. And don't forget to follow your heart.