Home science is no longer a course in domestic science for the aspiring homemaker. It now includes food and nutrition, resource management, human and child development and fabric and apparel science, making it the ideal blend of a scientific programme with practical applicability.
Science that’s hands-on
Usha Albuquerque

At one time, home science was a course you took up only if you were a girl and were likely to be a homemaker. It was termed domestic science and the general assumption was that the course covers cooking, stitching and home making.

The focus has now changed. With growing information and concern for good health, nutrition, lifestyle, child welfare and the professional opportunities this knowledge provides, home science has become a sought after programme that throws up many opportunities in a variety of fields.

This is because the course is mainly interdisciplinary in nature and covers areas such food and nutrition, resource management, human and child development and fabric and apparel science as well.

This opens up avenues for a host of careers and therefore can be pursued by students of social science, commerce or science backgrounds in most institutes.

However, as students learn the basics of physics, chemistry and biology in the first year of their graduation, some institutes keep the course open only for students with a science background.

Home science is basically a scientific programme with a practical applicability particularly in the areas of food and nutrition and community development.

Although the course content varies from university to university, by and large, it covers the following core areas: human development, foods and dietetics and resource management.

The course includes study of a language, history and elements of social sciences; economic issues including home economics, family and community resources, elements of biological sciences, such as biochemistry, microbiology, bacteriology, human physiology, food and nutrition (including community nutrition); textile and clothing, child development, consumer economics and arts and crafts and consumer education. Each theory subject is well supported with practical orientation and elective project work.

Getting in

You could take up home science as a subject at the Plus 2 stage in school but it is not an essential subject for the study of home science at undergraduate level. Most universities offer a BA or a BSc in home science after which a student can go on to MA or Msc in home science or in any specialisation, including food processing or food services, nutrition and dietetics, community health, child development, textile dyeing and printing and other related fields. Only a small number of universities have facilities for pursuing pre-doctoral (MPhil) and doctoral (PhD) studies.

On a platter

As the course covers both the scientific and the creative, home science graduates go on to work in a number of industries like fashion technology, food industry, hospitality industry, NGOs and the education sector.

Graduates can take up jobs as dieticians in hospitals, diet consultants or counsellors in lifestyle clinics, freelance dieticians, food demonstrators as also in hotels and the food industry, in food preservation, as scientists in research institutions, nutrition experts in international organisations and quality control inspectors.

One can also work independently as a research analyst or nutrition consultant or in sales promotion jobs, particularly of food items such as baby foods.

Opportunities are also available in the fields of community and social work as project leaders in developmental projects, consultants for child development programmes, programme officers for child welfare and with government on projects like ICDS and child welfare.

If you specialise in textile and clothing and family housing and furnishing, you could undertake design related activities as production managers in apparel industries, CAD professionals, interior designers and colour consultants.

Apart from the teaching profession, professionals can also work independently as family counsellors or in research involving educating specific segments of the population such as mothers, farmers, and villagers on health and education matters, the food value of certain food items and so on.

The food and health services sectors are growing fast with an increasing demand for trained professionals. Many more companies are venturing into the packaged and processed food sector as the fast-pace modern life has seen the burgeoning of readymade food products for the harried homemaker.

Moreover, owing to an increased interest in health and fitness, many are carving out their own careers as motivational food experts, special food caterers, hospital consultants and fitness specialists, greatly expanding the scope of the profession.

There are, therefore, increasing opportunities for those with a background in home science, particularly in jobs related to the food processing sector and in areas of nutrition and dietetics.

With professional training in this field, home science students can find jobs in food processing companies, food research laboratories, with food wholesalers, retailers and even in hotels, restaurants, hospitals and other catering establishments.

Research and development laboratories offer many openings for food technologists and scientists to conduct experiments to help improve yields, appearance, flavour, nutritive value and general acceptability of packaged foods, fruit and vegetables and fish. There are ample opportunities for self-employment, too, in the form of setting up food preservation industries, as well as dynamic delivery networks and home catering services.

Those with nutrition and dietetics specialisations can work in schools, colleges and industrial or institutional canteens, with various government departments, or as programme consultants to non-governmental organisations like UNICEF, WHO, and NGOs. Some dieticians work in the home economics divisions of food, equipment and utility companies.

This work usually involves promoting a product, developing recipes, providing nutrition related information regarding the company’s product, and maintaining experimental kitchens.

Lately, many health clinics and fitness centres have mushroomed that require the services of nutritionists and dieticians. Self-employment also offers some scope to professionals as freelance consultants, fastfood entrepreneurs and large-scale, door-to-door or party catering services.

Awareness about health, nutrition, and the food industry is increasing at a tremendous rate. A number of multinational companies have entered the food services sector, there is a growing interest in health foods, diets and nutrition and a focus on social and development sectors of the economy.

So, if you have a scientific bent of mind with a practical approach to jobs — be it
food services or child development — home science may be the ideal subject for
you in college.

(The writer is a career expert.)

scapegoat at Office
Don’t let them get you!
Reeling under the meltdown, the blame game is
at its peak in the workplace. Here’s how to
make sure you don’t get caught in the web.
R.C. Sharma

When an individual runs into trouble, he looks for a scapegoat. This phenomenon is prevalent among children, adults and even co-workers. As the world battles the economic meltdown, employees are all the more worried and inclined to protect their jobs and the inclination to find a scapegoat is heightened.

Says Paul Harvey, assistant professor of management at the University of Hampshire, says that it’s a common human tendency to convince themselves that they are the cause of all good and try to put the blame on others when things go wrong. “It’s an ego defense mechanism,” he explains.

“At the workplace, there are usually more challenges and failures during tough economic times and because of self-serving attitudes, it’s common to want to make sure the blame is on someone else.”

Since job security is at risk, keep an eye on friends who may pull the ladder from under your feet by making you the fall guy for problems you are not responsible or for troubles you did not create. Some colleagues even indulge in backbiting or badmouthing you in public just to fix the blame on you.

You may not know it till you become the victim because you are too busy with your work and focussed on keeping your job safe and unaware of the blame game until it catches you unawares.

The best way to avoid being made a scapegoat is by ensuring that your manager and colleagues are aware of your roles and responsibilities and the limits of your control. This will make it difficult for them to put any blame on you.

Harvey says that the tendency to find a scapegoat can do more harm than good. “Behaviours such as scapegoating have been linked to a number of undesirable outcomes, including emotional stress and strain for employees, reduced performance levels and a higher likelihood of employees quitting.

So, managers and employees risk harming the entire organisation when they scapegoat others. Not the best way to protect your ego,” he warns.

The psychological effects on an individual who is made a scapegoat and suffers career setbacks as a result can be loss of self-confidence and self-esteem.

This can affect his career progress. He becomes fearful and sometimes his progress retards. He finds it difficult to trust others under such circumstances. To avoid being made a scapegoat, take the following precautions:

Build trust: Be it colleagues, managers or superiors, avoid any communication gap. Remove doubts in day-to-day working.

Keep an eye on others: Watch out for those who blame others for even minor mistakes and trust those who are willing to shoulder responsibility for problems.

Take seniors into confidence: Create confidence in managers and your superiors on your abilities, capabilities and efficiency.

Keep a record of laurels: Maintain a record of all the documents and evidence praising and appreciating your work.

Be cordial with colleagues: Keep cordial relations with your colleagues to enable you to get their support when you are unfairly blamed.

Some employees find it easy to shift the blame because of the management’s failure to properly monitor employee output. Also there is no clear definition of performance expectations from employees.

Individual performance tends to get overshadowed by team goals and there is no clear definition of individual accountability. The management fails to take an objective or real perspective of performance or people issues when a crisis happens, which also allows employees to find a scapegoat.

On the contrary when problems arise, the management should look into the history, background and context of the situation to take a right decision. Individual roles and responsibilities must be clearly specified so that employees cannot shift the blame.

They should create mutual trust and respect among the employees to avoid such happenings. Fair play and justice should prevail when dealing with such problems.

Shifting the blame leads to an unhealthy work environment where people run after only in saving their skin rather than put in their concerted efforts at work. Openness and avoiding gaps of communication can prevent such unhealthy practices.

Green jobs sector poised for explosive growth

A new study has determined that green-collar workers,
who include everyone from energy-efficiency consultants to
wastewater plant operators, are poised for explosive growth
as a segment of the US economy.

The study, published by the Pew Charitable Trusts, says that
the “clean-energy economy” grew 9.1 per cent between 1998
and 2007 to 777,000 jobs.

While that is just half a per cent of all US jobs, the clean-
energy economy is poised to grow significantly with financial
support from the public and private sectors, the Pew report
says. “The nation’s clean-energy economy is poised for
explosive growth,” said Lori Grange, the Pew Center on the
States’ interim deputy director.

“The trends include surging venture capital investment, a critical growth rate in clean-energy generation, energy efficiency and environmentally friendly products,” Grange added. About 80 per cent of venture capital investments in 2008 were in the clean energy and energy efficiency sector, broadly known as “cleantech.”

While cleantech slumped with overall venture capital in the first quarter of 2009, the sector outperformed telecommunications, media and other sectors, according to an analysis of Thompson Reuters data by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association.

“Cleantech is faring better than the rest of the venture capital sectors - that’s driven by the sense that the government policy thinking has changed radically with the new administration,” said David Prend, a NVCA director and managing general partner at the venture capital firm RockPort Capital Partners.

Indeed, the Pew report cites the 787 billion dollars American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which President Obama signed in February, as a significant force driving the clean-energy economy. The stimulus includes nearly 85 billion dollars in direct spending and tax incentives for energy- and transportation-related programs.

The report finds that job growth in the clean-energy economy outperformed total job growth in 38 states and the District of Columbia between 1998 and 2007, the most recent year for which data are available.

The total number of jobs grew 3.7 per cent during that period, which included the dot-com boom and bust and the beginning of the current recession. California, the most populous state in the US, had the most clean-energy jobs last year - about 125,000 jobs, or 0.71 per cent of its total work force. Texas ranked second with about 55,000 clean-energy jobs. — ANI

With a miniscule 2.4pc share in global fish market,
India’s annual export earnings are already worth
over Rs 8,000 crore! With the country’s rich aquatic
resources, fisheries seems to be a good bet.
Nothing fishy about it

Fisheries has emerged as an industry with rapid commercial growth in the last two decades and holds great potential in improving food security, generating employment, raising socio-economic status and nutritional levels and earning foreign exchange. India is now the third largest producer of fish in the world with an annual production of 6.90 million tones (mt) and ranks second in inland production (3.7 mt).

The contribution of aquaculture sector to inland fish production is about 80 per cent with annual growth rate of over 8 per cent. India accounts for 2.4 per cent share in global fish market with an annual export earnings of over Rs 8,000 crore.

The fisheries sector is contributing 1.4 per cent to national GDP in general and 4.6 per cent to agricultural GDP in particular.

Rich aquatic resources of the country already provide livelihood to about 14.5 million people in the fisheries sector directly or indirectly.

Although fish production has increased at a higher rate as compared to food grain, milk, egg production but consumption of fish eating population (56 per cent) in India remains below 10 kg per capita per annum, which is much lower than countries such as China (25.8 kg) and the rest of Asia (14.3 kg).

The domestic requirement of fish in the country by 2020 is estimated to be 12 mt against the present production of 6.9 mt. Out of the total area available for aquaculture, only 30 per cent of freshwater and 10 per cent of brackish water area is being utilised.

Hence, there is still tremendous scope of utilising these resources to achieve the target and generate more employment opportunities in the fisheries sector in the coming years.

Punjab leads

Punjab has recorded tremendous growth in fisheries sector in the last three decades. Fish production has increased from 2,800 tonne in 1980-81 to 86,697 in 2006-07. Being a landlocked state, around 70 per cent of total fish production comes from aquaculture and 30 per cent from capture sector.

At present, nearly 10,023 hectare area is under fish culture – both village and private ponds -- and aquaculture productivity of the state is 6.04 tonne per hectare per year, which is more than double the national productivity of 2.6.

Punjab has a vast network of natural water resources including 17,453 km of rivers, canals and drains, 23,000 hectares of reservoirs, lakes, wetlands and 7,046 hectares of village ponds. These water resources have immense potential for fishery development in the state.

The road ahead

Professionally qualified human resource is very-very vital for proper growth and development of any sector. Similarly, for the proper development of fisheries, there is need of scientists, development officers, planners, administrators, supervisors, technicians and entrepreneurs.

In India, 17 colleges of fisheries and one deemed university of fisheries offer undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in fisheries.

Fisheries professionals stand bright chances of employment in state fisheries departments, fisheries colleges, deemed university, research institutes, government organisations, fish farmers development agencies, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, state fisheries corporations, national banks, international organisations (FAO, NACA), fish-based industries, marketing and trade.

The policies and programmes of the Government of India are envisaging higher growth rate in fisheries sector during the 11th Five Year Plan that will lead to improved fish production, processing and preparation of value added products. The fisheries sector is therefore, going to open new avenues for employment.

Preliminary surveys indicate that there is immediate requirement of fisheries graduates and postgraduates for administrative, teaching, research, extension and management fields in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

There is also urgent need of baseline workers with background of fisheries for effective management of fish farms and hatcheries. Further there is also good demand of fisheries professionals in USA, Canada and Asian, European, African and Gulf countries. — TNS

To a starry future
People & diamonds have real value only once polished
Bipin Bhardwaj

Punjab can proudly acclaim of having the maximum number of schools, colleges, universities besides educational and training institutes, but when it comes to higher university admissions and job placements, the success ratio is alarmingly low.

Bright students and skilled job seekers are surrounded by disappointment, frustration and depression as they fail to achieve desired and cherished goals in the absence of grooming opportunities.

Majority of these youngsters lack in protocol, business etiquette, corporate etiquette, interview etiquette, language skills, dining etiquette, international etiquette and overall personality metamorphoses that have been proving major bottlenecks in a successful career.

A young Jalandhar-based woman has come up with grooming and corporate training institute in Jalandhar. The Cynosure, brainchild of corporate trainer and etiquette expert, Archie Sehgal claims that its curriculum has been designed and fabricated to provide adequate training in skills of protocol, etiquette, languages, and overall personality development.

“Being presentable in a variety of environments and cultures is one of the concluding results of etiquette training. The inability to handle oneself could make or mar a career. Most people assume that a degree in MBA, IT, law, medicine or any other subject is enough, but statistics reveal that one requires 15 per cent technical or academic skills and 85 per cent business skills, social protocol and etiquette skills in career or personal life,” says Sehgal. Now, doesn’t that explain why a colleague with identical qualifications always seems to score over you?

“What is the difference between two executives? Both have qualifications but it is the skill of corporate protocol that makes one stand out. Education coupled with formal corporate training ensures ultimate leap to a starry future,” signs off Sehgal.

Career Hotline
Pervin Malhotra

Go on, be a front-runner!

Q. I am working as a senior accountant in a hotel. I am now getting bored of my work, which is a back-office job. I am an extrovert with good communication skills. I feel I would do very well in the front office but don’t have any experience in this function. Is there any chance for me?
— Rohan Shenoy

A. Just because front office work is different from what you’re doing now, doesn’t mean you aren’t — or couldn’t soon be — qualified to do the job. Oftentimes, people find they can build on core functional skills they already possess.

Talk to at least three people who are doing the job you want to move into. Find out what skills, training and experience are needed and assess your own career and life experience to see where you match these requirements and identify the gaps.

Then, put together a plan to bridge gaps. The plan may involve a brief internship, taking a course, or volunteering to do related tasks for your present employer.

Remember, it’s not uncommon for high-level executives to have rotated through a variety of disciplines in an organisation. The key is to show how your assets and transferable skills would make you successful in the new position.

Speak to your human resource department. Organisations are now increasingly open to lateral moves, particularly, if the person has worked in the organisation and is well acquainted with its culture and functioning.

Hydropower holds untapped opportunities

Q. I am in BE second year. Could you please tell me something about jobs in the hydropower sector?
— Kartik Joshi

A. As with many of the other renewable energy technologies, the design, construction, and maintenance of hydropower plants requires electrical and mechanical engineers, technicians and skilled workers.

If the hydropower project also involves managing the reservoir and the surrounding land, the developer will also hire recreation planners and resource managers.

In addition, licensing laws now require current or prospective hydropower plant developers to assess the environmental effects of their operation.

Thus, the hydropower industry now also employs environmental scientists (biologists, hydrologists, ecologists, and wildlife habitat specialists, for example) to assess environmental impacts and address environmental remediation.

Environmental scientists, as well as engineers, also participate in R&D efforts through private companies, national laboratories and universities.

Don’t look back, focus on BBA

Q. I got 54 per cent marks in high school and 46 per cent in inter with science subjects. I also passed with grace marks in English. Now I am doing BBA in travel. Please tell me if I should concentrate on my BBA or do preparation for inter again to get higher marks.
— Somesh Kr

A. Why look back? Let bygones be bygones. Besides a dead end is often the best place to turnaround!

Concentrate on your BBA instead and make sure you get a decent percentage so that it looks good on your biodata besides qualifying you for pursuing any course at the PG level, including a PG in travel management, MBA, law or mass communication.

Be the bridge between management & media

Q. What’s the scope of media management
in the country?
— Mita Dasgupta

A. Media management or communications management covers a number of areas such as account planning and management/brand management, media planning and management and market research.

A relevant programme will provide students with knowledge and understanding of the multidisciplinary field of media management, encompassing media technology and its basic components as well as market studies, business development, organisation and economics. The principal benefits of the programme:

- Enhances ability to understand the changing media environment and to research and analyse the technological, organisational, audience, and business environment, creating more effective, efficient, and knowledgeable managers.

- Provides an international, interdisciplinary focus to the study of media and communications by combining the management expertise

The goal of studying media management is to build a bridge between the general discipline of management and the specificities of the media industry and media organisations. As a media manager you require to develop a solid understanding of the structure of media, its regulation, its impact on the audience and of the forces shaping the communications revolution.

Media management incorporates media economics (study the structure of sectors and markets and the deployment of resources, particularly financial ones, to meet the needs of audiences, advertisers, and society), political economy (political economists are interested in the structure of the media industries from the perspective of regulatory and policy issues), media studies (this is a relatively new cross-disciplinary field that applies concepts from sociology, cultural studies, anthropology, psychology, art theory, information theory, and economics to analyse the output of media organizations as a means of understanding society, its value system, and the cultural discourses at play) and, of course, mass communication and journalism, which focuses on the nature of media content and how it is processed and delivered to audiences.

Enroll in CA Foundation, MBA can be done later

Q. I am doing 12th in commerce stream. I am confused about what I should do — CA or BCom or go for MBA. Please guide me.
— Jitin Chawla

A. Both CA and MBA are complete stand-alone professional courses. However, MBA, has a more general outlook and grooms you for a large number of managerial jobs in corporate sector in finance as well as other areas like marketing, HR, systems etc.

CA is essentially a finance-centric course that empowers you to certify all accounts including the balance sheet of the organisation.

It also gives you a better grasp of financial statements along with an extensive knowledge of tax laws, management accounting and corporate laws.

As previous CA curriculum was considered to be lacking in inputs on other aspects of management and business, hopefully, the revised course has filled in the gaps.

On completing your articleship, you are now required to take a compulsory course in general management and communication skills before you can apply for membership of ICAI.

What you can do is, enrol for CA Foundation at the end of Class 12 and see how it goes and decide accordingly.

You can always do your MBA down the line after completing your graduation and preferably after acquiring a year or two of work-experience.

A TV producer is a multi-tasker

Q. What exactly does a TV producer do? How is it different from direction?
— Priya Beniwal

A. TV production incorporates multiple tasks: from managing the entire production process to ensuring the programme is made within stipulated budget and time.

The work includes co-ordinating with other departments to select the cast, clear scripts and co-ordinate the use of production facilities such as studios, cameras, lighting etc. It also includes supervising the production staff and the editing department to ensure quality of production.

As opposed to the film industry where the producer is essentially a financier, in TV production is a mix of direction, cinematography and editing. The role of the producer is combined with that of the programme director.

In either case, the job calls for extensive hands-on experience, creative talent, and technical knowledge of cameras, lighting, and editing software, plus a high level of planning and organisational skills.

Working as a production assistant is considered a perfect hands-on entry-level job for anyone who has the ambition to move into the production end of TV.

But before you rush in, just make sure you have the absurd levels of energy required — an entire episode (even several episodes) is often canned in a single day, and where normal shifts stretch beyond 10 hours!

That is why when you look at the age profile of our present-day TV producers, you’ll find they are all in their 20s or early 30s.

A degree in mass communications with specialisation in audio/video production or a related diploma from reputed institutions will help you get your foot in the door. Also don’t be unduly choosy to begin with. As an entrant, you should be willing to do all kinds of work since that’s the best way to learn.

This column appears weekly. Please send in your queries, preferably on a postcard, along with your full name, complete address and academic qualifications to:
The Editor, Jobs and Careers, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh-160030,
or at careers@tribunemail.com.