Why IE?The word industrial engineering is still anonymous to most of the Indian population compared to other fields like mechanical engineering and electrical engineering, and I was no exception, until I I came to know about this course during the first year of my college. I often wondered about the uniqueness of both, Engineering and Management, and their mutual importance to each other. Any organization, be it a hospital or an industry, must have a perfect combination of engineering and management for its smooth functioning. Every time I thought about this topic, a question arose and left me perplexed. Is there a single course that is a fusion of both of these areas? When I did meticulous research for such a course, I came across the Industrial Engineering major. Through in-depth research on the course I learned of its many applications. I recognized that it could be linked to everything from determining the order of a ticket booth's queues to designing the pipeline layout of an oil industry. Industrial engineers play a vital role in minimizing time and other essential factors. After realizing that this course would offer such challenges and enjoyment, I recognized that this course was tailor-made for me and I deeply resented not having been aware of the course sooner. But it was not too late, since I opted for production engineering in my bachelor's degree, I chose for my current semester research in Ergonomics and Operations which gave me a more detailed knowledge of the course. Extra CurricularExcluding conventional academic study , I have contributed to numerous activities which include organizing nationwide symposiums of the department for three with...... half of the article ......field of interest which I have discussed with my project guide who is also the head of the Department regarding my decision to carry out a project in the field of industrial engineering, he was surprised at first but after explaining my future research interest in this field he promptly accepted my request and agreed to guide me through the project. My current project is “Inventory Reduction” of raw materials and finished products for renowned valve manufacturer Severn Glocon Pvt Ltd, Chennai and another project is “Productivity Improvement” at TI Cycles India Pvt Ltd, Chennai. With both of these projects related to industrial engineering, I had to do arduous homework and additional hours with my professors regarding the unfamiliar concepts. These new experiences and challenges also triggered my interest in industrial engineering.