"I love multiple careers; am confused!" Careers360 responds

Q. I did my B.Tech in IT. I am totally confused. I am  a 2008 pass out. I am interested in everything. I had backlog and cleared it in 2010. Now I feel like getting a job. I love to be in Armed Forces, Civil Services, Forensic Sciences, Dietics or nutrition field. I don’t know what to do about my career. Now I am 25. I have to think seriously. I am an average student. Help me in taking a decision!
Utharan Nair

A. Dear Utharan, apply for a BPO job. A year of work there would instil in you something about discipline and structure. That appears to be a major constraint in your case. If you like the profession, continue in the same line. Or else you would have earned some money, disciplined yourself and your interests would automatically make themselves visible to you. Also speak with a good educational psychologist and take personality profile test like M-B test. It would also help you identify the kind of jobs where you would have a bright future.

View results of a survey by Careers360: Choosing the right career

Q. Hello, Sir, I have completed my BCA in 2009 and I have been working with IBM Daksh which is a BPO, now I want to make my career in IT field. Is it good to pursue MCA from IGNOU in distance mode? Or should I do any certification to get a job? Please advise!
Tanuj Gupta

A. Tanuj. A distance learning degree is a great tool to add value to your curriculum vitae, but can never do the job of kick starting your career. When you do an MCA from IGNOU, you will have to appear for the various job entrances that big IT companies like Infosys and Wipro conducts and get yourself selected. The process is not impossible but very tough. So considering you are very young, we would suggest you go for a full-time MCA programme, preferably from good institutions which have campus placements. If it is not possible for you, on account of personal commitments, then an MCA from IGNOU is the option. But simultaneously in your third year begin preparation for the entrance exams conducted by these companies.

Read about: MCA programme

Q. I am doing B.Tech 3rd year in mechanical branch with 76% average. Sir we don’t get placement offers for girls from mechanical branch in our college, all the companies that offer belongs to production field. I am interested in design field but as I belong to a poor family I can’t continue further studies. So show me the best way of earning after B.Tech.
Johsna Choudhry

A.  Joshna, the doors are not closed for women even in Mechanical Engineering. Good companies like BHEL, L&T, NTPC and others conduct an entrance examination annually to recruit engineers. They offer very good packages and interesting growth opportunities. You must sit for them. But if design is your abiding concern, then we would suggest you take up any job that comes your way, earn for a year to two and then go for the M Design programme offered by NID, Ahmedabad or the M.Tech offered by IIT, Mumbai. If you pass GATE with a good score, you might even get a very good fellowship.

Q. I have completed BCom, and after that I did my Diploma in Journalism. Now I am looking for internship in any print media or in any news channel. I am a fresher, I have no knowledge on how it works, so I want to do internship to get experience, even if it is unpaid I am ready to work.
Shiri

A. Shiri, that is a good spirit to have. Ideally look for small or niche publications. Do not offer to work for free initially. Do demand a stipend, even if very small. Ensure that the company at least pays for your transport and food. Ideally identify someone inside the company and ask about projects where they might need assistance. Do some research and then go and present the solutions to them. Since companies are on the lookout for good hands you will be picked up immediately. It will not be that difficult to land a job. But prepare yourself well. Meagre expression of interest will not take you anywhere.

Q. I am a fresh Mechanical Engineer. I am planning to do design courses like CATIA, PRO-E,etc from a well known institute in Pune. But I have heard that due to recession, there is very less scope in this field right now. There are no jobs for freshers in designing field. My question is whether this is true? If yes, how much time it might take to recover from this? Which are the other fields related to Mechanical Engineering that have good scope for freshers right now & in future? What steps should I take to get a good job now?
Patrick Dsouza

A. Patrick, Design is an evergreen field, though the number of opportunities might vary depending on business confidence. If you are good, then there would always be a job available to you. Ideally if you want to crack this domain go for Master’s programme in design from a reputed institute. Short-term software courses do not do much to your career. They are basically tools. What you need to master is the principles and fundamentals. That can only come from a long-term course. IIT,Mumbai as well as NID, Ahmedabad are good choices.

Q. I am working as a process trainer in a reputed multinational BPO and want to move towards corporate Java training. I am confused whether I should go into development first and then training or whether directly training would be a good idea. I am a Science graduate with an MCA degree (correspondence from Annamalai University). Please suggest.
M M Sagar

A. Dear Sagar, Development and training are related but distinct categories. While real life experience that you might get would help you become a better trainer, it is not essential. What is important is your ability to communicate the concepts and ideas of the computer language (Java in your case) to the aspirants. So if you are confident of the fundamentals of the language, and have the ability to hold a bunch of students together you must get into training immediately.

Q. I work in a PSU. I want to do LLB course through distance education. I also want to practice with this degree. I passed BCom (H) in 1993. I stay in a remote corner of Bihar. Please tell me the university through which I can pursue this course and the procedure to take admission and examination in the same.
B.K.Saha

A.  Dear Saha, the current regulations by the Bar Council of India do not permit LLB through distance learning. So you cannot practise as a lawyer by doing such a course. Some universities do offer B AL, BGL courses. But you cannot use them to register as an advocate. 

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