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OFFICE Mantra
Career Hotline
High attrition persists in India Inc
‘Expect 8 pc salary hike in 2010’
Survival of the fittest?
Indians among those to get least paid leave annually
FOOD for THOUGHT
Rulers of the sea
Get set, sail
Happiness @ work
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Seal the deal
Landed in the job market in the midst of slowdown? Be realistic in the current economic climate, says R.C. SHARMA, as he offers freshers tips on negotiating salary ALTHOUGH the slowdown is gradually fading away, its impact exists. It hit everyone in a big or small way. The job market is worst hit. There are retrenchments, salary cuts, freeze on new recruitments, shrinking salary packages and tight budgets. Even training and development programmes for staff have taken a backseat. Landing a job during these critical times is a boon in itself. Companies have become rigid about salaries and are not offering packages they used to a few years ago. So, be careful not to throw away an opportunity by asking for an astronomical salary. Before you reach the negotiating table, analyse each component of your salary meticulously and ask for what you really deserve. With hundreds of talented workers laid-off, there is tremendous competition and even a small mistake on your part can mar chances of selection. Good planning and preparation should be done much in advance for success, more so, if you are a fresher. In most cases, starting salaries are almost fixed with less scope of negotiation. Also freshers’ lack of industry experience and exposure go in favour of the employer. Negotiation is a skill that perfects you with the passage of time and experience. But during this troubled time, even applying this skill may land you in trouble. Be logical, you will definitely get what you deserve. During this slowdown, both you and your company are facing a financial crisis. Today’s negotiations directly and instantly hit your business and maybe your career. If you are working in your organisation for a pretty long time, remember to watch the company’s financial position in order to ask for a raise. Efficient and capable people are always in demand, irrespective of the financial state of affairs. So, you can always look around when your demands are not met and you think you are efficient in your work. If you are a fresher, follow the below mentioned tips for negotiating a better salary for you: n Don’t say it all: Do not reveal what salary you have in mind at the very start. Remember, information is power, and the earlier you give this information, the lesser scope for negotiating later. Even if the employer asks for a salary requirement early on in the process, remain reserved to the extent possible. Only start this discussion when you get the job offer, and are in a bargaining position. n Know where you stand: Research salaries earned by people from a similar background in your industry and the company you are going to join. It will help you know salary trends in your industry post-slowdown and calculate your real worth. This will provide you an idea about the salary you can ask for and expect to get. Be logical and justified in your demands. n Be courteous and polite: Negotiate respectfully and thoughtfully while upholding your worthiness. Don’t be aggressive and rigid at any cost at any time. Follow the policy of give-and-take. n Watch your timing: Do not start negotiating immediately on receipt of offer. If you do it as soon as you get the offer, you look impulsive. Take some time from the recruiter to study and analyse the benefits of the offer. This time will give you an opportunity to consider the offer in depth. n Consider the complete package: Instead of just focussing on the gross salary, look at the complete package without any prejudice. There may be many other benefits that may make up for a lesser in-hand salary than you expected. The company may not be in a position to pay too much cash in these troubled times. If the company does not move after a certain point, you can try negotiating on the benefits to get a better overall package. n Stay within limits: If your expectations are too high, the company may not hire you. Similarly, also understand that companies are in a cost-cutting mode and paying too much will not be in their interest. Do not act stiff but be firm, keeping in mind the limits. n Better experience pays: Only a bachelor’s degree and some internship is not enough. Some better experience and expertise can help in negotiation. But mostly the companies will have to train and make you proficient. Hence, negotiating is not the best way when you are just out of college with no experience or skills. Always remember that at the end of the day, you and your employer feel that you have got a good deal. While negotiating, show that you are professional and you always remain professional. Make humble requests and suggestions and give consent to certain points to show that you are cooperative. If you follow these tips carefully, you can get a reasonably good package even during the recession time.
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Career Hotline Q. I am a final year student of engineering. I am very confused whether I should go for an MTech or pursue an MBA like most of my classmates. Please advise. — Vikram Datta A. There are many benefits to an engineering education. The academic rigour of a tech course is proof of ability that can serve as a background for a business or legal career. However, if you have a very deep passion for the field, than an engineering career is still a worthwhile pursuit. Engineering remains an area ripe for entrepreneurship and there will always be jobs for the best scientists and engineers. Making a career decision is not the easiest thing in the world. But please don’t let mere statistics or the media guide your choice of career. Numbers don’t count. Your calibre does. Both management as well as engineering are top-of-the-line professional courses, which leads me to believe that you are keen on pursuing a professional career. It is therefore very important to go by your interests, aptitude and inclination rather than popular beliefs. A large number of engineering grads, and even mid-career engineers, opt for MBA because a techno-management qualification is desirable in a global economy. By and large, managers are preferred for top jobs and get a better pay packet in most companies than engineers (unless the company’s core business happens to be manufacturing). And even if you pursue a career in engineering, you’ll find that a significant part of your job content, a few years down the line, ends up being administrative or managerial in nature — managing the project, leading your team, handling the planning and financial aspects of the project etc. As the MBA program is more holistic and covers a wide range of subjects, it helps you develop an all-round personality and equips you with confidence to adapt to varied functions and environment. Besides, as an engineering graduate, you have another clear advantage at the very outset. The entrance exams (CAT and its variants) are also somewhat weighted in favour of engineering grads. The reason why they score well is simple. They are relatively more disciplined in their approach, better grounded and acquainted with systems and processes and the practical application of theory. This is not to say that non-engineering students won’t fare well. Many do. Actually, with an engineering degree under your belt, you are in a win-win situation. However, if you are undecided, it may be a good idea to work for a year or two and see how you like it. You can always opt for an MBA a couple of years down the line, by which time you will be clearer about your goals.
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You want to be a BMW or Toyota?
— Kamlesh Sood A. Gosh, that’s a real technical one! But here’s some advice from the director of product management, Oracle Corp, that may help… “Your choice must basically boils down to whether you want to become a specialist or a generalist. Siebel CRM is the industry’s leading CRM system with thousands of customers and millions of deployed users. It is a specialised piece of technology though, so the potential size of the market that you serve would be smaller. Fusion Middleware, on the other hand, is the industry leading Java middleware, with tens of thousands customers. It’s used for everything from building websites to in-house apps to ERP systems to management tools. The market for Java EE skills and Fusion Middleware skills is larger, but there are also more people available to do the job. To make an analogy, do you want to be a BMW or Toyota? In terms of entry barriers, it is lower in the case of Fusion Middleware because you can download and set up the software more easily, and there are many books available on both Java EE in general, and Fusion Middleware in particular. By the way, Fusion Middleware refers to a whole collection of products ranging from the core Java EE Weblogic Server to SOA Suite to Oracle Identity Management to Oracle Business Intelligence to Business Activity Monitoring. I assume you are primarily referring to the Java EE piece.” I presume you’ve found your answer.
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Firms keen to innovate, good time for R&D
Q. I am an MTech in mechanical engineering. I now wish to work in the research and development field. What is the present job scenario in this field in the recession-hit market?
— Ramesh Johar A. While jobs might look hard to come by these days, professionals in research and development (R&D) are in demand as companies, committed to long-term goals, use the slowdown as an opportunity to innovate. For instance, the slowdown was a good opportunity for Mahindra & Mahindra that hired 40 R&D professionals last year, and is looking at adding another 60 in the coming months. Maruti Suzuki plans to recruit 1,000 R&D professionals by 2010. It also plans to set up a state of-the-art R&D centre in Haryana. And, here’s a piece of news that will be music to your ears: Luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz India is revamping its R&D facility in India by increasing the headcount to 1,000 engineers from 200 in its Bangalore facility. Eventually, it will be one of the largest R&D facilities of Mercedes outside Germany catering to the technical needs of the company. In a slightly different area, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories — India’s largest drug maker — hired 30 researchers and plans to recruit 30 more. India Inc, led by firms in the automobile, pharma and FMCG sectors, is also eyeing R&D hands employed elsewhere in the world, as many look at opportunities in India in light of the global recession.
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Living life king size!
Social researcher Mark McCrindle has released a study that identifies the potentialists, which accounted for about 15 per cent of Australians. “In a GFC, people weren’t saying ‘gee it’s harder to get the dollars, I’m really going to have to work harder for the money and do longer hours to get it’. Actually, it’s the reverse. It’s not about a richness of bank account but a richness of lifestyle,” McCrindle said. The Australian Social Insights Report is part of an international research project commissioned by American Express to identify trends in “global financial optimism”. McCrindle said that while some of the potentialists are in their 30s, but they are more likely to be in their late 40s and early 50s. And they are most likely to be found in Brisbane, ahead of Melbourne, Perth and Sydney trailing in fourth place. “Queensland is the best place for it. More people are moving to Queensland than anywhere else and much of that comes about because of the lifestyle approach,” said McCrindle. The potentialists are deciding to put up with a smaller TV and an old car, prefer to spend their money on enriching their lives through developing their skills and hobbies that could result in a career change. One in three potentialists want to earn money from cooking, while a quarter want to dedicate more time to writing. “Work-life balance for them is not actually working less hours, it’s actually having more variety in what they do. They’re more likely to have two or three jobs and it’s in that variety that they actually find their balance. “They’re hard driven people that just don’t want the bank balance, they want a rich life experience as well,” said McCrindle. The survey found that 22 per cent Australians would take a pay cut to work for a company which supported volunteer programs while one third would be willing to have a smaller pay cheque in return for more flexible hours.
— ANI
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To practice law, go for LLB
Q. Is BGL (bachelor of general laws) and LLB (bachelor of laws) the same? Please tell me if I would be eligible to practice as a lawyer after completing BGL.
— Avantika Marwaha A. Bachelor of general laws and bachelor of laws courses differ in their scope and duration. While BGL takes two years to complete, LLB takes three years after graduation. Eligibility for both is a bachelor’s degree although you can pursue an integrated five-year BA LLB programme straight after Class XII. According to the Bar Council of India, you cannot practice in a court of law after BGL or BAL (Bachelor of Academic Laws), although you can join a solicitor’s firm or give legal advice. Besides, your degree will be an asset in various jobs that require knowledge of law such as in company secretaryship, personnel management, industrial relations, consulting and real estate.
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For engineers only
Besides looking at an MBA from a good B-school, you could opt for courses specially designed for engineering graduates offered by sectoral B-schools like NITIE or the management programmes offered at the IITs. The major objective of these schools is to groom graduate engineers as competent managers for technology intensive global business operations that can respond to the changing requirements of Indian industry.
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High attrition persists in India Inc
INDIA Inc continues to see a double-digit attrition rate, this time of 13.8 per cent — the highest in Asia Pacific region — despite economic uncertainty, says a survey.
As per global HR consultancy Hewitt Associates’ annual Asia Pacific Salary Increase survey for 2009-10, most Asian companies have continued to experience double-digit voluntary employee turnover rate amid the economic downturn. “The top four markets reporting the highest turnover rate are India (13.8 per cent), Australia (11 per cent), New Zealand and China (10.3 per cent),” the report stated. Turnover rate refers to the ratio of the number of workers that had to be replaced in a given time period to the average number of workers. “While many would believe the economic uncertainty should help ease pain on high employee voluntary turnover, the Hewitt 2009/2010 Annual Asia Pacific Salary Increase Survey does not reveal the same. The comparatively high turnover rate...raises an alarm to the world,” Hewitt Associates Regional Leader Broad-Based Compensation practice Stella Hou said. The survey stated that ‘better external opportunity’ was consistently cited as the top reason for employees voluntarily leaving their organisations across all markets. “This means companies continue to search for talented people even under a tough economic situation... organisations will continue to face a tight talent market,” it added. Other economies in the Asia-Pacific market, including Singapore, Korea and Thailand, are on high single digits in terms of employee turnover rates in the range of 8.8 per cent to 9.3 per cent. “An organisation’s ability to retain talent is a challenge facing all companies. This provides challenges to be more innovative in retaining the top people in their firms with a tighter budget,” Hou said. Companies need to focus on pursuing different talent management strategies suitable for its own workforce, while the most notably the variable pay programme was the most popular incentive adopted by most companies in the region. “Companies realise that they cannot afford to lose talent. They know ‘high performers’ will help them lead the firm out of the storm into the winning field. Even for those companies experiencing unprecedented levels of uncertainty and cost reduction pressures, they tend to reward and retain their best talent with special incentives,” Hou added. The Hewitt survey revealed that the challenging talent market also compelled companies to reward talent differently with top performers receiving 50 per cent higher rewards than the average performers.
— PTI
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‘Expect 8 pc salary hike in 2010’
INDIA Inc is expected to witness a salary hike of 8 per cent, one of the highest pay increases in the Asia Pacific region, in 2010 riding on the country’s improved economic performance, says a survey says.
According to the survey by Hong Kong-based HR Business Solutions (HRBS), Asia Pacific’s average pay increase (expected) for 2010 is 4.8 per cent, higher than an actual pay increase of 3.2 per cent in 2009. India is forecast to witness pay increase averaging eight per cent in 2010 compared to 5.9 per cent in 2009, which represents a 36 per cent upward revision, the report revealed. “The higher salary increase expected for 2010 is very much driven by increased economic performance. India’s economy is expected to grow eight per cent in 2010 from forecast of about six per cent for 2009,” HRBS managing partner Elaine Ng told media. “Expected global economic recovery now underway has already led to increased hiring in India as major employers step up staffing to meet business expansion,” Ng said. The survey found that 64 per cent of employers in the country increased their employees’ salary in 2009, while 89 per cent are expected to do so in 2010 owing to increasing confidence in business performance. Meanwhile, another survey by HR consultancy Hewitt Associates said fastest growing markets like India and China are likely to see salary hikes of 9.2 per cent and 6.7 per cent, respectively in 2010.
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Survival of the fittest?
DESPITE a global slump in the information technology sector, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) finds that Indian IT industry has managed to remain relatively unscathed and has seen its opportunities multiply.
UNCTAD, which released Information Economy Report 2009: Trends and Outlook in Turbulent Times, acknowledges that India has long been the preferred location in the area of IT and ICT-enabled services. It has managed to upgrade its supplier capabilities and is continuously expanding the range of services that can be exported. The decline in demand may be a mixed blessing for India-based exporters, says the report. On the other hand, it has provided some breathing space in an otherwise overheated market that was until recently characterised by high labour attrition and rising wage costs. In turbulent times, India may also benefit from its reputation as a location that is “tried and tested.” The report has said that the world is likely to see offshoring of services across business functions to widen across continents, a move that has been the reason for a services exports decline due to the global slowdown. With the recession adding to the pressure on firms of all types to reduce costs, some will choose to offshore more and new services to lower-cost locations, it said. It is expected that growth in IT offshoring will remain moderate in 2009 and 2010, and that economic uncertainty, increased competition, price cuts in smaller projects and recession will continue through the first half of 2009, with revenues starting to improve in the second half of 2009 and in 2010. The report highlights that IT and ICT-enabled services – such as computer programming, software development, customer-service callcentre work and back-office services – are of growing importance in world trade and have been more resilient during the crisis. The expansion of offshore services has only just begun, the report says. Long-term growth prospects for the offshoring of IT and ICT-enabled services therefore are promising for early starters (such as India) as well as for many other emerging nations. Some segments of the offshoring industry in India appear to have been more affected than others. In the case of IT services, non-discretionary services such as mandatory operations and maintenance have been less affected than discretionary services such as consulting.
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Indians among those to get least paid leave annually
INDIANS enjoy the highest number of holidays in a year but they figure at bottom when it comes to the number of paid leave, says a survey.
Employees in India get the least number of statutory annual leave (paid leave), while those in Finland, Brazil and France receive the highest, says global HR consultancy Mercer's 2009 Worldwide Benefit and Employment Guidelines. Canada and China are the two other countries where paid leave is limited. Employees in India get statutory holiday allowances for 12 days while in Canada and China they get 10 days each. In contrast, workers in Finland, Brazil and France are entitled to as many as 30 days' statutory holiday a year. On number of public holidays, India is joined by Japan at top. Employees in both the countries are entitled to 16 public holidays in a year. Japan and India are followed by Cyprus, Slovakia and South Korea with 15 public holidays in a year. The survey analysed both the statutory minimum number of holidays that companies must provide to their staff, as well as the number of public holidays in over 40 countries. "Public holidays tend to be rooted in local tradition or religious beliefs, so it can be difficult to change practices. But with the increasing cultural diversity of the global workforce there is pressure for greater flexibility around public holidays," Mercer International team principal, who advises MNCs on their employment practices, Matthew Hunt said. Interestingly, workers in Australia, the UK and The Netherlands are entitled to the least number of public holidays of eight days. The survey figures are based on mandatory entitlements for an employee working five days a week with 10 years of service. In total, employees in Japan are entitled to 36 days off work followed by South Korea (34) and New Zealand (31). While, employees in Australia, Taiwan and India would potentially get 28 days followed by Hong Kong (26), Singapore (25) and China (21).
— Agencies
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Stress levels at work peak at 50
A NEW study has revealed that older workers are healthy survivors of the workplace as stress levels at work peak when people reach about 50 to 55 years of age and decrease towards retirements. Lead researcher Amanda Griffiths, Professor of Occupational Health Psychology, reviewed hundreds of publications from the last 20 years and found that the effects of stress in the working lives can stay with us well into retirement. “Work related stress is thought to be responsible for more lost working days than any other cause and it is becoming clear that it is also one factor affecting older workers’ willingness and ability to remain in the labour force,” said Griffiths. “Therefore, protecting tomorrow’s older workers, as well as today’s, will pay dividends, as older workers will form a major part of tomorrow’s workforce,” she added. The new study suggests that the reason studies show smaller number of workers report high stress levels once in their 50s might be because they have left stressful posts in favour of something less demanding; they already have retired voluntarily or because of ill health; or increasing seniority can give staff more control over their working life which makes it less stressful. The report says this makes older staff the healthy ‘survivors’ of the workplace. It suggests that giving older staff more control over their job could ease stress; better recognition for the contribution they make; increased flexible working; and improvements in social support. Most office workers find colleagues annoying
TWO out of five office workers have said that they sit next to an annoying colleague, reveals a new survey And sometimes the situation becomes so bad that they are forced to move their desk. According to the study, conducted by a recruitment firm, workers spend an average 1,332 hours a year sitting at their desks, but the strain often shows. Of those, some 38 per cent complained about colleagues they sat next to, sometimes confronting them about their behaviour or habits or even asking to be moved. The complaints included colleagues who talked too much, moaned, stole items of stationery or were too nosy. The workers said they were distracted by colleagues who dealt with personal affairs in the office without any discretion, talked too loudly on the phone, ate noisily, sucked up to bosses or left their desks in a messy state. However, nearly half described their colleagues as supportive, especially during stressful times. Over a third revealed said they had become good friends with work colleagues, and a similar number believed they had learned new skills from a colleague. “Whilst the majority of office workers have a happy working environment, it’s inevitable that occasionally desk-neighbours will get on your nerves,” the recruitment firm’s managing director was quoted as saying. “However, as the results show, it is no surprise that there are plenty of workers who have good working relationships with colleagues, and it is a known fact that many people meet their partners or closest friends in the workplace,” he added. — Agencies
Grumpy boss?
You are to blame
IS your boss grumpy? Then there is only one person to blame. You. According to a new study, the stress of dealing with petty office squabbles, as well as hiring and firing employees, can easily turn even the most mild- mannered manager into a firing dragon. The research, conducted by academics at the University of Toronto, also pinpoints that stress caused by the conflict between bosses and their workers spills over into their family lives. Such an effect can make their behaviour at work worse, the experts said. Mike Fisher, director of the British Association of Anger Management, said: “People in power are not trained to deal with conflict. If they are not emotionally intelligent, then their anger will spill over from the workplace into the home and back again.” In the study, researchers also found that the stress caused by “interpersonal conflict” and “work-home interference” made managers more susceptible to headaches, stomach cramps and chest pain.
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Rulers of the sea
IS there a career that can satisfy your spirit of adventure, love for challenges, technical and innovative skills, and a fascination for the sea? Strange, as it may read, there is one such career that offers all this and more — naval architecture.
As the name suggests, naval architecture involves building sea-going vessels right from yachts and ferries to submarines and aircraft carriers. When everyone else is chasing the hugely sought-after engineering degrees, here is an option that enables you to not only get an engineering qualification but also do something different, more exciting and significantly more constructive. Naval architects are professional engineers who design ships and similar marine vessels and oversee their construction and maintenance. This can include all kinds of vessels — ships, boats, and other marine vessels and offshore structures, as well as structures built for use on the seas. As shipping is becoming more and more commercially important, efficiently designed ships are required to handle defence and civilian purposes. A naval architect could be working on ships as diverse as Navy aircraft carriers, warships and submarines, Coast Guard cutters, commercial passenger and cargo vessels, oil rigs, hover crafts and all structures related to ship building. Naval architects also work at dockyards and platforms out at sea for drilling or exploratory purposes.
Art & science
NAVAL architecture combines both art and science while covering all aspects of ship design — function, appearance and safety. Many naval structures such as cruise liners, passenger and vehicle ferries, warships, submarines, offshore structures and oil tankers, are very large and complex. Construction of a vessel or structure is therefore a team activity, involving professional engineers from different fields and disciplines. However, naval architects have overall responsibility for the project, and must have a general understanding of all engineering disciplines because they generally start the process of designing a ship.
Spheres of specialisation
MOST naval architects specialise in one area of the ship building processes like design, classification, research and development. They may work on either civil or military vessels. A ship must be designed to be stable and have enough strength to cope with all weathers. It must also be as comfortable as possible for passengers and crew no matter how rough the sea is. A ship’s appearance is an important consideration for architects working on passenger liners and yachts. After they determine its basic size and shape, they address hull form and resistance, propulsion power requirements, ship structure, weight distribution, stability, and the appropriate location of the many compartments throughout the ship. In construction and repair, naval architects take responsibility for sections of the shipyard. They organise the supply, inspection and testing of materials and parts. They are also responsible for deciding how many employees a project will need.
Surveying the seas
SOME naval architects also work as ship surveyors. They work worldwide to make sure ships are safe. They examine plans of ships in their design stage, looking at their strength, stability and life-saving features. During construction, ship surveyors carry out inspections to make sure the quality of the work and materials meets rules and regulations. Once a ship is in operation, surveyors continue to do routine inspections, making sure the ship’s owners have repaired any defects and are maintaining safety standards. Naval architects can also work as consultants, providing clients with engineering solutions, technical and commercial guidance, support and project management.
Job prospects
OPPORTUNITIES exist with shipping firms, shipbuilding yards and builders like Hindustan Shipping in Vishakapatnam. There are also ship-designing organisations in coastal cities such as Mumbai, Vishakapatnam, Cochin and Chennai. Classification societies like Lloyds Register of Shipping as well as government agencies, and consulting firms also take on naval architects. Oil rig constructions centres, research and exploration sites also require the services of naval architects. Both men and women with a degree in naval architecture can also join the Indian Navy Short Service Commission.
What it takes
TO be a naval architect, you must be creative, with strong engineering design skills. You also need a logical approach to solving problems. You must have good teamwork and communication skills, as you will need to communicate well with other engineering professionals. Naval architects must have strong leadership and managerial skills. Project work demands good organisation skills, resourcefulness and the ability to improvise and make decisions; naval architects may have to manage repair teams that deal with emergency repairs as well as routine checks. You will also need to develop knowledge of legal rules and regulations, especially those concerning safety. In addition, naval architects who work as ship surveyors need a great deal of patience and high levels of concentration to check ship plans for strength, stability and life-saving features. Naval engineering is a fascinating and rewarding career that can offer challenge, excitement and satisfaction. It is an opportunity to enjoy your proficiency in mathematics and science in a career both steeped in tradition and at the cutting edge of technology.
(The writer is a career expert)
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Get set, sail
NAVAL architects need an understanding of many branches of engineering, as well as being experts in all aspects of ship design, including function, appearance and safety. They must also keep up-to-date with advances in high technology areas like computer-aided design (CAD) and calculation. So, you need to be good in physics and maths, to take up the BE/BTech courses in naval architecture, or ship building, admission for which is after 10+2 with physics, chemistry and maths.
IIT Chennai and IIT Kharagpur offer BTech programmes in naval architecture and ocean engineering. The faculty of technology of Cochin University also offers BTech naval architecture and shipbuilding. The basic qualification is plus two with at least 50 per cent marks in mathematics and an aggregate of not less than 50 cent marks marks in physics, chemistry and mathematics. The course includes practical training up to eight weeks in shipyards, repair firms, ports and research centers. College of Engineering, Vishakhapatnam, offers BTech in naval architecture while the International Maritime Academy, Chennai, and the Institute of Shipbuilding Technology, Goa, offer BTech in naval architecture. You can also take up an MTech in ocean engineering at IIT Kharagpur or Chennai after BTech in mechanical or structural engineering. If you wish to work with the Indian Navy, you can apply for the engineering branch (naval architects) after 10+2 with PCM, and study naval architecture at the Naval Academy, Cochin.
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This column appears weekly. The writer can be
contacted at svaidyanathan@tribunemail.com
On their arrival in Lanka, monkey king Sugriva’s eyes fell on Ravana and he jumped to attack him. Failing to get the better of Ravana, Sugriva returned to his camp where Rama told him, “Despite your immense strength, you can’t defeat Ravana single handedly. Had it been possible, this immense army would not have been here!”
Success comes with teamwork and a long-term plan. Earlier, when Rama’s army was on the Indian coast, he prayed to Varuna, the sea-god, for passage. “You have the right personnel in Nal and Neel to build you a bridge. If you have a plan and all of you endeavour for it, I will help you.” As the monkey-warriors dropped boulders upon boulders, they saw a squirrel contribute a few pebbles to the causeway much to the monkey-warriors’ amusement. But Rama cautioned them, “Every effort, howsoever little, counts in the final outcome.” A sword can’t do what a needle can!
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ALTHOUGH the slowdown is gradually fading away, its impact exists. It hit everyone in a big or small way. The job market is worst hit. There are retrenchments, salary cuts, freeze on new recruitments, shrinking salary packages and tight budgets. Even training and development programmes for staff have taken a backseat.
Landing a job during these critical times is a boon in itself. Companies have become rigid about salaries and are not offering packages they used to a few years ago. So, be careful not to throw away an opportunity by asking for an astronomical salary.
INDIA Inc continues to see a double-digit attrition rate, this time of 13.8 per cent — the highest in Asia Pacific region — despite economic uncertainty, says a survey. As per global HR consultancy Hewitt Associates’ annual Asia Pacific Salary Increase survey for 2009-10, most Asian companies have continued to experience double-digit voluntary employee turnover rate amid the economic downturn. 
IS there a career that can satisfy your spirit of adventure, love for challenges, technical and innovative skills, and a fascination for the sea? Strange, as it may read, there is one such career that offers all this and more — naval architecture.
As the name suggests, naval architecture involves building sea-going vessels right from yachts and ferries to submarines and aircraft carriers.
NAVAL architects need an understanding of many branches of engineering, as well as being experts in all aspects of ship design, including function, appearance and safety. They must also keep up-to-date with advances in high technology areas like computer-aided design (CAD) and calculation. So, you need to be good in physics and maths, to take up the BE/BTech courses in naval architecture, or ship building, admission for which is after 10+2 with physics, chemistry and maths.
On their arrival in Lanka, monkey king Sugriva’s eyes fell on Ravana and he jumped to attack him. Failing to get the better of Ravana, Sugriva returned to his camp where Rama told him, “Despite your immense strength, you can’t defeat Ravana single handedly. Had it been possible, this immense army would not have been here!”
Q. I am in my final year of BTech computer engineering. I was thinking of either going in for either Siebel 8.0 or Oracle Fusion Middleware/SOA BPEL. Which of these would be a better choice in terms of career prospects? Also being a fresher, will it be a problem getting into any of these?
THE recession has given rise to a new breed of people, called “potentialists”, who love to live life to the fullest and still want to continue with a lavish lifestyle, according to a survey.