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| CAREER GUIDE |
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Arm yourself for a safe future Promoting employment,
entrepreneurship |
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Arm yourself for a safe future Defence studies has established itself as a subject to be reckoned with as most universities have introduced it at the graduate or postgraduate levels in the country. There are good opportunities to study this subject in Chandigarh, Haryana as well as other important universities in the country. Dr K.S. Sidhu, Head of the Defence and Strategic Studies Department, Punjabi University, Patiala, says the multi-disciplinary approach of the course ensures that it is helpful not only in making a career but also in preparing for competitive examinations. He says it is also being chosen as an optional subject in the state services. Dr Sidhu says the course offers a wide spectrum to students. They are first taught the basics of war, followed by history of India, evolution of military strategy and the evolution of tactics. Recent conflicts are analysed in this context and case-area studies also taught. Dr Sidhu said most students in Punjabi University chose to go in for case studies of South-East Asia in order to have a better understanding of the problems affecting the country and its neighbours. He said the department also offered case studies of Central Asia and China.
Career opportunities Army:
Students have a scope of being recruited in the Army Education Corps. The Education Corps recruits teachers to teach defence studies in the Army. Besides, having studied defence studies carries weightage in case one wants to go in for teaching any other subject in the Army. This, observers say, is because of the multi-disciplinary nature of the course. Defence journalism: A course in defence studies and strategy is godsend for a budding journalist to understand the Army, warfare as well as national security problems. The course, besides providing knowledge about the Army hierarchy, also highlights the military functioning. It also has a paper on terrorism and insurgency as also national security. In this, the basic concepts and contours of both are discussed in detail. Besides, papers on information warfare and cyber terrorism can also be of interest to journalists. Research:
There are a number of research institutes as well as universities ready to enrol postgraduates for research on defence-related subjects. The premier among these is the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis, New Delhi, besides many universities running postgraduate courses in the region.
Where to study In Punjab, while Punjabi University has a postgraduate department on its campus in Patiala, Guru Nanak Dev University runs graduate classes in the subject. In Chandigarh, Panjab University has a Centre for National Security and Defence Studies. In Jammu University also there is a National Security Chair which was established a few years back. Poona University runs a postgraduate course in defence studies, besides having a Shivaji Maratha Chair under the same nomenclature. |
Promoting employment,
entrepreneurship NEW DELHI: Prince Charles patronises it, some of the biggest names of Indian business are associated with it and the daughter of a former Indian President heads it. It’s called the Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST), a silent crusader organisation. “We are honoured and privileged that the Prince has chosen to associate with us,” says BYST founding trustee Lakshmi V. Venkatesan, daughter of former President R. Venkataraman.“He, like us, is extremely keen to promote employment and entrepreneurship.” The trust, now working in around 20 countries, provides seed capital and management guidance to young people (between the ages of 18-35) wanting to set up shop. “We believe that you cannot forever believe that someone else would provide you employment. You have to believe that you can do it for yourself — entrepreneurship is lucrative and the most powerful form of employment,” says Venkatesan. Born and brought up in Chennai, Venkatesan was a system engineer for Bell Labs in New Jersey for 10 years. Then she returned to India and started the BYST to help the burgeoning numbers of unemployed in India. The founding mentors of the trust were Indian business giants like the late J.R.D Tata and H.P. Nanda. At present, automobile magnate Rahul Bajaj regularly assists the foundation that supports any business from doll-making to desktop publishing. “We provide capital of up to Rs 50,000 as loan without asking for collateral, but more importantly we teach our entrepreneurs how to turn great ideas into great business models,” says Venkatesan. “And we pick the brightest and best people to support. We can proudly say that 5 per cent of the entrepreneurs we’ve supported at the BYST have become millionaires and almost all have found a good, decent living.”
— IANS
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QUERY HOTLINE Think before you quit Q I am doing my class XII (PCB). Someone told me about the booming healthcare sector. Can you please explain what this covers? Rakesh Keswal, Jalandhar A Half of the top 30 occupations in 2003 in the USA are health-related. While employment in the private hospital industry may grow slowly, health practitioners, nursing and personal care facilities are expected to grow faster than in most other industries. Additional sources of new jobs are opening up in the fields of rehabilitation, health and fitness, wellness, imaging technologies, home healthcare, nutrition, new diagnostic services and prevention. The healthcare sector will account for 7 per cent of the GDP within 10 years. While it is projected to employ nine million people in the next decade (more than the power, railway and telecom sectors put together), there is an explosion of employment opportunities in the health sector even now. Here is a breakdown of the various categories of jobs: Health technologists: clinical laboratory technologists and technicians, EEG and EKG technologists, nuclear medicine technologists, radiology technologists, surgical technologists. Health technicians: dental laboratory technicians, dispensing opticians, ophthalmic lab technicians, emergency medical technicians. Dietetics, Pharmacy, Therapy: dieticians and nutritionists, pharmacists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, sports & fitness therapists, respiratory therapists, speech-language pathologists and audiologists. Nursing careers: licensed nurses, nursing assistants and psychiatric assistants. health & social service occupations: medical assistants, social workers and helpers. Health diagnosing occupations & assistants: dentists, optometrists, physician assistants, physicians, veterinarians. Q
I am working as an assistant manager in an export house. My daughter
is two while my son is four. I feel very guilty because I am unable to
give them sufficient time. My work is also suffering because I can’t
put in the long hours required. Although I love my work, I feel tired
and stressed all the time. Should I quit my job to look after my house
and children? My husband is in the Army. Preet Gurwara,
Chandigarh A While this is a very personal decision, do
examine the issue from every angle before you hand in your
papers. Before quitting, pick up a pen and paper and do some
soul-searching and number-crunching. Consider each of the following
points carefully: Will your family feel the squeeze when it switches
from a double to a single income mode? And most importantly, will the
single income be enough to take care of your children’s education,
marriage, and your own retirement needs, etc If you quit at this stage,
will it spell curtains for your career? What will you do when your kids
have grown and don’t need you around all the time as they do
now? Consider your present household income and expenses. Now figure
out your income after you quit. Does the figure tally with your
expenses? Will it take care of your investments? After all, love and
affection won’t take care of your children’s future education. If
the answer is yes, you could well consider quitting your job. However,
the answer is seldom in the affirmative for most of us. If there is a
huge gap between income and expenses even after deleting some items from
your expense list, you might want to reconsider your decision. You are
lucky if your profession lends itself to freelancing. Otherwise, instead
of a taxing full-time job, you may consider taking up a part-time job
for the next few years. This way you can switch to full-time work when
you are ready. Also if you’ve had an active and satisfying job, you
may get bored and depressed if you don’t have enough to occupy you.
Most mothers find that children become fairly independent and tend to
have their own activities which keep them busy once they start going to
school. At times, the resulting boredom, if not properly channelised,
could lead to marital trouble. Besides, if you nurse hopes of resuming
your career once the children have grown up, you’ll have to be
prepared to face some rejection as your juniors would have become your
seniors. — Pervin Malhotra, Director, CARING Please send in your query preferably on a postcard along with your name, complete address and academic qualifications to: Editor, Query Hotline, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh-160020, or at careerguide@tribuneindia.com |
IF you want to understand peace, you must understand war, said the late British army expert, Capt Liddlehart. Defence studies provides the opportunity to do both. Today’s youngsters may be attracted to the armed forces, but few know that defence studies also offers career opportunities in a world in which the line between traditional and upcoming careers has become blurred.