|
|
|
| JOBS & CAREERS |
|
|
|
Changing lives
Even as layoffs persist, some good jobs go abegging
Top 10 annoying office habits!
Jobs are back, upsurge in hiring
By 2013, IT to generate 5.8 mn new jobs
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Happiness@work Gems of ancient wisdom
Career Hotline
|
|
Changing lives
Electronics has also played a major role in improving electronic devices that direct, control and test production processes in many industries in steel, petroleum and chemical industries. Productivity in industries like oil, energy, infrastructure and many other important sectors of economy has changed for the better with the use of electronics, while the healthcare industry depends heavily on electronic instruments to perform a range of tests and to check body functions. The uses of electronics are endless. It is not surprising therefore that electronics and communication engineering is the first subject of choice in engineering admissions today, often ahead of computer science and information technology. Electronics engineers work with devices that use extremely small amounts of power. They work with microprocessors, fibre optics, and in telecommunication, television, and radio. Electronic gadgets can be broadly classified into four types of usages:
TO become an electronics engineer you need to have a diploma or degree (BE or BTech) in electronics engineering. The basic eligibility criterion is 10+2 or equivalent examination, with physics, chemistry and mathematics. With a three-year diploma in electronics engineering you can qualify through the AMIE (Associate Membership Examination of the Institute of Engineers) in electronics, or the graduate membership examination of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers. Most engineering colleges offer the specialisation of electronics engineering, or ECE (electronics and communications engineering). The advantage of taking up this option is that students can pursue both a career in software, as well as in electronics and hardware.
Options unlimited
AS electronic systems are in use in practically all industries, electronic engineers have a wide variety of job opportunities. The software industry continues to attract large numbers of electronic engineers despite the alarms raised by the recession.
Moreover, with increasing automation and sophistication of technologies in the manufacturing and process industries there are challenging opportunities for electronics-oriented careers in industry too. Jobs for electronic engineers can also be in Central Government, State Governments and public sector enterprises and organisations like Indian Telephone Industries, BHEL, MTNL, National Physical Laboratories, AIR, the Civil Aviation Department, Post and Telegraph Department, ECIL, Indian Railways, Atomic Energy Commission, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and several others, including the defence services and DRDO. Entry for junior posts in the government departments is carried out through advertisements in newspapers, while selection to gazetted posts are through the competitive examinations conducted by Union and State Public Service Commission. The UPSC conducts an Engineering Service Examination (telecommunication and electronics engineering group) annually for vacancies in Central Engineering Services and various State Public Service commissions conduct their own competitive exams for vacancies in state engineering services. Many also join private sector and multinational corporations dealing in manufacture, sales and services of electronics consumer goods and appliances. Electronics engineers are also absorbed into the broadcast and entertainment transmission industry. Those willing to plunge out on their own can start their own business in the manufacture of electronic parts, goods and components. You can also set up a repair or assembly shop for television receivers, amplifiers and recording equipment. Those interested in higher studies and in development of new technologies can get into research at several of the research organisations in the country. So, if you are good at physics and mathematics, have good analytical skills, a creative and inventive mind and love tinkering around with gadgets, a career in electronics engineering can be both challenging and financially lucrative.
(The writer is a career expert)
|
|
Even as layoffs persist, some good jobs go abegging
IN a brutal job market, here’s a task that might sound easy: Fill jobs in nursing, engineering and energy research that pay $55,000 to $60,000, plus benefits. Yet even with 15 million people hunting for work, even with the unemployment rate nearing 10 per cent, some employers can’t find enough qualified people for good-paying career jobs.
Economists say the main
problem is a mismatch between available work and people qualified to do it. Millions of jobs with attractive pay and benefits that once drew legions of workers
to the auto industry, construction, Wall Street and other sectors are gone, probably for good.
And those who lost those jobs generally lack the right experience for new positions popping up in health care, energy and engineering. Many of these specialised jobs were hard to fill even before the slump. But during downturns, recruiters tend to become even choosier, less willing to take financial risks on untested workers. The mismatch between job opening and job seeker is likely to persist even as the economy strengthens and begins to add jobs. It also will make it harder for the unemployment rate, now at 9.8 per cent, to drop down to a healthier level. It has become especially hard to find accountants, health care workers, software sales representatives, actuaries, data analysts, physical therapists and electrical engineers, labor analysts say. And employers that demand highly specialised training — like biotech firms that need plant scientists or energy companies that need geotechnical engineers to build offshore platforms — struggle even more to fill jobs. The trend has been intensified by the speed of the job market decline. Job losses may be huge but it can take a year or more for a laid-off worker to gain the training and education to switch industries. That means healthcare jobs are going unfilled even as laid-off workers in the auto, construction or financial services industries seek work. Many of the jobless seem to be applying for any opening they see. Contributing to the problem is that in a tough economy, employers take longer to assess applicants and make a hiring decision. By contrast, in a healthier economy, you don’t wait around for the perfect person. To be sure, employers in most sectors of the economy are having no trouble filling jobs — especially those, like receptionists, hotel managers or retail clerks, that don’t require specialised skills. But as more jobs vanish for good, the gap between the unemployed and the requirements of today’s job openings is widening. An average of six people now compete for each job opening. Recruiters are flooded with resumes from well-educated people, including some from information technology workers who want to enter a new field, but it could take a year to get an unqualified employee up to speed on all they need to know. Managers complain they are running out of people to train new employees and simply cannot attract enough qualified people. The trend has left jobseekers anxious and frustrated. Even after 23 years in the auto industry, a quality control engineer for an auto supplier hoped to parlay that experience into a similar job at a factory making windmill blades or solar panels. Several factories were hiring, and he landed a few interviews, but he never heard back. He used to review technical reports to make sure the factory’s auto parts matched the specifications of clients like General Motors and Toyota. At various units, there’s a
shortage of qualified applicants for management jobs in tax services, auditing and consulting. Earlier, huge pay packages on Wall Street siphoned off lots of business school graduates earlier this decade, making the pipeline more scarce. Some well-paying openings at Pricewaterhouse Coopers don’t even require graduate degrees — just specialised accounting certifications or other credentials. Formerly successful bankers or hedge fund managers don’t necessarily qualify. We’ve gotten a lot more resumes, but they haven’t been the right people, said the company’s headhunter.
— Agencies
|
|
Top 10 annoying office habits!
1. Office drummers: There are lesser annoying office habits than the person who has to tap out a rhythm while waiting for their brain to submerge into the work they’re assigned. 2. Foghorn phone voice: The breed of office worker who raises their tone several decibels as soon as they pick up the phone. 3. Pod pong: Well, these are those people who marinate themselves in perfumes overnight. 4. Key smashers: All offices have at least one person who appears to think that to make the little symbols on their keyboard appear on the screen, they need to exert the force of an atomic bomb through the ends of their
digits. 6. Snot funny: What is it with people, who riddled with pleurisy, the bubonic plague or cancer of the entire body, still think it’s a good idea to come in to work? The world really won’t stop if that report doesn’t get finished and the boss more likely regards you as a mug than a martyr. Your work mates, of course, will shower you with love for ruining their plans for the weekend and keeping their kids out of school. 7. Lucifer’s lunch: Paranthas with gobhi-aloo and pickle, egg and mayonnaise sandwiches, tuna fishcakes – all food items which should be banned from the workplace, thanks to their smell. 8. Ringtone hell: This section includes all those people who play bits of their favourite heavy metal music collection from a speaker on their desk, via their mobile phone. 9. Space invaders: You distinctly remember hearing the boss bring your new work mate over to his or her work area and say, “This is your desk”. The boss did not follow that up with the words, “but feel free to use your colleague’s desk for overspill if there’s not enough room for your inane gossip magazines and pictures of your 17 children”. 10. Eau de underarm: There are fewer things more noxious than a damp-shirted male who, after working up a sweat running for the bus, is left to “mature” over a keyboard for eight hours.
— ANI
|
|
Jobs are back, upsurge in hiring
“We see the movement happening across the sectors and it looks like worst is over. But the current scenario can not be considered as normal but it is better than bad,” executive search firm Global Hunt India professional leader Sunil Goel said. If everything goes fine then it will take a year to reach to a normal situation, he added. In last two quarters (January-March and April-June), hiring was almost 0-5 per cent across industries but in current quarter, average hiring has increased 5-15 per cent across industries. Sectors like telecom, infrastructure, life sciences and energy have witnessed 25-30 per cent rise in hiring in the second quarter against the first quarter of this fiscal. Meanwhile, IT, retail, banking, consulting, FMCG have seen 8-10 per cent hiring in the September quarter compared to the previous quarter. “With the economy showing signs of recovery, there is cautious optimism in the job market and going forward, the coming quarters are expected to be better,” an industry expert said. Companies have started executing their new business plans and are expanding. At least people are not losing their jobs and at the same time there are alternate opportunities available for further career progression, experts said. Meanwhile, a survey by leading job portal Naukri.com has revealed that India Inc’s hiring activity has picked up 8 per cent in June and a further 1.3 per cent in July this year. Besides, the latest employment outlook survey by global staffing services firm Manpower also substantiates the bullishness in the job market, with as much as 25 per cent of the employers showing an intention to recruit people in the next three months of this year. The survey said that job seekers in finance, insurance, real estate, services, wholesale and retail trade, public administration and education, and construction segments can expect favourable hiring environment. “The next quarter looks good for those people who have lost their jobs during slowdown. They will always be preferred than college students. Volume may come back in a year’s time from current market trends,” Goel added. The optimism in the job market is also visible in the United States. As per a survey by global career transition and coaching firm OI Partners, American firms are looking to re-hire employees they laid off in the past, mainly in the finance and manufacturing sectors.
— PTI
|
|
By 2013, IT to generate 5.8 mn new jobs
“Countries that foster innovation and invest in infrastructure, education and skills development for their citizens will have a major competitive advantage in the global marketplace,” said Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer. “In this fundamental economic reset, innovative technologies will play a vital role in driving productivity gains and enabling the creation of new local businesses and highly skilled jobs that fuel economic recovery and support sustainable economic growth.” US software colossus Microsoft sponsored the IDC research into the impact of IT in 52 countries that represent 98 per cent of the global IT spending. “IT spending growth is a good sign as we come out of the recession,” Microsoft corporate affairs communications manager Scott Selby said. Employment growth in IT related jobs will be three times that of overall job growth in what Selby said is a “good driver of economic growth.” While the world has been in the gripes of a recession, it has also been in the midst of a “technology renaissance” flush with advances in software, devices, and Internet-based services, according to IDC. IDC expects IT spending in the countries studied to grow at slightly more than three percent annually, three times as fast as the gross domestic products between now and the year 2013. In what is good news for software powerhouse Microsoft, spending on software is predicted to grow faster than overall IT spending, rising 4.8 per cent annually. “Software is a driving force behind this IT growth,” Selby said. “IT allows us to do more with less.” New technologies are also ushering in a new “cloud computing” paradigm in which applications are provided online as services instead of as software bought and installed on home or office machines, according to IDC. Money saved by using software as needed “in the cloud” instead of buying, maintaining, and updating applications will likely be devoted to bringing new products or services to market faster and cheaper, according
to Selby. IDC estimates that cloud services could add 800 billion dollars in net new business revenues between the end of 2009 and the end of 2013. “Over the past 20 years, we’ve seen transformative power in how investments in IT innovations foster economic growth,” said Robert D. Atkinson, founder of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation in Washington, D.C. “Continued innovation and investment in information technology will help jump-start recovery from the current recession and will significantly contribute to the growth of employment and new businesses.” Emerging markets will reap the greatest economic gains from IT, according to Selby. “Emerging markets are really going to take advantage of IT for years to come,” Selby said. “One reason is they will be able to leapfrog and enjoy benefits of innovations like cloud computing much more quickly.” Microsoft played up the prime role its software is playing in IT systems worldwide.
— Agencies
|
|
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
AMID the growing importance of social networking sites in corporate hiring process, as much as 70 per cent of students are not in favour of companies using sites like Twitter or Facebook to offer them jobs, a survey says.
According to the survey by hiring solutions provider TMP Worldwide and Targetjobs, 70 per cent of surveyed students did not want businesses to use sites like Twitter or Facebook to “sell” jobs to them as they believe “employers should not exploit social media” for their own benefit. However, the survey revealed that 79 per cent of the respondents consider social networking sites were key to employers engaging with them. The research found that students actively use social media to research companies and validate whether employer brand messages live up to reality and almost half of students use social media sites to chat with peers about recruitment process. In addition, about 30 per cent of students chat with current employees to check if their expectations of a particular employer were met after being taken on. “Employers have been saying for some time that they use social networking sites to ‘check up’ on potential candidates, but they must now be aware that the tables have turned,” TMP Worldwide Head of Planning and Research Neil Harrison said. “Today’s students use these sites as trusted places to not only communicate with friends but to also investigate potential employers; so businesses simply cannot underestimate the power of social media when it comes to brand building and engaging with undergraduates,” Harrison said. The report, which was based on the study of penultimate and final year students, also found that 42 per cent of students think social media is the ideal platform to communicate employer brand and 56 per cent agree social networking sites allow candidates to get feel for company’s culture. “Employers must not however, approach social media half heartedly. They must be consistent with their brand and maintain the values they promote online throughout the recruitment, selection and ongoing retention process,” Harrison said. The survey also serves as a warning to employers that the instant nature of social networking means negative candidate experiences especially during recruitment and on boarding can quickly be communicated between peers having a potentially damaging effect on employer brand.
Global HRO renewal may bring more jobs
MOST of human resource outsourcing (HRO) contracts coming up for renewal are likely to witness a significant restructuring. This shift is likely to see more such work being offshored to India. Everest Group, in a study ‘Human Resources Outsourcing (HRO): End-of-Term Market in HRO’ said the areas of restructuring range from modifying the number and type of in-scope processes, to enhancing delivery models through global sourcing, to introducing alternative pricing models. According to the research firm, about 75-85 per cent of engagements will likely be extended while 15-25 per cent will be repatriated or transferred to new suppliers. More than 111 HRO contracts, with a combined total contract value of about $6 billion, are nearing their term end in 2010-12. Everest analysts foresee scope for reduction with large market buyers, whereas mid-market buyers will likely expand narrow scopes and leverage expanded supplier offerings that include talent management services. “While extension is the most-preferred option, given the current economic climate and structural changes in the HRO market, recent end-of-term events see intensive renegotiation and contract restructuring,” said Katrina Menzigian, V-P, Everest Group. However, this trend in the contracts is expected to give a significant push towards offshoring more work to India. According to Everest, both mid-market and large market HRO buyers are expected to leverage offshoring much more in their second generation deals due to increased cost pressures in recent times.
— Agencies
|
|
Happiness@work Gems of ancient wisdom
Be a lion, not a sheep
It takes courage to walk alone — to be a lion. “Walk alone even if no one else comes along,”
Subhash Chandra Bose told his men in the Indian National Army as they marched to the tune of ‘Ekla chalo re…’ The gods considered Hiranyakashyap to be beyond the grasp of death, as he could not be killed inside or outside, at day or night, on earth or sky, by animal or man and by a weapon that could be hurled or held. But Vishnu didn’t share that view. He took the incarnation of Narsimha and killed the demon king after fulfilling the five conditions. Take the path less tread. Without sacrificing on the quality of work, be positive and spread that feeling in the team. — Sai R.
Vaidyanathan This column appears weekly. The writer can be contacted at
svaidyanathan@tribunemail.com
|
|
Career Hotline
After BPharm, opportunity no bar
— Meena Bhargava A. Great! Pharma is reckoned as a growth industry of the future. It is a fast growing sector second only to IT growing annually at 15 per cent, despite the slowdown in most other sectors. Jobs in the pharma industry range from those in sales and marketing to high-end specialist R&D jobs. Pharmaceutical science deals with the development and preparation of drugs. A pharmacist works in research laboratories to develop new drugs from natural and synthetic sources, reduce the side effects of the drugs sold in the market and ensure the quality of existing formulations. The minimum qualification for becoming a qualified pharmacist is a two-year diploma in pharmacy. The minimum qualification is 10 +2 (PCB/M). On completing the course, you must undergo practical training of three months in a recognised hospital, pharmacy or dispensary. A mere diploma will only qualify you for the job of a pharmacy technician or dispensing pharmacist in hospitals. Depending on the extent of study and the area you specialise in (pharmacology, pharmaceutics, hospital pharmacy or quality assurance), you can opt for research. Teaching is another option after a master’s degree. The government also appoints pharmacy graduates as drug inspectors and drug analysts. Hospitals also hire pharmacist consultants to advise physicians on the precise dosage, schedules and possible side effects of the various drugs. While a diploma-holder can work as a pharmacist in hospitals or as a pharmacy technician, BPharm or MPharm degree-holders can apply for jobs in the pharmaceutical industry. Although there are limited research openings in India, those with doctoral and post-doctoral qualifications find challenging avenues in R&D labs abroad. Apart from the drug manufacturing industry, pharmacists are also employed in the chemical industry and food and drug control organisations. A large number of those who do pharmacy go on to become medical sales representatives. Of course if you are enterprising, you can open your own chemist shop or even go into manufacture of drugs or cosmetics. The cosmetic industry is growing at a much faster rate as compared to the pharma sector. A diploma-holder is qualified to obtain a license for manufacturing cosmetics and for repackaging of drugs (other than those specified in Schedules C & C1). Healthcare is a growth sector in India, and the pharmacist is an essential part of it. India’s pharmaceutical industry is one of the most advanced among the developing countries and ranked fourth in the world in terms of volumes and offers excellent prospects for men and women alike.
All graduates eligible for GMAT
Q. Can a graduate from the arts stream take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)? Please tell me something about it. — Vineet Suri A.
Sure, any graduate can take the GMAT for admission to MBA programmes in the US. Many B-schools in other parts of the world — including some in India — accept GMAT cores. No age or academic qualification is specified. All you need is a valid passport. The computer-adaptive test (CAT) GMAT is available, year-round, at test centres in India and across the globe. The test is administered in a quiet environment at an individualised workstation under strict supervision and security measures. You will be informed of the security measures before arriving at the testing centre. The four-hour test has two optional breaks. Your official GMAT score report will feature four scores:
You can download the GMAT information bulletin from the GMAC website (www.gmac.com) which also gives details of the test, samples questions, test aids and other useful information. You can also take a mock test with real-time scoring using POWERPREP, which can be downloaded free from the GMAC website (www.mba.com). It is a comprehensive and useful starting point for advice, guidance and free downloads.
Mass communication offered at bachelor’s level
— Alka Panigrahi A. Let me explain what this field is all about. After that you can decide for yourself whether you are suited for it or not. Also, you don’t have to wait to complete your BCom to pursue a course in mass communication or journalism. Most universities offer these courses at the bachelor’s level itself, so you can go for it straight away after Class 12. Admission to most of these courses is based on an entrance test though. Mass communication is a very broad umbrella term that includes various fields — i.e., advertising, journalism, public relations, cinema, radio, television & broadcasting, theatre, communication arts and now Internet in its ambit. Although communication remains the core element, the nature of work would depend on the field you are in. A course in mass communication will give you a general overview of each of these fields at the macro level. Thereafter, you can choose your preferred medium and area of specialisation and work in the area that fascinates you most. Electronic and satellite communication have ushered in dramatic changes in journalism. As a result, job opportunities exist in newspapers, magazines and periodicals, news agencies, television, radio, regional press bureaus of international papers/news agencies/networks, Internet portals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, related government agencies like Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), Directorate of Field Publicity, Public Relations departments of public and private sector corporations, as freelancer/stringer, art and theatre critic and book reviewer. Now, see what you want!
BPOs look for decent vocabulary, neutral accent
— Harpal Kukreja A. Your friends are absolutely wrong! You don’t need a tough vocabulary to be able to work in a BPO. A decent vocabulary with a neutral accent (neither pronounced vernacular nor mother tongue influence) is what is needed for international BPOs. The domestic ones are even more lenient in their requirements. Don’t let anyone deter you from what you want to achieve in life – even if it takes a bit longer. Moreover, the recruitment strategy of companies in the services sector is changing in favour of small town youth. In a marked departure from the traditional model of employing English-speaking public school products, many banks and even BPOs are recruiting graduates from smaller towns and even some villages, who have a government school background. The notion that only English-speaking people can serve customers is wrong. Even those who don’t know English can be suitably trained to cater to this segment. This strategy l not only contributes to containing the escalating attrition rates but also helps absorb educated unemployed youth from rural and semi-urban areas. Many other companies like Wipro have also started sourcing some of their workforce from this graduate pool. The strategy pays off because in turn, the companies get staff that is more loyal and stable.
Choosing distance mode?
— Ravi Saini A.
The following are some of the institutes that offer MTech (distance). IASE, Directorate of Distance Education, Gandhi Vidya Mandir, Sardarshahr-331401 (Rajasthan) Course: MTech (civil, computer science and engineering, IT, mechanical, electronics, electronics and communication biotech, bioinformatics) Website: www.iaseduniv.org
There are a few others like BITS, Pilani, Distance Learning Programme Division (www.bits-pilani.ac.in) and BIT, Mesra, Ranchi. However, I suggest you cross-check with AICTE as well as the Distance Education Council (www.dec.ac.in) as it is mandatory for all institutions imparting education through distance mode to get their degrees, diplomas, certificates (programmes) recognised and approved by the DEC. Otherwise you will not be eligible for a government job on the basis of that qualification.
This column appears weekly. The writer is a noted career expert and director, Career Guidance India (CARING). Please send in your queries 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
|
|
|
Fortnightly Quiz-346
2. Who has been nominated for the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award for 2009? 3. When is International Day of Non-violence observed? 4. Who wrote the book “My Experiments with Truth”? 5. Which security force’s women constables recently began their first (patrolling) posting along Punjab’s border with
Pakistan? 6. Which anniversary was recently celebrated by world-renowned Bishop Cotton School in Shimla? 7. Which
country has the world’s largest military – the People’s Liberation Army? 8. Name the Director-General of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA). 9. Which Haryana boxer recently created history by attaining the first position in the world in the 75 kg category? 10. Which city has got the distinction to host the first-ever Olympic Games in the South American continent
in 2016? — Tarun Sharma
Winners of quiz 345: The first prize by draw of lots goes to Amanat Maheshwary, class VIII-C, Manav Public School, Maqbool Road, Anand Avenue, Amritsar, Pin Code - 143001 Second: Milroop Singh, class XII, Maharaja Ranjit Singh School, Tarn Taran, Pin Code - 143401 Third: Aditya, class VIII-A, DAV Public School, Naraingarh, Pin Code - 134203 Answers to quiz 345: Dr Norman Borlaugh; Fifty; Tirupati Laddoo; Duronto Express; Fifth; 44, Pankaj Advani; Juan Martin del Potro; Vijender Singh; 10 (six men’s doubles and four mixed doubles) Cash awards of Rs 400, 300 and 200 are given to the first, second and third prize winners, respectively. These are sent at the school address. Note: Kindly mention the pincode of your place to facilitate the delivery of the prize money. Answers can also be sent at
quiz@tribunemail.com Name ……………………........... Class
....…....................... School address ……….........
|
|
PRACTICALLY everything we use today is electronically operated – phones, computers, music systems, even the TV and radio, and most of the Internet. Electronics has transformed the way we use a wide range of applications in daily life, we can see, hear and communicate over vast distances and do things
faster. The safety in transportation, factories, and in homes relies
heavily on electronics.
IN a brutal job market, here’s a task that might sound easy: Fill jobs in nursing, engineering and energy research that pay $55,000 to $60,000, plus benefits. Yet even with 15 million people hunting for work, even with the unemployment rate nearing 10 per cent, some employers can’t find enough qualified people for good-paying career
jobs.
PRACTICALLY everything we use today is electronically operated – phones, computers, music systems, even the TV and radio, and most of the Internet. Electronics has transformed the way we use a wide range of applications in daily life, we can see, hear and communicate over vast distances and do things faster. The safety in transportation, factories, and in homes relies heavily on electronics.
Electronics involves how we use the flow of current, gases, semiconductors, or other conducting and non-conducting materials, and when combined with various telecommunication technologies provide connectivity for a number of usages. Electronics engineers design, fabricate, maintain, supervise, and manufacture electronic equipment or re-fabricate old technology for use in the entertainment media, in hospitals, in the computer industry, for communication and in defense. 
The last 10 years have seen an exponential growth in the telecommunications industry. Large networks of cellular, satellite and digital communications have been introduced into the country, providing state-of-the art services. Towns, cities, trade centres, harbours, ports, even space is being connected with underground cables, radio links and satellite. Continuing development in this field worldwide, make electronics and telecommunications one of the most fast-changing and challenging specializations of engineering. With the continuing fast growth of telecomm services, large service providers such as Bharti, Vodafone, Tata Telecom and Reliance also recruit electronic engineers in large numbers.
OVERBEARING, obsessively rude, noisy, and opinionated – there are so many things that can be found annoying in that one person in office. So, what actually are some of the ‘universally’ bad behaviours for office work? Here’s a look at the top 10 annoying office habits...
5. Paid for nothing: In this case, an employee gets paid for standing out in the sunshine chatting to wheezy and addicted mates while the fresh-lunged members of the workforce are indoors putting their mind to work. 
JOBS are back and India Inc is witnessing an upsurge of 15 per cent in hiring trend, thanks to the improving economic climate. However, experts say it is too early to say that the situation has returned back to ‘normalcy’.
INFORMATION technology will be an employment machine, generating 5.8 million new jobs in the coming four years, according to International Data Corporation (IDC) research. IDC predicts that the IT industry will be an engine powering economies out of economic doldrums, creating more that 75,000 new businesses in the next four years and adding jobs at a rate of 3 per cent annually.
Most of us don’t like our bosses but whenever we are in charge, we copy the boss’ work style because it is easy. Nothing changes as one sheep is following another.
Q. I got admission to BPharm this year. What is the career scope after this? Is this a good field for girls?
A four-year bachelor’s degree in pharmacy (BPharm) leads to openings in drug manufacturing industries, food and drug control organisations. Educational qualification required for this course is 10+2 (PCM/B). These courses are offered by a number of institutes. Lateral entry i.e. direct admission to the second year of the BPharm course is also possible on completion of your DPharm in some colleges. In a drug store, the retail pharmacists buy and sell drugs and control the inventory.
Q. I am in Class 12 and have commerce. Since I am weak in math and accounts, after BCom, I want to switch to mass communication. Is it the right choice?
Q. I come from a semi-rural, non-English speaking background. My friends often tease me when I tell them about my wish to work in a BPO or other service sector companies. They say my English is poor, as I can’t use big words that are necessary for BPO jobs. Is it true? Does it mean that I won’t get a job anywhere with my simple English? Should I mug up all the big words? 
Q. I am an engineer in a private company and want to do MTech through correspondence. Please tell me about some institutions.
1. How many years of communist rule were recently celebrated by China? 