The Counsellor: September 2008

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The Counsellor - 14

Which way

I am a final year student pursuing MSc in biotech. I am confused whether to pursue PhD or some professional qualification like an MBA. Can you tell me something about research prospects?
Chandra Babu

There are vast opportunities in biotech particularly for those who have specialised in areas like clinical research and manufacturing, field testing of GM crops, regulatory affairs such as IPR and biosafety, consultancy for business planning and global collaborations. The need for trained manpower in biotech has increased as the industry has grown 35% in the last four years. While there is sufficient number of people in the industry with MSc in biotech, more quality PhDs are required.

India needs biotech schools with state-of-the art facilities to produce biotech professionals for the industry. India can become a global R &D hub if incentives are provided for research on a longterm basis. The country's future growth would mainly depend on innovation and ability to bring new technology from overseas.

Our scientific pool of qualified researchers and the largest number of U S Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approved plants outside the US, would help also us grab a large chunk of the $ 100 billion contract manufacturing and research pie which is expected to grow manifold in the coming decade. So if a career in research interests you, you have little to worry.

At Crossroads

I have been working in a bank for the last four years and wish to pursue an MBA but I can’t go away from my family. Should I opt for an MBA through distance learning mode?
Alisha

I should think not. A good MBA degree coupled with a great time with the family is drawing midcareer professionals to bring their families along to B-school campuses. Increasingly, experienced married executives who want to pursue an MBA are taking their families to campus so they don't miss out on spending quality time together. An evolved support system across B-schools is encouraging them to take this decision. From fully furnished housing facilities, convenience stores, recreation centres to play area for kids, B-schools are offering all these.

The new concept has been introduced by the premier Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad and is soon catching up with others. Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) and IIM-C also plan to provide similar facilities. ISB has 118 families staying on campus while 67 students out of 72 from IIMA's PGPX 2008 batch (residential programme for experienced professionals) were staying en famille and 16 out of 42 students from IIM-C' PGPX course this year had their spouse and kids staying with them. Don't worry; you will be allotted a fully furnished studio apartment. And when the kid comes along, there are daycare facilities with a special play area for toddlers and young kids. ISB charges an extra Rs 90,000 for such facilities.
In case, the B-school does not have family accommodation, you can always take up a flat near the campus, after requesting for special permission to do so. I doubt if any Bschool would object to that.

Looking ahead

What is the cost of acquiring a Seibel administration certification and how can I get it? Do I need to attend a training programme organised by Oracle or can I do it by myself ? If I can’t clear it in the fiirst attempt, will I get a second one?

Rohan

You'll need to do ORACLE Siebel 7.7 essentials course + siebel 8.0 case study course to be able to take the certification test. You can't do it by yourself, you'll have to take the coaching from Oracle University and this can be pretty expensive. I think $195 is just the exam fee and a whopping $2625 is the training fee.You can get the exact prices on the Oracle/Siebel website or on metalink3.oracle.com

As far as the number of attempts is concerned,you can try as many times as you want, but you'll have to wait for a period of 14 days between the tests.

Labour Laws

I am keen to work with the International Labour Organisation (ILO). How can I get an assignment? KL Satish Thakur

Since you have not mentioned your present qualifications or field of work, let me give you a general picture.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is a UN body. Its primary aim is to promote opportunities for men and women to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity.

India is one of the founding members of the ILO and has been a permanent member of its governing body since 1922. The ILO recruits in the general services category and professional services category.

The general services category is concerned with three major occupational groups viz. administration related support work, technical support work and manual trades and other support work. The basic requirement is a good knowledge of the prevailing labour issues and laws, nationally as well as internationally. At the national level, applicants must preferably have local expertise/experience in a labour organisation e.g. lawyers specialising in labour issues, social scientists and people associated with labour organisations.

Professional services category deals with the theoretical or practical aspects of fields such as finance and accounts, law, education, social science, economics, business and administration , managerial and other technical specialisations. Most of these require substantial academic preparation, normally at the advanced university level.

The ILO also conducts an internship programme for undergraduate and postgraduate students (involved in a specialised field related to ILO's work) where they can complete their studies by acquiring practical knowledge and a better understanding of ILO policies and programmes. Interns are assigned either to the ILO Headquarters or its field offices.

For ILO's associate expert programme, you must have a Bachelor's or Master's or an equivalent technical qualification along with some years of work experience. The typical age limit is 32 years. The assignment varies from two to five years depending upon the policy and financial possibilities of the donor.

The ILO essentially looks for candidates with multi-disciplinary knowledge about various labour issues; an awareness of international developments; and a 'can-do' and acceptable personality. For further information log on to: www.ilo.org

American dreams

I am keen to get into University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the US. My class X preboard marks were not too good but I worked hard to improve my performance in the board exams. If I score well in class XII, will I have a good chance of getting into UCLA? Also, which subjects would you you recommend if I want to study genetics?
Durwasa Singh

The University of California's general catalogue states two principles on which entrance requirements are based.They are:The best guarantee of success is high quality of scholarship (academic performance) in previous work.

Study of certain specific subjects will give a student both a good preparation for studying at the University and reasonable freedom of choice of a major field of study. In your case it would be biology.

Undergraduate applicants must possess what is considered a ‘satisfactory’ SAT score as determined by the University.
If you are going to be a geneticist, take biology, physics, chemistry as well as math in class XI and XII. Although it's often believed that bio-sciences don't require any mathematical ability, this simply isn't true. Also remember, that most people's career choices change several times before they finally opt for specialisation at the postgraduate level, so keep an open mind.

Sunil Sharma

Moderator

Dil Se Desi Group

The Counsellor - 12

Career Wise

I have great interest in anthropology and want to pursue it at the BSc level. Can you tell me the career prospects in anthropology?
Sheela Singh

If people, their behaviour, customs and rituals fascinate you, anthropology may well be your cup of tea.

Mainly divided into two branches - cultural and physical (with further sub-branches under each) - anthropology is a social science like history and sociology that studies human beings. It focuses particularly on their physical characteristics, evolution,racial classification,historic and present-day geographic distribution, current social formations, group dynamics and cultural history.

Several universities offer anthropology -- both at the BA as well as BSc-level.

Students of anthropology go on to pursue postgraduate courses either in anthropology or sociology, which is related to field. With a Master's in this subject, you can look at opportunities in teaching, anthropological research,museology and developmental work. While some become anthropologists,some pursue forensic science, or even go for market research. Several consumer product companies like Nokia, Motorola, Intel, Microsoft employ trained user anthropologists or human behaviour researchers to study potential customers and their requirements so that this knowledge can be translated into betterdesigned products and services. The information is valuable to the technologists, designers and marketing people in the organisation.

Appearing for Civil Services examination is yet another popular option. Besides the Anthropological Survey of India, museums, archives, NGOs, universities, hospitals and organisations such as the Indian Council for Medical Research, World Health Organisation, department of child and family welfare employ anthropologists as social scientists.

At the Bachelor's level, in Delhi University, there are 10 papers in all, two in the first year, physical anthropology and social anthropology.There are three papers in the second year: social institutions, prehistoric anthropology and fundamentals of human origin and evolution. Third year papers include human genetics, peasantries etc

Which way

I am a student of BSc (nursing). Due to acute rheumatoid arthritis, I will not be able to work in a hospital or a clinic. I have heard that there are some options for medical professionals in the BPO sector. Is this true?
Sukanya Balu

More and more outsourcing firms in India are now hiring medical professionals as they look for new areas of business to supplement shrinking incomes from sectors that have traditionally opted for outsourcing like finance and banking. Four outsourcing firms Wipro BPO, TCS, Cognizant and HCL are hiring doctors, nurses and paramedics. About 15-18 people come on board every month. The pay obviously depends on experience and quality of work, but it is common for these BPOs to offer the doctors double of what they have been making. The average salary could start from Rs 45,000 and go up to Rs 3 lakh per-month.Those with pharmacy, medicine, dentistry, nursing and homeopathy degrees are in great demand. So don't worry.

What next

Could you please tell me if there is any way I can do my PhD in IT through distance learning. I have an MTech qualification and I am presently working in Information security.
Eknath Bhupia

Perhaps there are others, but here are some you can start checking out right away:
Pondicherry University, Directorate of Distance Education, Puducherry
Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (TIET), Patiala, www.tiet.ac.in
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (PT/Ext)
BITS, Distance Learning Programmes Divn, Pilani 333031 (www.bits-pilani.ac.in )
Karnataka State Open University, Karnataka

Looking ahead

I am planning to join a pre-sea cadet course. What is the scope of a career in the merchant navy?
Mansukh Khan

Currently there is a worldwide shortage of officers in merchant navy. Similarly, an increasing shortage of qualified officers to man sea-going vessels continues to confront the Indian shipping industry, even as the shipping fleet is expanding with ship owners lining up significant investments to buy marine assets. The worldwide demand for seafarers is estimated at 4.76 lakh officers as against an availability of 4.66 lakh.

This shortfall of 10,000 may treble to 27,000 by 2015, as new orders for ships have increased and scrapping has dropped. Also India is unable to provide an adequate number of seafarers to man (and woman) the Indian flag vessels with many officers preferring to sail on board foreign flag vessels owing to discrepancy in taxation policies. Out of the total of 26,900 Indian officers, only 8,900 are employed in Indian flag vessels while 18,000 are serving in foreign flag vessels.

Indian officers are rated right at the top particularly in segments such as specialty vessels and tankers that require quality seamen, where they even command a premium over their counterparts from Philippines, Russia and China.

Many ship manning and management companies are looking at India as a major supplier of quality crew. Several have made commitments in the country's premier training institutes.

The scope for further recruitment in India will go up as the export tonnage increases. And this is expected to continue well into 2010.

Connecting link

I am a student of electrical engineering. A number of telecom companies have been coming to campus for recruitment. Since we don't have much knowledge about this sector, as our college does not offer this branch of engineering, we are confused whether to accept these offers. Could you please help?
Budhdev Rao

India has the third largest telecom network after China and USA. More than two lakh lines are added every day. And while there are more than 3.3 billion mobile phone subscribers worldwide, there are at least three billion others who do not own cellphones, the bulk of them in Asia and Africa. Even the smallest improvement in efficiency across those additional three billion people could reshape global economy in ways we may just be beginning to understand. In fact a study conducted by the London Business School concludes that for every additional 10 mobile phones per 100 people, a country's GDP rises 0.5% by raising people's productivity, earnings and well-being.

Telecom requires trained, experienced and multi-skilled professionals. The burgeoning cellular segment offers great employment avenues. What's more, the demand is much higher than the supply. You could also look at data services ie Internet, leased lines, DSL and cable, which are the other constituents of this sector.

This is also one sector, which is open to experimentation as far as recruiting people from different backgrounds is concerned.
For the lower-end jobs, freshers have a great potential here so do techies. Software powered applications will drive the future of telecom, especially mobility.

There is also a great demand for electrical and telecom engineers. In fact, Nasscom predicts a demand for one million telecom professionals over the next 5-10 years.
A growing sector, a sound training base, rich dividends, and a host of incentives for freshers, it sure is a sector to watch.

Sunil Sharma

Moderator

Dil Se Desi Group

The Counsellor - 11

Looking ahead

I want to pursue Master of fine arts (MFA) in applied arts by correspondence. Could you please suggest some universities?
Prgya Mishra

Leaving aside the merits or demerits of studying art (that too, applied) through correspondence, you could check out the following options:

Jiwaji University, Institute of Distance Education, Gwalior offers MA in drawing and painting, www.idejug.org

Madurai Kamraj University, Directorate of Distance Education, Madurai (TN), www.mkuniversity.org , offers MFA, M.Sc. in visual communication

SNDT Women's University, Centre for Distance Education, Sir Vithaldas Vidyavihar, Juhu Road, Santacruz (W), Mumbai 400049, offers twoyear MA in fine arts with specialisation in art and painting, www.sndt.digitaluniversity.ac.in

Guru Nanak Dev University, Centre for Distance Education, Amritsar offers a one-year postgraduate diploma in commercial art, www.gndu.ac

Sikkim Manipal University, Gangtok offers one-year postgraduate diploma in graphics and animation, www.miteindia.com

Distance education

Please tell me about recognised institutions and universities from where can I do MEd through distance mode.
Lucky Pandey

Working teachers who have completed their BEd can opt for MEd from January 2008 through distance learning offered by various institutions/universities approved by the Distance Education Council (DEC). DCE and the National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE) have joined hands to develop a nationallevel curriculum for the MEd programme. More than 30 universities offer MEd (distance education) courses.

  I am listing a few of them in north India for you:
   Indira Gandhi National open University (IGNOU) www.ignou.ac.in

Barkatullah Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal 462026

Himachal Pradesh University, International Centre for Distance Education and Open Learning, Shimla 171005, www.hpuniv.nic.in

Vardhaman Mahaveer University, Akelgarh, Kota, Rajasthan, www.vmoukota.com

Kurukshetra University, Directorate of Distance Education,
www.kukinfo.com

Maharshi Dayanand University, Directorate of Distance Education, Rohtak, Haryana, two-year correspondence in Med
Nalanda Open University, Patna, Bihar

Panjab University, Department of Correspondence Studies, Chandigarh 160014, www.puchd.ac.in

Punjabi University, Department of Correspondence Studies, Patiala 147002, www.universitypunjabi.org
   University of Jammu, Directorate of Distance Education, Jammu, J&K
   University of Kashmir, Centre of Distance Education, Hazratbal, Srinagar 19006
   For further details, log on to the website or write to Director, Department of Distance Education of the respective

universities or the Distance Education Council (DEC), www.dec.ac.in You could also get the relevant information on

www.ncte-in.org which is the website of the National Council for Teacher Education which governs all education in this field.

Which way

Can you please tell me something about IPR (intellectual property rights) practice and suggest a few courses?
Rakesh Jivan

There are barely 1,000 practicing patent professionals in the country. According to a NASSCOM report, 33% of the intellectual property (IP) professionals demand is from the knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) sector. According to a McKinsey report, the market demand for IP professionals is likely to touch 15,000 in the next three years.
   The study and application of IP laws has gained further momentum due to the IT and entertainment revolution and globalisation of the business environment. The importance and goodwill of a brand in the modern scenario has driven the demand for registering trademarks and patents.
Anyone pursuing law can opt for IPR as a specialisation during the final year of LLB.
   Practicing advocates and company secretaries can also practice as trademark agents. A practicing lawyer can also practice patenting.
   Non-lawyers need to acquire the IPR qualification to practice trademarks by giving a one-day exam and viva at the trademark office.

Similarly, you need to take a oneday exam at the patent office to be eligible to practice patenting. Patenting being a somewhat technolegal area, you also need the basic skill of writing patents, which is honed only by experience.

You can either top up a Bachelor's in law with a degree in IP law or if you have expertise in a given domain that too can be topped up with a qualification in IP law.

Check out some of the following courses:
National Law University, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, www.nlujodhpur.ac.in offers a Master's degree in IPR and a postgraduate diploma in IPR Laws

Amity Law School, Delhi ( www.amity.org )
Delhi University's department of law offers diploma in IPR, www.du.ac.in

FICCI Institute of Intellectual Property Development, New Delhi, offers a six-month postgraduate diploma in intellectual property management administration and law. The course is recognised by the ministry of human resource development.

The Global Institute of Intellectual Property (GIIP) has tied-up with the University of Washington's Centre for Advanced Studies and Research on Intellectual Property (CASRIP) to offer an advance certificate programme on patent and intellectual property.

Programmes are offered through Software Technology Group (STG) training centres in Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and Mumbai.
IGNOU and Queensland University of Technology Australia are jointly developing an online course on IPR. The two-year Master’s programme will be a unique course and it will aim at developing knowledge, awareness and practical skills in IPR. The course will commence from January next year.

Nursing hopes

Can you please tell me something about the scope of perfusion technology? I a student of BSc (nursing).
Pryanka Sharma

A perfusionist is a skilled and qualified allied health professional who works as a member of an openheart surgery team, responsible for the selection, setup, and operation of a heart-lung machine and other life support systems such as artificial lungs, lABP LVAD, RVAD, and ECMO.

Clinical perfusionists are required to operate circulation equipment when it becomes necessary to temporarily and artificially replace the patient's circulatory or respiratory functions. They also control the patient's body temperature during surgery.

The perfusionist ensures blood supply to each cell during an openheart surgery even when the heart and lungs are not functioning. The removal of carbon dioxide from and addition of oxygen to the blood takes place through the machine when blood is pumped through it. This enables surgeons to make necessary cardiac repair. Understandably, this is a highly specialised job that requires total dedication.
Following institutions offer courses:

   AIIMs, New Delhi offers MSc (perfusion tech).The eligibility criteria is BSc biology/perfusion tech
   CMC, Vellore (TN) offers one-year postgraduate diploma in perfusion tech, www.cmch-vellore.edu
   Indian Society of Extra Corporeal Technologists (ISECT), Vadodara, Gujarat
   JNTU, Guntur, AP, offers a postgraduate diploma in perfusion at Yashodha College of Nursing, Hyderabad, AP
   Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, AP.
   Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, , www.rguhs.ac.in , offers BSc in perfusion tech at Fr Muller Med College, Mangalore 575002; Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belgaum 500001, St John's Medical College, Bangalore 560034, Narayana Hrudayalaya Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore, www.hrudayalaya.com . Eligibility is PUC with PCB with 50% marks
   SV Medical College,Tirupathi
   Sri Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sc adn Tech, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala,
www.sctimst.ac.in/academic/allprogram.htm+perfusion offers two-year postgraduate diploma in clinical perfusion. The eligibility is GNM plus one-year work experience/BSc (nursing).
   KEM Hospital, Mumbai, offers oneyear diploma in extra corporeal perfusion technology
You can find jobs in specialty/super specialty hospitals like Apollo, Escorts,Wockhardt, Fortis etc.

Sunil Sharma

Moderator

Dil Se Desi Group

The Counsellor - 10

Opening up

Our mother passed away last year. She was a health supervisor in a government hospital. As per the rules, being a dependent, my brother is entitled to get job in the hospital. He has passed his intermediate from National Open School this year. Will he be eligible for the job?
Partho Karmakar

Yes, for all practical purposes, a National Institute of Open Schooling certificate is recognised as being at par with any government school certificate, unless specifically mentioned to the contrary. After all the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) is an autonomous institution under the ministry of HRD. Hence, the secondary/senior secondary certificates obtained form NIOS have the same recognition as those issued by other Boards.

Getting ready

I am a student of mechanical engineering. I am planning to take GRE next month. How does the analytical writing section differ from the verbal section? What is the toughest part and how do I prepare for it?
Vintan Chaterji

The GRE general test measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical writing skills (acquired over a period of time). The skills are not related to any specific field of study.

Some students find verbal reasoning (VR) somewhat tough. They feel that you can prepare for the quantitative reasoning section within a week, mug-up the wordlists in a month and crack the vocaltesting questions, but you can't improve too much on the verbal reasoning or reading comprehension in a matter of weeks.

Most people can manage the quant and the vocabulary sections with relative ease. But it's the VR bit that separates the good from the excellent. The only way to improve your scores is to read extensively. Try to cover an array of topics from a variety of sources. Engineering students typically find science passages easier to comprehend. Similarly, biology majors find biopassages easier to understand, and so on.

But since passages can be based on any topic ranging from geography to contemporary psychology, your best bet would be to read extensively if you are aiming for a really high score.

Those in the business, strongly recommend reading philosophy. Firstly, philosophy is generally the toughest to comprehend. Secondly, you will encounter many GRE-type words, so it's a great way to reinforce your vocabulary. Many excellent resources are available on the net.

Because the analytical writing section is a performance test, you need to organise and articulate your own ideas as you discuss a complex issue, as well as explain the logical soundness of the argument you have just read. The verbal section measures your reading comprehension, and verbal and analogical reasoning skills in a multiple-choice format.

While the verbal section measures your ability to understand complex ideas expressed in the written passages and in the relationships between words, the analytical writing section measures your ability to articulate and support ideas, and to analyse arguments.

Career graph

I am pursuing a BCom (Hons). As statistics is my favourite subject, I would like to make a career in this field. Please guide me which university provides Master's degree in statistics and what is the work involved?
Vikki Sharma

MSc statistics, which focuses on the classical and theoretical aspects, is offered at over 70 universities. Shedding its image as a drab and monotonous subject, statistics has grown as a discipline by leaps and bounds. Statisticians are using highly sophisticated analysis techniques and applying them to most branches of knowledge. Statistical analysis, which involves collecting and evaluating information and drawing conclusions, is increasingly used by decision makers.

The information could be a test group's preferred amount of sweetness in a chocolate, or the number of male and female teachers in primary schools in a state or the velocity of a burning gas on the sun's surface. The marriage of modern computer networks, database acquisition and statistics has truly revolutionised the user friendliness of this discipline.

Statisticians provide crucial guidance in determining what information is reliable and which predictions can be trusted. They often help search for clues to the solution of a scientific mystery, and sometimes keep investigators from being misled by false impressions. Statisticians work in a variety of fields, including medicine, government, education, agriculture, business, and law.

Now about what statisticians do for a living — Statisticians help determine sampling and data collection methods; monitor the study and processing of data, and advice on the strengths and limitations of the results.

They must understand the nature of uncertainties and be able to draw conclusions in the context of particular statistical applications.

Surveys: Survey statisticians collect information from a carefully specified sample and extend the results to an entire population. Sample surveys might be used to determine which political candidate is more popular, discover what foods teenagers prefer for breakfast and even estimate the number of children living in a given district

Government: Government statisticians analyse and conduct experiments to aid in the development of public policy and social programmes. Such experiments include: consumer prices, fluctuations in the economy, employment patterns and population trends.

Scientific Research: Statistical sciences are used to enhance the validity of inferences inradiocarbon dating to estimate the risk of earthquakes, clinical trials to investigate the effectiveness of new treatments, field experiments to evaluate irrigation methods, measurements of water quality and psychological tests to study how we reach the everyday decisions in our lives.

Business and industry: Statisticians quantify unknowns in order to optimise resources. They predict the demand for products and services, check the quality of items manufactured in a facility, manage investment portfolios and even forecast how much risk activities entail, and calculate fair and competitive insurance rates.

Looking ahead

I have appeared for class XII board exams. Since I have not performed well I think I will only be able to take admission in B.Com correspondence course. I want to add a vocational qualification to my resume. What are the courses available in Delhi ITIs where the minimum qualification for admission is Class XII?
Saket Verma

You can get all the information about various courses in Delhi ITIs by a simple Google search. Still, the relevant website is tte.delhigovt.nic.in.

The vocational courses in the ITIs requiring a minimum qualification of Class XII pass for admission are typically one-year non-engineering courses. There are several of them: computer operator and programming assistant, desktop publishing operator, digital photography, fashion technology, health and sanitary inspector, secretarial practice (English), steno (English) and steno (Hindi).

The ITIs will admit you on the basis of your marks in the Class XII board exam, so you should have scored well enough in that exam. The application deadline is usually June-end.

Also check out the varied course offerings of the National Small Industries Corporation Ltd (NSIC), Okhla Industrial Estate, Phase III, New Delhi-110020.

Searching options

I have completed my postgraduation in physics with specialisation in electronics. Now I want to do a PhD. Please tell me about the possible area of research.
Ram Deen

The fields are truly diverse ranging from fiber optics communication , microwaves, IC technology, lasers, digital electronics, experimental electronics, optoelectronics, power electronics to medical electronics and nano electronics and many more.

However, since you have already done your MSc, I think your professors will be better able to guide you about the cutting-edge areas in physics so that you can choose one related to your interests etc. Also doing your MPhil will give you greater insights into the different areas you could look at.

Do scan the websites of the IITs and the Indian Institute of Science for areas in which research facilities are offered.

Moreover, the Association of Indian Universities, www.aiuweb.org, regularly publishes a list of thesis submitted by research students every month. Just click on the "Research" link. Scanning through the list will give you a fair idea of what research is being undertaken in your field. Similarly log onto the website of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR): www.csir.res.in for a wealth of info.

Sunil Sharma

Moderator

Dil Se Desi Group

Monday, September 22, 2008

Student's Corner:- The Counsellor - 46

THE COUNSELLOR

Leather scope

I am keen on taking up a job in the leather industry. Could you please tell me about the scope for designers in this field?
Lachhi Ram

A sector with great potential, India's leather industry is the fourth largest export earner in the country.
Whether you are designing leather garments, footwear, handbags accessories or leather upholstery and furniture, it calls for basic knowledge of leather technology and specialised training in different aspects such as styling, creating patterns, fabrication, and keeping yourself updated with the latest in international designing and manufacturing trends and standards.
Special courses in leather design and technology are offered at several institutions.

Road ahead

After doing my MBA from a medium-rung Bschool, I could not get a decent job so I have been working with a call centre for the last six months. But I feel I am in a dead-end job. Somebody suggested that I should shift to a business consultancy BPO. Is this a good choice?
Girish Singh

Being virtually chained to a chair for eight to 10 hours dealing with annoyed customers can be a very taxing job. This is one of the main reasons for the high attrition rates in the call centre industry.
   To get round this problem many Indian BPO companies are trying to break away from the mould of being ‘just another low cost destination’ where costs are the only consideration for outsourcing work.
   By moving up the value chain, these companies offer high-end services like business consultancy, in turn, giving people like you the opportunity to take up more challenging tasks.
   The scope of consulting can range from process specific consulting to vertical specific consulting like process mapping, process transfer, optimisation and upgradation.
   As an offshore business consultant you will work with clients to understand their needs, formulate business specifications and translate them into functional applications. This is no back-end, repetitive job and there are no canned scripts. You will have to think on your feet working out problems like how to enhance speed, security, analyse competition, cost management etc.
   Another related niche area is Business Research Outsourcing. It is estimated that about 2,000 to 3,000 professionals drawn from the field of engineering, MBAs from Tier-1-3 B-schools, CAs, postgraduates in maths, stats, finance and economics are currently engaged in business research.
   Don't worry; even if you have graduated from a medium rung B-school this will not hamper your progress. For example, recruitment at the highly sought after McKinsey Knowledge Centre is not restricted to the creamiest layers of top B-Schools.
   Apart from the international exposure, the icing on the cake is that you take home a 20-30% fatter paycheque at the end of the day.
   Some other agencies that have captive research centres in India are Bain & Co, Frost & Sullivan and the Everest Group while third-party providers like Evalueserve, Genpact (formerly GECIS) WNS, Pipal Research, Office Tiger, Copal Partners also offer research services to clients.

Blending favourites

I am a student of class XII. My favourite subject is computer and geography. What are the good opportunities that I can get in these subjects? Please advise.
Pramila Rai

You are lucky. There is a field that combines your love for both subjects.
   Geographical information System (GIS) is a high-tech computer-based system capable of capturing, assembling, storing, manipulating and displaying location ally-defined geographically referenced data. GIS is used for digital map making, site selection, finding the best route, solving environmental problems, exploring natural resources, urban planning and solutions for other problems.
   Application of GIS in India has matured with GIS software being used in various mission critical national projects including those pertaining to the environment, forestry, land records, and utilities.
   Map and satellite information sources can be combined in models that simulate the interactions of complex natural systems. GIS allows planners to calculate the emergency response time in the event of a natural disaster like the floods in Bihar. It also helps the police track down criminals.
   The Department of Space, National Informatics Centre, State Forest Departments, the Survey of India, Ministry of Environment & Forests, Geological Survey of India and educational institutions like IITs, IIMs, Universities and their affiliated colleges use GIS software.
   GIS is becoming indispensable in business. Recently, corporate giants have made significant investments in this technology. For instance, Reliance Digital World deploys GIS as a strategic IT tool in their network planning and execution. Besides utilising its potential in operations and maintenance, they are extensively using GIS in various projects including Infocom, Retail outlets, Hydrocarbon exploration and Gas pipeline execution.
   Remote Sensing is yet another related area of specialisation you could consider at the postgraduate level.

Feasibility wise

My son is doing third year engineering. He wants to do MBA after BTech, but we can't bear the high expense. He got 73% in the first year and 78% in second year. Please tell me how much it will cost in Delhi University or Lucknow University.
BN Khare

I would advice your son to work for a couple of years before going for an MBA. Besides gaining valuable work experience that is an asset for pursuing a good MBA, it will also help him earn and save some money to pay for his MBA programme. Not that lack of funds should be a problem for getting into the IIMs or FMS or LU.
   Every year almost half the students admitted to the IIMs apply for loans. Banks like State Bank of India, Allahabad bank and PNB come to campus for offering loans. Some banks may require you to have (or make) an LIC policy of the amount applied for and a couple of other things. Overall, the banks are quite helpful with the loan sanctioning procedure. The loans cover your fees and mess bills, and an optional computer. Moreover, you can easily get an unsecured loan of up to Rs 4 lakh from any nationalised bank in India. Collateral is only required for higher denomination loans of Rs 7 lakh.
   While private B-schools do not offer financial aid IIMs have a policy of not denying any deserving candidate admission due to lack of funds. However, it is still easy to get financial aid for doing an MBA, especially if you are going to any of the top AICTE-approved B-schools. Banks are willing to give student loans to aspiring MBAs. The loan has to be repayed only after your son starts working. Considering that your son will be going to a top B-school, finding a high paying job should not be difficult at all.
   The fee payable at the time of admission to FMS, Delhi University (www.fms.edu) is Rs 9,950 and similarly for Lucknow University (www.lkouniv.ac.in/dept_buss_admin.htm), the fees are very modest as compared to other Bschools. The exact figures are listed on their respective websites.

Befitting credentials

I am taking the CAT this year. I know about specialisations like marketing, finance and HR. But what exactly is Operations Management about? Who should be going in for it?
   Amrit Lal

Operations management is concerned with production related activities such as job routing, scheduling, quality control, production planning, inventory and control. It also involves other areas of the organisation such as accounting procedures, computer systems and other functional areas and systems through which work in the organisation is planned and performed.
A specialisation in operations is specially suited for those with engineering backgrounds since it involves application of managerial skills to engineering and technical problems.
Besides a strong grounding in technical and statistical skills, it also helps to possess good interpersonal skills. Job openings are mostly concentrated in manufacturing organisations.

Different shades

Are there any other careers related to medicine that I could look at - just in case I don't make it to MBBS or BDS?
Gehar Nath

Certainly, there are plenty of other interesting career options beyond the traditional, which you could consider.
Besides looking at some of the branches of alternative or traditional systems of medicine such as ayurveda, homeopathy, Unani, Siddha, naturopathy and yoga. You could also look at related fields like pharmacy, biochemistry, biotechnology, bioinformatics, microbiology, molecular biology, genetics, physiology, veterinary science & animal husbandry, zoology, agriculture, nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech & audiology, optometry, medical technologies such as ophthalmic technology, lab and X-ray technology, perfusion technology, biomedical engineering, dental
mechanics, hospital administration, health management, nutrition, dietetics, food processing, medical transcription, medico-legal work and rehabilitation counselling among others.