Make your passion your career Panellists at DNA-Mumbai University career seminar urge students to choose undergraduate courses with care

Make your passion your career

Panellists at DNA-Mumbai University career seminar urge students to choose undergraduate courses with care

The special career guidance seminar organised by DNA along with the University of Mumbai to help students make an informed career decision after class 12 was a huge hit. More than 400 students and a few parents turned up at the university’s Kalina campus on Tuesday morning for the seminar. “When we were young, we did not have many choices at the undergraduate level. Today the choices are many, but students do not know what course to choose and which college to join and on what basis. A seminar like this where university deans and college principals are personally guiding students is the need of the hour. I wish DNA organises many more such seminars to guide students,” said member of Parliament Priya Dutt, who inaugurated the event. Rajan Welukar, vice-chancellor of the University of Mumbai, urged students to identify their passion first. Citing a European study on 1,500 “bright” college students after 20 years, he said: “Only 83 out of the 1,500 students were found to be satisfied with their lives as they had chosen their passion as their career. The other 1,417 students chose the career which was at its peak at that time. That is why I request you to make your passion as your career. And if you really want to be happy and satisfied in life, try to be different from others.” While almost all students are confused about their choice of college and course, most blindly follow their friends or change their stream based on advice from well-wishers. Welukar requested such students not to allow others to choose their career. Most students attended all four sessions — Humanities, Science, Law and Commerce — where experts explained how to choose a career option which suits one’s abilities and aptitude best. The students also participated in the interactive question and answer sessions where most of their queries were answered by the deans of various faculties and the principals of the city’s best colleges. Madhu Nair, dean of the commerce faculty at the University of Mumbai, requested parents not to pressure their children to select particular courses. Replying to students’ query on whether studying abroad is a better option, Frazer Mascarenhas, principal of St Xavier’s College, said: “There is no need to go abroad for undergraduate courses, Indian universities have equally good courses.”

Photo Caption(s):From left:Vice-chancellor Rajan Welukar, MP Priya Dutt and DNA Editor-in-chief Aditya Sinha inaugurate the career guidance seminar at the University of Mumbai’s Kalina campus on Tuesday. Hundreds of students and their parents (top) attended the seminar —Puneet Chandhok DNA