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Travel to a bright future
Claim your power
Contentment graph
Happiness @ work
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Travel to a bright future
There has been an up-market trend in tourism over the past few decades, especially in Europe, where international travel for short breaks is common. Tourists have higher levels of disposable income and greater leisure time, and they are also better educated and have more sophisticated tastes. There is now a demand for better quality products, which has resulted in fragmenting of the mass market for beach vacations. People want more specialised versions, quieter resorts, family-oriented holidays or niche market-targeted destination hotels. So, working in the Travel and tourism industry is “all about making travelling an enriching and enjoyable experience for every individual by providing quality services”, says Executive Director of ITFT College Gulshan Sharma. According to him, the basic traits required to excel in this field are a pleasant personality, excellent language and communication skills, and knowledge about different travel destinations. With the emergence of advanced technologies, traveling — domestic as well as international — has become easier. Whether it is a business trip, adventure trip, religious tour or any kind of travel-based activity, professionals from this industry are available to make one’s travel hassle free. When we talk about tourism as an industry, it is the largest foreign exchange earner, and it provides employment to millions of people. Hence, it is one of the industries with bright career options available within. In this industry the employment opportunities are available in the public as well as private sector. In the public sector, Directorates and Departments of Tourism of Centre and state governments are included, whereas, jobs in travel agencies, hotels, airlines, transport agencies or cargo companies are part of the private sector.
Career options
Travel agencies: These facilitate travel and other services for everyone. Providing information about a particular destination, hotel ratings, the cheapest and the fastest mode of transport, visas, foreign exchange etc can be taken care of by travel agencies. Accounts, tours, travel and cargo are the four main departments of a travel agency. Tour operators:
These individuals organise tours and manage travel and stay of their clients. They conduct tours to known tourist attractions and some of them help the tourists indulge in adventure sports like river rafting and rock climbing etc. To take up this job, one must have a pleasant personality, and detailed knowledge concerning travel and language skills. Hotels: These provide travellers with food and accommodation services. Jobs related to front office, operations, housekeeping, food and beverages, accounting, management and public relations are available in this segment of this sector. Airlines:
Air, railways, road and sea are the basic categories that transport is divided into. The airline sector of the travel and tourism industry is in great demand. The ground staff and the airlines need smart and presentable professionals with a degree in hotel management or travel and tourism. Cruise liners: Cruise ships are basically the big floating five-star hotels, which have thousands of people employed in it. In most of the cruise ships the job offer is given from four weeks to six months, which is renewable. Irrespective of the educational background and job experience, one will find that there are great employment opportunities to work on board a cruise ship. It is the largest growing leisure/travel job industry in the world, and there is always need for new cruise staff experienced in working in areas such as hotel, casino, beauty therapy, photography, security, retail, food and beverage, administration, entertainers, IT, lecturers, security personnel etc. They also employ unskilled workers at entry level for certain jobs. Most of the larger cruise companies have a cadet-training scheme on board the ships. Adventure: For all those who enjoy leisure laced with the thrill of doing something reckless, a career in adventure sports is just the thing for them. The nature of the work here is a bit different from the other 9 to 5 jobs. Basically, this is the right field for those who superimpose their passion with career. Mountaineering is the most popular of adventure sports, and a number of youngsters are leaving their jobs to make a career in mountaineering or trekking in snowy peaks in the Himalayas. For this purpose, the candidate should be between the ages of 16-40 years, and for advanced courses the candidate should have completed the basic course with ‘A’ grade. To get some more exposure one can opt for advance adventure sports like skiing, white-water rafting, bungee jumping, kayaking and more. Tourism Department:
This department consists of reservation and counter staff, sales and marketing staff, tour planners, tour guides, information assistants and officers in the Directorate and Department of tourism. These officers for the Directorate and Department of tourism are chosen from the civil services and their job is to promote and plan tourism related activities.
Pay packet
Rumenaration in this industry varies with the brand name and the city in which a company exists. A pay counter clerk can make anything between Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000; an Assistant between Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000; junior executive Rs 18,000 to Rs 25,000; Regional Manager Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000; General Manager Rs 60,000 to Rs 1,00,000.
Eligibility
It is relatively easy to enter courses designed for travel and tourism. The main areas such as travel agencies, transport, jobs at hotels, airline work, all have good institutions that give training for about minimum of one to two years with an adequate amount of practical training. The institutions follow the guidelines provided by the Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management, and accurate information can be obtained by contacting the institutions directly. Students can enter undergraduate courses with a Higher Secondary Certificate, while postgraduate courses require graduation in any field. (The writer is a Professor at
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— Tanya Sachdev A. Certainly, there are plenty of other interesting career options beyond the traditional which you could consider. Besides looking at some of the branches of alternative or traditional systems of medicine such as Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Unani, Siddha, Naturopathy and Yoga, you could also look at related fields like pharmacy, biochemistry, biotechnology, bioinformatics, microbiology, molecular biology, genetics, physiology, veterinary science and animal husbandry, zoology, agriculture, nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and audiology, optometry, medical technologies such as ophthalmic technology, lab and X-ray technology, perfusion technology, biomedical engineering, dental mechanics, hospital administration, health management, nutrition, dietetics, food processing, medical transcription, medico-legal work, rehabilitation counselling, etc.
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Opportunities for science graduates
— Kranti Vasudeva A. Besides opting for postgraduate studies in pure and applied sciences, science graduates can take up any of the following: Teaching: You can become a school teacher after a doing BEd. To teach at the high school level, you need an MSc in the subject in addition to the BEd. Laboratory Assistant: This job, which, may have alternate names like ‘Lab-technicians, demonstrators etc., essentially revolves around taking care of the laboratory and its equipment. Lab-assistants arrange the instruments and apparatus for various experiments to be conducted in the lab. They also clean and store scientific apparatus, equipment, examine slides, etc. A PG Diploma in Medical Lab Technology would be a better option though. Scientific Assistant: A scientific assistant works under a scientist and may have responsibilities like recording routine readings of instruments, scanning books, Internet and journals for reference material, compiling working notes, etc. Depending on the nature of duties, they may be known by different names like programme assistant, shift assistant, professional assistant, etc. Forestry: Science graduates are eligible for the posts of Forester and Forest Ranger. Defence Services: Science graduates and post-graduates who meet the prescribed physical and medical requirements after clearing the entrance tests are eligible for appointment in the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Air Force, and in the Defence Science Service. Sales: Science graduates are specially suited for sales of commercial products like pharmaceuticals, scientific instruments, biotech products etc. Medical Representatives are hired by all pharmaceutical and medical equipment manufacturers for promoting and marketing their products to doctors and hospitals. Apprenticeship: Many industrial undertakings recruit science graduates for paid apprenticeship in the chemical, mechanical or other relevant engineering department. They are paid a stipend during training and may afterwards be absorbed in the factories and laboratories. Management Trainees: some business houses employ promising science graduates from top-rung colleges as management trainees on the basis of a selection test and interview. On completion of training, they are employed as executives or junior managers. Good communication skills could open up avenues in Technical Writing and content creation while a course in library and information science would open up opportunities in library and information management. The possibilities including those in BPOs, banking etc are numerous.
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Clearing Class X boards
Q. I am a housewife from Punjab. My husband works in Delhi and my son is a Class IX student in a CBSE school in Delhi. As I got married in my early teens, I did not study beyond Class IX. Since I have been helping my son with his studies all through his schooling, I have studied all his textbooks over the years. Can I write the Class X Board exam with him as a private candidate?
— Harvinder Kaur A. CBSE conducts two regular Class X board exams every year — one all-India exam in which many upscale Delhi schools also participate, and the other restricted to the rest of the Delhi schools, many of them run by the Delhi government. You have not made clear whether your son will be writing the all-India exam or the Delhi exam. To be eligible to write as a private candidate in either exam, one should have either failed the last board exam or should be teaching in a CBSE school. Neither of which is applicable in your case. There are additional categories of people who can write the Delhi exam: female Delhi residents and physically handicapped people, provided they fulfill certain conditions. Among others, they must give sufficient evidence that they found it difficult to attend high school. You can get all the relevant information in the FAQs section of the CBSE website www.cbse.nic.in. Otherwise, you can always register with the Patrachar Vidyalaya, which is affiliated with CBSE, and conducts courses through distance learning. Yet another option is to enroll with the National Institute of Open Schooling, an autonomous institution under the HRD ministry. NIOS offers a flexible educational alternative through distance learning supported by coaching through a countrywide network of study centres and on-demand exams. Details: www.nios.ac.in
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PG in food tech
— Akhil Tripathi A. At the postgraduate level courses in food tech are offered at both the MSc and MTech level. You may check out some of the universities in north India such as: MTech (Food Sc/Tech/Processing & Preservation): Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana Allahabad Agricultural Institute (Deemed University), College of Agri Engg & Tech, Allahabad (UP), (www.aaidu.org) Course: MTech (Food Tech): with specialisation in: Food Process Engg, Food Engg, Food Quality Mgt, Food Chain Mgt, Food Safety & Standards, Food Laws & Policies Selection: Entrance test Chaudhry Devi Lal University, Sirsa (Har) Harcourt Butler Technological Institute, Kanpur 208002 (UP) Course: MTech (Food Tech), 2-year
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Extension education
— Mandvi Gaur A. Extension education essentially focuses on teaching rural people how to live better by learning ways to improve their farm, home and community institutions. In other words, its about ‘helping people to help themselves’ by changing their behaviour (knowledge, attitude and skills). Hence, an extension educator wears many hats — that of a teacher, guide, friend and philosopher — simultaneously. You must not only have a sound knowledge and understanding of the subject, but also an interest and ability to work for and with the village folk. The profession, while challenging, can be very satisfying. In addition to several other universities, almost all the State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) and four National Institutes (NIs) / Deemed Universities (DUs) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) offer masters and doctoral programmes in different branches of Extension Education. Besides getting teaching and research positions in different educational and research institutions, as an extension educator, you can also be employed by national and international NGOs engaged in rural development and related research activities.
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Clear MBA
Q. I have done my MBA. But the problem is that I have not cleared one paper. If I take up a job, would I be eligible for positions that call for an MBA degree? How should I handle questions regarding why I couldn’t clear the exam? The true reason is that due to some family problems I could not concentrate on my studies.
— L P Jha A. There is such stiff competition in the workplace today. No one is really interested in the reasons why you couldn’t complete your programme, however genuine they may be. An employer chooses the best person to fulfill the job requirement. So if there is another candidate with a better set of skills then he is more likely to be chosen. Please focus on completing your MBA on a priority basis so that you can get a job commensurate with an MBA qualification. If however, you need to take up work immediately, then don’t think of yourself as an MBA. Consider yourself as a graduate with some additional skills and try to get a job that essentially requires a bachelor’s degree — as a sales executive, BPO associate, front office or guest-relations executive, etc. The experience you gain on the job will certainly be of value in getting a better position once you’ve cleared
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Claim your power
You have been achieving everything you possibly can — working overtime, meeting all deadlines, cutting costs, increasing revenues. You also know you are an efficient worker who consistently produces good results but due to some reasons, you never get the recognition you deserve. Despite all efforts, success still remains an unachievable dream for you.
Also, you are stuck in the same muddle without even meriting a raise in a long time while other less deserving co-workers merrily move up the ranks. In such a situation, you are extremely frustrated and cannot help but wonder what is going wrong and where. Well, along with the fundamental professional skills, you also need to lay the groundwork for success with some good personal skills that are equally imperative for excelling at work. The following tips will make you an employee that everyone wants and these will pave the way to success in your career.
Be visible
Don’t work with your neck stuck to the grindstone. It will never help you. Think about how many people in the organisation really know what you are accomplishing. You will not get any recognition unless you get your work highlighted and make it tangible. This requires networking with people both within and outside your department where you subtly flaunt your exceptional skills and success by speaking about tough projects, risky assignments or exciting challenges. This will raise your profile and also make people remember you.
Communicate effectively
You are seen only as a valued asset, but your own boss may “blissfully” not know about your vital contribution. Your task is to keep yourself on his radar through varied means, like discussing his goals and expectations, seeking advice, giving support, offering suggestions, updating him about your important targets.
Achieve what you want
What you want is not so easy and will not be handed over to you on a platter. You have to recognise where you want to be and then grasp every opportunity to get there. Be vigilant to seize any opportunity like leading a team, taking a calculated risk in a project or volunteering to head a committee that shows that you are always willing to work and advance, even at the cost of personal pains.
Be friendly
Mix with all and be friendly. Steer clear of office politics as it only creates troubles. But, truth is that always remaining above such behaviour can also backfire by keeping you aloof from your co-workers, who may stop supporting you. You have no choice but to play the game by displaying good people skills in order to develop amicable relationship with everyone around you. Try to use the politics for your benefits and develop healthy contacts without indulging in useless gossiping. As a career expert highlights, “Sometimes knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do.”
The key to rise is to identify your core competencies and then work at getting these noticed. For instance, if you are a good demonstrator, be on the look out to create opportunities to give presentations. Likewise, if analysis is your strength, prepare research reports and send them to the management. On the other hand you also have to take steps carefully lest people perceive you over smart.
Avoid confrontation
Constantly thrusting and asserting over the boss, complaining about colleagues or criticising company projects will not help you. You have to project yourself as an optimistic worker who looks for solutions instead of merely finding faults. You have to remain alert about what is going on around you. Try to understand others’ motives like who is to get you out and who is really with you.
Have a positive attitude
The recession will not last forever. Therefore, think positive and act positive. Hope for the best. Keep in mind the time when the situation would improve. Your hardwork will be noticed when the organisation recovers financially. You will be recognised as a valuable asset to the company. Post-slowdown, your enhanced skills can be rewarded by the rejuvenated organisation.
Be methodical
Amid pink slips and layoffs and ever increasing workload, working for long hours might have become a habit with you. But according to new research, to get more work done you must stop working relentlessly and relax in between that will recharge your batteries. Plan for deadlines well in advance. Prepare a daily list of your priorities and focus on sticking to these to accomplish all urgent and important work within a specified time schedule. Streamlining work and planning in advance helps to improve your productivity and completing your works in less time.
Get a powerful guru
Last but not the least, get a powerful ‘guru’ who can guide you, encourage and inspire you towards success. Hence, claim your power and you will find yourself heading towards the next promotion.
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Contentment graph
Women engaged in private sector firms like BPO may be getting fat salaries but their job satisfaction level compared with females employed in public sector undertakings are low, a survey said. “While working women in India find highest levels of job satisfaction in public sector undertakings measured at scale is seven, females engaged in BPO/KPO sector are least satisfied from their current jobs that averaged to 4 on scale of 10,” industry body Assocham said. Out of the 773 working women who participated in the survey, a majority said that they would like to do jobs in PSUs, it said a day before the International Women’s Day (March 8).
“Majority of working women gave priority to PSU sectors like banking, power and petroleum emphasising that these (sectors) provide satisfying nature of work, including reasonably good annual income with job security and convenient working hours, besides a healthy work environment,” it said. While, women employed in BPO/KPO feel lack of personal growth and development, as they perceived less room in decision-making process, no flexibility in work timings and lot of pressure to achieve targets, it said. The study also said that working women in the sectors like agro-based industries, economic and social organisation, hospitality, IT, media and entertainment were also not satisfied. “In all these sectors, the satisfaction levels hovers around close to a scale of 4,” it said. Assocham survey also said that employer/bosses of female professionals generally has more trust on male rather than female officers as women executives are found to be weaker than men at multi-tasking and largely intent to quit. “Male bosses with female subordinates receive the high amount of mentoring, including collegial social report, coaching and task mentioning, whereas female bosses with women employees report more psychological support, loyalty, intuitiveness and compassion for work,” it said. — PTI
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Happiness @ work
On taking charge of a system that works, make changes to it only after knowing what makes it tick. Otherwise, you could make all involved ill at ease.
Like other invaders before them, the British reached the Indian coast in search of riches. But without fully unravelling the secret of our prosperity, the Britons wrecked our economic system. In their haste, they slit open the goose that laid the golden egg. Without thinking it through, Muhammad-bin-Tughluq moved the sultanate’s capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in the Deccan. Trouble on the northern frontiers forced him to undo the move. Another revolutionary idea of his that met with the same fate was the use of copper coins. People started minting their own coins ruining the system. In contrast, Mauryan Prime Minister Chanakya understood the value of continuity. After dethroning the Nandas, he entrapped Rakshasa, the Prime Minister of the Nandas, pardoned him and made him assume office under Emperor Chandragupta Maurya. He also arranged for the marriage of Durdhara, a Nanda princess, with the Emperor. This smoothened the transition from the Nandas to the Mauryas. Even after winning the Mahabharata war and becoming King, Yudhisthira consulted his uncle and the former King Dhritrashtra on major policy decisions as the blind man was the eldest member of the family at that time. Prepare before you set out to test the waters. — Sai R. Vaidyanathan The writer can be contacted at svaidyanathan@tribunemail.com
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Tourism, the word that implies leisure, relaxation and pleasure for holiday seekers, also stands for one of the major economy boosters for developed as well as developing nations. Travel and tourism is one of the world’s largest industries, employing approximately 220 million people and generating over 9.4 per cent of world GDP.
You have been achieving everything you possibly can — working overtime, meeting all deadlines, cutting costs, increasing revenues. You also know you are an efficient worker who consistently produces good results but due to some reasons, you never get the recognition you deserve. Despite all efforts, success still remains an unachievable dream for you.
Also, you are stuck in the same muddle without even meriting a raise in a long time while other less deserving co-workers merrily move up the ranks. In such a situation, you are extremely frustrated and cannot help but wonder what is going wrong and where.
Tourism, the word that implies leisure, relaxation and pleasure for holiday seekers, also stands for one of the major economy boosters for developed as well as developing nations. Travel and tourism is one of the world’s largest industries, employing approximately 220 million people and generating over 9.4 per cent of world GDP.
Q. Are there any other careers related to medicine that I could look at just in case I don’t make it to MBBS or BDS?
Q. I am a final year student of BSc (Physics). Due to certain family constraints I won’t be able to pursue long-term higher studies. Can you give me an overview of the jobs available to physics graduates?
Q. Could you please tell me where courses in food technology can be pursued at the Master’s level?
Q. I am very keen to know something about the field of extension education? Where is it taught, and what are its prospects?