Some of my friends who studied at Pondicherry Engineering College. They gave the college a fair rating of 3.5 out of 5. Leaving the part of active clubs and committees, every other aspect of the college is pretty nice.

• In your third year, you will be given a chance to work on industrial projects.
• PEC Pondicherry provides an all-round experience.
• If you want to become an expert in your subject then this college is the best choice. But if you want placements, then you will face a little bit of difficulty but that is also eradicated in the software sector.
• Most of the faculty members are well experienced and highly cooperative. EEE department has a very knowledgeable and helpful faculty.

The seniors who have passed out from the EEE department have been working with tech giants like Qualcomm, GE, Panasonic, etc. Pondicherry Engineering College is a good college if you want to acquire knowledge but it holds an average reputation when it comes to placements.

As these are two distinct branches of engineering, you should pursue a topic that piques your interest.

• CS is primarily concerned with software, whereas EE is more concerned with hardware.
• Fees may be high, but consider it an investment because if you learn and perform well, your first year's salary will pay for four years of education and beyond.
• However, listen to your heart and natural instincts.
• A CS graduate has more demand than an Electrical graduate. This is due to the rapid and constant growth of the corporate world.
• Electrical Engineering students can also sit for placements of both core and IT firms.

It all depends on what you're interested in. If you are interested in CS, then choose Thapar (if fees are not an issue) or electrical in PEC Chandigarh.

Two years ago, one of my friends was in the same situation. He could have taken electrical and sit for every company’s placements. If he chooses mechanical, then only core opportunities are open. Given the circumstances, he chose electrical in the first round of counseling. It was so because he would at least get a chance to sit in almost every business. 

Sitting in a good company does not guarantee a good job, and mechanical engineering at PEC is far superior to that of many NITs and even IITs. Trusting his seniors and teachers, he switched to mechanical on the spot round to which he doesn't regret till now. 

If you're interested in electrical, go for it. Since my friend had no particular interest in any of these subjects, he preferred mechanical over electrical.

Before selecting among institutes, you should decide which branch to opt for. As per the question asked, you must have an interest in both EE and CSE at the two specified institutes.

The points followed will give certain guidelines, based on which you can come to a conclusion.

• CSE has a much better placement opportunity in the private sector all over India. But for electrical engineers, there is a good scope in the government sector.
• Considering the reputation of institutes, NIT Hamirpur is a much better institute than IIIT Vadodara.
• In NIT Hamirpur, the alumni base is obviously much stronger than that of IIIT Vadodara.
• The campus life too is much better in NIT H. The only disadvantage is its location with no direct access to the city. On the other hand, Vadodara is a well-established city with proper communication to other cities. But, Hamirpur is not as bad a location as Mandi, and so is somewhat accessible.
• NIT Hamirpur has one of the most beautiful campuses in India. So, the four years of engineering are very spent inside the campus of NIT H. No one regrets being on the campus by any means.

Considering the above points, it can be deduced that EE at NIT Hamirpur is a better option, having a better college reputation and good campus life.

I have a friend at IIEST Shibpur and here is his insight on the IT placements at the institute.

The placement statistics at IT in IIEST are excellent. The esteemed companies that are recruiters for IT include PwC, Veritas, HSBC, Microsoft, Adobe, TCS, CTS, Wipro, Infosys, etc. You will be offered internships in your 3rd year. The major recruiters in IIEST are IT companies. Therefore, from the IT department, the majority of students are able to receive placements except for a few.

Here is the highlight of recent placement statistics at the institutes.

Hope this gives you some idea about placements for IT at IIEST and Electrical at NIT Durgapur.