Counselling for Career-10

Q. I am a final-year BCom student, but I do not like accounts and maths at all. I am good at writing theories and memorising chapters, but not at solving practical questions. Leaving aside accounts and maths, what are my options after BCom? I wanted to take science in Class 11 as I was interested in medicine. — Saral A. The BCom programme provides a good knowledge base for a range of careers. These are broadly of two types - those related to business and finance such as chartered accountancy, cost and works accountancy, banking, business management and so on and others such as law, mass communication, hotel management, civil services etc. Much depends on your aptitude, skills, areas of interest and the field of work you wish to focus on. If you can handle some accounting work, you can consider a career as a company secretary (CS). A CS is an adviser to the management of a company with regard to legal and business matters. The CS programme is multi-disciplinary, covering law, management and accounting. It is conducted through postal coaching by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India, based in New Delhi and with centres across the country. Once you complete the final examination of the programme, you would have good job prospects in the corporate world, in the public and private sectors. You can also find jobs in banks, financial institutions or stock exchange businesses. If you have strong communication and analytical skills, other good options include law and insurance. After a three-year law programme, you can specialise in any field of law. Else, you may take up a PG diploma in insurance management, or apply directly to insurance companies who train recruits in insurance marketing. Depending on your personal aptitude and interests, you can opt for one of the careers such as mass communications, journalism, public relations, market research, publishing, or teaching. Postgraduate diploma courses in advertising are open to commerce graduates, for jobs as accounts executives and media planners in advertising agencies. If you have a creative bent of mind, you can go for fashion designing, graphic design, animation or web design etc. Other options are in the hospitality, travel and aviation sectors. Without a science background, you cannot study pharmacy now, but you may earn a PG diploma in hospital management and work in the healthcare sector. There is an increasing demand for trained professionals in the efficient administration of hospitals and healthcare centres. So, the choices are many. You should look at your interests and aptitude to decide on the future course of action.

Q. I want to study dentistry (BDS). What are the fees and requirements? I completed a two-year diploma course in maths. I heard that one should have studied biology? What do you suggest? — Anish A. To pursue a BDS programme, you need to sit for a pre-medical test. Only those students who have completed Class 12 with biology and secured at least 50% marks (some institutes require 60%) are eligible to sit for this test. The BDS programme is for 4½ years followed by an internship. The annual course fees ranges between R2.5 lakh and R20 lakh in some medical colleges. Your diploma in maths does not have much relevance for a medical degree, but there are many other fields you can consider. These include the business- and commerce-related areas such as banking, accountancy, insurance, market research and so on. You can also look at a career in computer applications where a solid grounding in maths is a great advantage. It may be advisable to also complete your graduation which will help enhance your career growth, irrespective of which field you get into.

Q. I am appearing for my Class 12 exams this year. I am interested in satellites and the earth. I wish to become an astronaut and explore space. Which course and institution should I choose? How do I get into NASA? — Athar A. NASA takes on specialists from different disciplines including computer engineering, industrial engineering, materials engineering, optical engineering and also oceanography. You can specialise at the master’s level in any of these disciplines and then do a PhD programme followed by at least three years of related progressively-responsible, professional experience to qualify for a NASA job. Depending on where your interests lie, you can also go for electrical / electronics/ electrical communications engineering before taking up a master’s or PhD in a specialised field of engineering or space science. There are several institutes including the Bihar Institute of Technology, Mesra and Ranchi University which offer ME in space engineering and rocketry. Andhra University, Osmania University and Anna University offer MSc programmes in atmospheric and space sciences. Bangalore’s Indian Institute of Astrophysics (www.iiap.ernet.in) offers Ph D programmes in astronomy and astrophysics. Selection to these institutes is through a Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST). The minimum qualification required to take the JEST is a master’s degree in physics or a degree in engineering. If NASA is your goal, it may be useful to check its website www.nasajobs.gov. NASA also has a Career Intern Program to attract and recruit exceptional individuals into a variety of entry-level occupations. Participants in this two-year programme gain valuable on-the-job experience and formal classroom training.