Summer courses: Pack books, not your imagination!

WHEN counselling students, I notice that a growing number of young people are shedding the “lightness of being” of vacations and opting for summer courses. Apart from being a great source of learning, a summer course can also be loads of fun.

You will meet other young people with similar interests as yours. Also, learning without the pressure of exams can be very de-stressing. Noida-based beauty therapist Rashmi made it big after getting initiated at a summer course. For Divya Mehta, a short-term course in foreign language helped her on doctoral studies in Germany. So let’s have a quick look at the courses you can do during the summer and put that time to good use.

1. Add a specific skill to your arsenal
Vacations in summer are long enough for you to try out different hats and see if they fit. Sunita Motwani-Makhija, Director of Schnell Hans Salons, Spa & Academy advises, “A summer course enables one to preview a career.” Thus if you fancy being a spa therapist then a short, reasonably priced course can give you an idea whether you would enjoy it long-term or not. “You can always use it on self use or even to earn some pocket money by using newfound found skills on friends and family, " adds Makhija.

Rashmi Ahuja is a case-in-point. A well-established beauty therapist in Noida, she started off with a summer course in beauty. “My passion took over, so, I decided to become a professional. Now, my work is my passion, ” she says. If you are fond of talking like Rashmi you can also try out a different skill, and one of them is that of being a Radio Jockey.

Former Radio Jockey and author of the book Everything you wanted to Know about Radio Jockeying, Noel Keymer conducts courses on RJing. The students after completing a course like this can go on to be newsreaders, anchors and radio jockeys. There is a career to be made these days in dubbing and E-book narration as well. The prerequisites for this profession are ‘clean voice, good command over language and confidence’. With the radio industry booming there is not a single city left that does not have its own FM channels and increasingly now community radio is also coming in. A good course, he advises, “Should give you practice in articulation, breathing, performance, script-writing and an opportunity to have some studio practice as well”. Read our detailed radio jockey career review.

The opportunity for international travel and meeting individuals from other countries is far greater than it was before. Being able to speak a foreign language, helps. Divya Mehta, a researcher in Munich learned German during school vacations and through college, and subsequently won a full scholarship to do a PhD in genetics from a German university. If you are looking for a career in international business or law then knowing an extra language helps. If you realise that you have a flair for languages then you could follow in the footsteps of Gemini Yadav who worked several years in Japan as a translator after learning Japanese. Read our detailed foriegn languages career review.

2. Soft Skill and Personality Development
Communication skills – verbal and non-verbal – are an absolute must-have these days. Gemma D’Cunha who teaches public speaking & personality development classes at Xavier’s Institute of Communication, XIC, Mumbai, shares, “Soft skills encourage building interpersonal relations, which are important in business. In today’s times you are not only required to be technically sound at the workplace, but also possess the ability to work in a joint manner with your colleagues.” In her classes, she focuses on role play, body language and group discussions. Each of these can help a student to come out of their shell and learn how to be an effective communicator. She adds further, “The holidays are the best time to go in for workshops on soft skills. Of course, select the workshop or course judiciously.

The best way is to get feedback from people who have already done a course and to ensure that the institution is well-respected.” According to Sanket Dantara, an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and Financial Planner at Altisource Portfolio Solutions, even in the world of finance and IT being able to communicate effectively and work in a team is very vital. “I did a one month course from Indo-American Society, which helped me develop a good foundation in communication, early on,” he shares.

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3. Computer courses
Word, Powerpoint, Excel – these are typical computing skills that are useful to most of us today. However, it’s not just a matter of using these programmes with rudimentary skills level, but to learn MS Office or Open Office to a slightly more sophisticated level. Making smart PPT presentations, tables in word, re-installing basic software, fixing small glitches in the printer are all skills that are de rigueur in today’s world and can be very handy to make you self-sufficient in the IT-led world.

If you have mastered all basic skills, there are more things to learn. For instance, if you have an interest in design you could potentially learn Corel-draw or Photoshop, which will be useful no matter what profession you pursue. For more advanced students short courses in graphic design, web design, 3D animation can also fit the bill. Shrutidhar Paliwal, VP Corporate communications, Aptech Limited says, “Student can later do the longer term industry-ready courses if they develop a professional interest.”

If you are technologically inclined, learning Java or C++, are options. Anuradha S Boxwala, Head of Product Sales & Marketing, Individual Learning Solutions, NIIT Ltd, advises students to choose programmes that have the right blend of technology and focus on application development, based on current trends like gaming, website and mobile Application programming using Android/Java.

4. Technical courses in your field
If you are immersed in a professional career already then summer is a great opportunity to further hone your skills in a specific area. Thus in the world of science, in lieu of summer courses per se you can do summer fellowships at national-level research labs like National Brain Research Centre or Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Dr Malvika Talwar, a faculty member in East Central College, USA pursued a Fellowship at Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research, which she found particularly useful.

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Delhi offers short-term courses for students interested in environment and environmental management. “Faculty for these courses are from all walks of life, so students get a diverse perspectives and a chance to network,” says Sharmila Sinha, Coordinator Education & Training, CSE. The best way to get to know more about summer fellowships and workshops is to keep a watch on your institute’s bulletin board. Visiting websites of centres and well-known institutions like IITs, JNCASR and JNU helps.

Don’t worry about the one perfect activity that you could do. Pack away your book and sign up for one for the sheer joy of trying something new or building on a pre-existing skill and sign up for all those cool activities.

Shivani Manchanda is Director, Careertrack