Counselling for Career-9

Q. I am working towards a diploma in medical lab technology (MLT) in Delhi. Can I enrol for an MBBS programme on this basis? If not, can I take my pre-medical entrance test (PMT) after Class 12 from the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)? -Ojas A. Admission to an MBBS programme is only through a test for which you should have passed Class 12 with physics, chemistry and biology from any recognised board. You can sit for the PMT after Class 12 from NIOS. But do keep in mind that getting into a medical college is very competitive. Your diploma in MLT, too, can pave the way to a good career. There are good job prospects in this field with the increase in speciality hospitals, laboratories and clinics in the private sector, and the rapid spread of hospitals, dispensaries and medical centres in the country. With the introduction of newer sophisticated machinery, a large number of medical technologists with the knowledge and skills are required to handle it and to constantly upgrade their skills. Job opportunities are also available in research laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, diagnostics, drug testing and in vitro fertilisation labs, product development, and sales and marketing areas. So, for further growth, I would advise you to go for a BSc degree in MLT.

Q. I am a Class 12 student in the commerce stream. I have a flair for writing and aspire to become a writer. After Class 12, I wish to study mass communication but don’t want to become a journalist. What are the other courses available? Suggest some renowned colleges that offer these courses at the undergraduate level. -Ranjan A. If you enjoy writing and have good communication skills, you may like to read English literature across poetry, drama, classics, literary analysis and theory, development of Indian writing, and so on. You can also take up creative writing, which spans all areas of non-journalistic and non-technical writing. This can be the stepping stone to many communication-based careers. One can become a journalist, a short story writer, a novelist, a playwright, a copywriter, or a scriptwriter. One can also find opportunities to write advertising or catalogue copy for a business or a corporation — the possibilities are endless. There are hundreds of job sites on the internet for writers or journalists where you can pick up assignments. Another upcoming option for creative writers is to be a web content provider. Websites today require material to be interesting, fun and informative/ educational and are often looking for creative inputs. You could also think about joining a publishing house as an editorial assistant/ copy editor who checks facts, references, spelling and probably even be required to rewrite portions of manuscripts, as well as to proofread. Some courses in creative writing are offered at institutions including: . British Council, New Delhi www.britishcouncil.org . Indira Gandhi National Open University www.ignou.ac.in . Xavier Institute of Communication, St Xavier’s College, Mumbai www.xaviercomm.org . University of Delhi — add-on course offered in some colleges and are announced usually at the beginning of the academic year www.du.ac.in . Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi — diploma offered in collaboration with IGNOU www.bvbdelhi.org Mass communication covers all the areas of work where communicating with large numbers of people is required. While this includes both television and print media, other areas of mass communication are advertising, public relations and TV and film. Most mass communication courses cover all three areas, and allow you to specialise in the field of your choice. If you enjoy writing, you may like to explore working in advertising, specifically as a copywriter, or in public relations. Mass communication programmes are offered both at the undergraduate as well as at the postgraduate level. Students from any stream are eligible to apply. The bachelor’s programme in mass media and mass communication is offered by the University of Delhi only at IP College for Women and also at several colleges of Delhi’s Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (ggsipu.nic.in). The University of Mumbai, too, conducts degree programmes in mass communication in many colleges as do Amity School of Communication (www.amity.edu), Noida; Symbiosis Institute of Journalism and Communication (www.simc.edu), Pune, and Pioneer Media School (www.pioneermediaschool.com), New Delhi. For mass communication at the PG level, you can enrol for a bachelor’s in any discipline — economics, political science, psychology, sociology are all useful subjects. The institutes offering PG programmes in mass communication include: . Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi www.jmi.nic.in . Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi www.iimc.nic.in . Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan branches in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore www.bvbdelhi.org . Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi http://apeejay.edu/aimc/home.htm

Q. Our son, a commerce graduate, is a final-year MBA student in a private Jalandhar university. He ranks among the top five, but to date, he and several other students have not got a placement offer. His university has a tie-up with a prominient London institute. Can he go for further studies for a career in aviation/marine/oil and gas sectors? —Bansals A. I am sorry to hear of the problems your son is facing with job placements. Career prospects for an MBA student are probably better than for any other field. Most corporate organisations, multinational corporations, foreign banks, foreign financial institutions, and others visit business schools and recruit management graduates. Campus placements and internships are an essential part of any full-time, regular MBA programme. The best way to judge an institute is by looking at the companies that visit it for campus recruitment. If your son is among the top five in his class but is unable to get a job, I think you should take it up with college authorities. He may go for further studies if he wishes to but for most students, an MBA is the best career enhancement programme. He may consider working towards another MBA degree in a better-rated institute, or try to gain work experience wherever he can manage (in a suitable post). After an MBA, a student can take up a job with any sector, including aviation, oil and gas etc, particularly in areas related to marketing and finance. When choosing an MBA institute, it is important to thoroughly study the institute, its faculty, the course structure and the placement record. Before enrolment, you must check with the institute and satisfy yourself about these aspects, especially starting salaries. MBA institutes are rated according to these criteria and campus placements as well as the starting salary package depend on the rating of the institute. Most MBAs from tier-1 and tier-2 institutes look forward to excellent placements and starting salaries of R10 lakh to R15 lakh a year.