Realm of the ‘green collar’
Udit Mittal surveys the budding green jobs scenario in the country

The recent global economic downturn has given policymakers an opportunity to take a second look at their growth strategies, and many have concluded not only that serious structural change to a low carbon economy is necessary, but that the time to make the investment has arrived. Rapidly evolving job opportunities demand skill sets in environmental sustainability, and traditional jobs need to be re-imagined to support the emerging green economy. This rising need has given way to the concept ‘green jobs’

A green job is one that helps bring about and maintain a transition to environmentally sustainable forms of production and consumption. Green jobs relate not only to renewable energy, biodiversity preservation, waste management, water conservation and treatment, and carbon management, but also to the change in employment patterns in favour of greener, cleaner and more sustainable employment.

A ‘green job’ is employment in any industry that contributes to preserving or restoring environmental quality in that sector and allowing for sustainable development. Specifically, but not exclusively, this includes jobs that help protect ecosystems and biodiversity; reduce energy, materials, and water consumption through high efficiency strategies; de-carbonize the economy; and minimize (or altogether avoid) generation of all forms of waste and pollution. A green job can be a white or a blue collared job in any sector: agriculture, manufacturing, research and development, administrative, and service activities such as IT, finance, teaching and so on.

Green jobs exist in all sectors. Increasing environmental awareness is changing and increasing legislation supporting the environment, which will mean increased environmental litigation, lawyers and policy writers. Growth of global carbon markets will mean an increase in carbon finance consultants, analysts, financiers, an increase in carbon accountants, business risk analysts and more. A rise in green buildings and energy efficiency is increasing the demand for architects, engineers, technicians, plumbers, and construction workers. This means more engineering jobs, more construction jobs and more management jobs. These are just a few sectors and jobs out of the hundreds of jobs that will be transformed and created in the future.

Green jobs in India could overlap with other professions: architects capable of designing green buildings, civil engineers capable of making environment-friendly infrastructure, organic farmers, etc. India will need a lot of professionals and trained people to take care of and expand its solar energy, wind power and turbine facilities. The country is facing a shortage of experts in these fields.

Green collar job is the latest trend in the job market and employment sector. The green jobs trend is sprouting around the world. By generating new kinds of employment even countries like India the trend of green jobs is going to be a revolutionary drive and a much preferred one in the coming years.

There is an increasing demand amongst students for “green” courses and degrees that provide them with the knowledge needed to equip them for a rapidly changing business environment and shift in all sectors. In addition to this, businesses are increasingly demanding for more workers with the right skills to complete their projects and work, hence it is crucial that the education sector disseminates the right curricular, training to students, in order to adequately prepare them for a decent paying job.

Some of the courses available to students are:

Bachelor of Science (Env. Sc.)

BE in Environmental Engineering

BTech in Environmental Engineering

Carbon Finance Course n Masters in Science (Env. Sc.)  

Mtech/ME in Environmental Engineering

ME in Hydraulics and Flood Engineering

Phd & Mphil in Environmental Management

Phd in Environmental Protection and Management

Phd in Environmental Science

Phd in Environmental technology  

Phd in Environmental Engineering  

Phd in Forest Ecology, Biodiversity & Environmental Sciences  

To turn these aspirations of green jobs into reality their is a need to train and educate people so that they have the skills that match the work required for development. India today faces a major skills mismatch in the job market, where workers do not have the specific skills that business leaders need in their employees.  

But to develop the skills for multi-disciplinary positions that require thinking that combines technical skills with business and personnel management sometimes work shops helps. Focus on practical based learning with a stronger emphasis on skills, along with using the latest case studies. This form of learning will also demonstrate a model to build a new education system for India, founded on practical realities that our future workers will face.

The writer is Managing Director Unison International

Career Hotline
Pervin Malhotra
Loan for pilot’s training

Q. I am a Gaddi boy from Himachal Pradesh. I have passed Class XII (physics, chemistry and maths) in first division. I am very keen to become a pilot. I want to know if it's possible to get an education loan to join a flying school. If yes, then how much loan can I get?

— Taran Kumar

A. The amount required will depend on whether you're looking at pursuing a course in India or abroad. In either case, you must be prepared to shell out close to Rs 25 -35 lakh (IGRUA's course fee is Rs 26.5 lakh). Banks do pay for study abroad provided you come up with the requisite collateral.

From what I gather, aviation courses are classified as career training and not professional education for the purpose of acquiring a loan and thus banks charge a higher rate of interest from student borrowers. Moreover, they are somewhat cautious about granting financial assistance for such courses. Do check with your bank.

However, the good news is that almost 50 per cent of seats at the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udaan Academy (IGRUA), Rae Bareill, the country's premier flying school, are reserved for SC/ST/OBC candidates, but the flying school does not offer any financial assistance. Instead, the Minority Commission has various schemes for SC/ST/OBC students.

The admission notification appears in April-May every year. Details: www.igrua.gov.in

The M/o Tribal Affairs, GoI offers scholarships for the CPL course under the Post-Matric Scholarship scheme for ST students like you.

ST students are awarded scholarship covering full tuition fee and other non-refundable dues for Government/Government-funded institutions. However, there is a ceiling of Rs 3.72 lakh pa for private sector flying clubs for Commercial Pilot Training.

In addition to the above, the scholarship also provides for

living expenses @ Rs 2200 pm subject to actuals

books and stationery @ Rs 3000 pa

cost of a latest computer system along with its accessories limited to Rs 45,000 as one time assistance during the course.

The ceiling on family income has been revised to Rs 2 lakh pa. Details: www.tribal.nic.in

Also check out IndiGo Airlines's Cadet Pilot Programme if it's still open.

Doctorate in home science

Q. I want to do PhD in home science. Could you please suggest some universities and institutions which I should be looking at?

— Yash Tomar

A. You could choose from any of the following universities that offer a PhD in home science in the north:

Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana

Ch Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (Har)

Ch Sarwan Kumar HPKV (HP):

Allahabad Agriculture Deemed University, UP

Banasthali Vidyapeeth (Raj)

Dayalbagh Education Institute, Agra (UP)

Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar University (UP)

Guru Ghasidas Univ, Chattisgarh

Rani Durgavati University (MP)

Good option

Q. I could not get into a good engineering college, so I've opted for BSc IT at a leading college instead. Could you please tell me something about BSc (IT) and BE. What is the difference between the two and their scope.

— Girish Johri

A. BSc (IT) is a three-year course, after which you generally need to do MCA or MSc (IT) or go for some good certifications like CCNA, Java etc to be able to get a good job in IT.

BE and BTech are four-year engineering degrees that enable you to get a job in the industry - including as a software engineer - particularly if you do it from a good engineering college.

Lately however, a number of leading IT companies have started recruiting bright BSc (IT) grads for software development jobs. They come somewhat cheaper (they are inducted at a band lower than their BTech counterparts). And after the requisite initial training they do the same work, and perform equally well. So if you don't make it to a good engineering college, I feel the BSc option may be worth considering.

Forestry courses abroad

Q. I have done MSc forestry. I would like to go abroad for further study. Which countries and institutes offer research programmes in forestry?

— Parvez Alvi

A. If you are scouting for greener pastures abroad, Europe has a long tradition of forest education. Oxford Forestry Research Institute (UK), European Forestry Research Institute (Finland), New Zealand Forestry Research Institute, Forest Research Institute, Malaysia (FRIM) are just some of the research organisations you could consider.

Also a number of highly esteemed universities like Yale University (www.yale.edu) and University of California, Berkley (US), Oxford University (www.ox.ac.uk) and University of Reading, UK (www.rdg.ac.uk), University of Queensland, Australia (www.uq.edu.au) and University of Toronto (Canada) offer excellent research programmes for scholars like you.

Closer home, you could consider joining international forestry organisations like the International Forestry Research Institute (Indonesia), Regional Community Forestry Training Centre for Asia & Pacific (Thailand), International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (Nepal), Pakistan Forest Research Institute, Institute of Forestry (Bangladesh) and Chinese Academy of Forestry.

For a holistic approach to tackling the global problem of environmental degradation and dwindling forest cover a multi-pronged and multi-disciplinary approach needs to be adopted. Most of the courses abroad have adopted this approach to facilitate research work.

Number wizard

Q. My daughter is very good in mathematics. How can I encourage her?

— Vinita Dang

A. The ability to enjoy mathematics is a gift not everyone is endowed with. If your daughter has a talent and passion for maths, she needs all the encouragement she can get. Make sure she participates in the International Mathematics Olympiad, which is one of the most prestigious contests for high school students the world over.

CBSE Group Mathematical Olympiad: December 4, 2011.

The Top 30 students from CBSE group will participate in INMO conducted by the National Board of Higher Mathematics on February 5, 2012.

Those selected at the national level will get to participate in the International Mathematical Olympiad.

Contact your daughter's school principal for details.

Any student studying in Class IX-XII can participate in this contest.

A school can sponsor only five students selected strictly on the basis of a screening test conducted by the school itself.

Application deadline: October 15, 2011

Finding the origin of diseases

Q. What is epidemiology? How does one become an epidemiologist?

— Savita Mehta

A. Just as a crime remains a mystery until it is solved, the outbreak of a disease also remains a mystery until it is solved with the help of Epidemiology Intelligence (EI).

Several outbreaks in India remain unsolved precisely due to lack of EI. Outbreaks of diseases such as Japanese encephalitis, dengue, hemorrhagic fever and leptospirosis occur frequently but public authorities fail to predict or prevent them.

Epidemiology seeks to study the patterns and causes of diseases. Epidemiologists collect and interpret data on diseases in order to prevent, control and treat them. Major discoveries in the field of public health have been due to detailed epidemiological analyses of events and diseases.

It is due to the work of epidemiologists that small pox has been eradicated from the world, polio has been almost eliminated, and the link between smoking and lung cancer has been established. As opposed to the curative emphasis of mainstream medicine, epidemiology focuses on preventive medicine.

The trick lies in quickly identifying the mode of transmission and applying preventive measures. For instance, the transmission route of a deadly strain of encephalitis virus was traced from fruit bats (flying foxes) to pigs to humans and then to other humans.

In India, epidemiologists have traditionally been MBBS graduates specialising in preventive medicine. Now postgraduate courses are being offered by several government and private institutions to train epidemiologists. Among the major institutions in this field are the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Delhi; National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai; All-India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Kolkata, and Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.

Epidemiologists work with NGOs, research institutions, universities, and international institutions, such as WHO and UNICEF. They also serve as government health officers.

You need an inquisitive and analytical mind with an eye for minute details to succeed as an epidemiologist.

Course watch
Visual effects

Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC) has launched a comprehensive programme on Visual Effects to cater the ever-growing requirement of skilled and quality manpower for the booming domestic and international VFX industry.

The duration of the course is 17 months. The course will cover latest softwares available in the market making the student a job-ready professional.

Speaking about the course, Ram Warrier, Business Head, MAAC said, “VFX as a career is churning out students at the speed of light. The industry is booming with tens of thousands of available job opportunities. Studios in India are flooded with VFX work not only for Bollywood movies but also for international VFX assignments.”

“MAAC has introduced this impeccable course to reach out to a wide number of enthusiasts aspiring to enter this booming industry. The programme will not only help students to develop their own full fledged portfolio but also give them a unique opportunity to benefit from an exhaustive curriculum, in an inspiring environment, trained by competent faculty and guided by interaction with industry experts.” he added

VFX plus offers career opportunities like compositor, match moving artist, FX artist, lighting artist pre-viz artist, motion graphics artist, roto artist clean up artist.

Mechanical Engineering
A field of many hues
Ashwin Kumar

In today's world, mechanical engineers hold leadership positions in many industries, including aerospace, biomechanical and biomedical engineering, construction, electronics, national defence, power generation, and transportation. Within these industries, engineers may participate in the design of machinery or fluid handling systems, the analysis of heat transfer from electronics packages or of vibration in mechanical systems, the automation of manufacturing processes, the efficient operation of industrial plants, the marketing of technical products or services, or any number of other activities. An mechanical engineer’s contribution may be anywhere in the spectrum from the highly theoretical to eminently practical. He often assumes the role of a leader of engineers and other members of the organisation.

Mechanical engineering is a branch of engineering that works around the analysis, design, manufacturing and maintenance of mechanical systems. The work is highly skilled and heavily involved computer-aided engineering (CAE) as a result of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). This 2D and 3D modelling is for easier insight into the production of parts, meaning one can exhaustively scrutinise the designs and any potential flaws.

Scope

Mechanical engineering finds application in all fields of technology. It is one of the primary branches of engineering which has always remained in demand. This is why mechanical trade is called an evergreen trade (branch). Mechanical engineers have always been needed as essential personnel in various industries of both public and private sector. Their work criteria changes according to the type and domain of the company they are working for. With the immense growth of the industrial sector, the need for mechanical engineers has also increased exponentially. Every manufacturing and production industry needs mechanical engineers to carry out jobs efficiently and flawlessly.

Job Opportunities

As the working criteria of a mechanical engineer changes according to the type and domain of the company one is working with and the field of specialisation, we can broadly say that a mechanical engineer's work involves designing and controlling a system that goes into the process of manufacturing the machinery and/or a product. He tests new systems for feasibility and efficiency and carries out quality management and improvement process.

Mechanical engineers work in the automotive, aerospace, chemical, computer, communication, paper, and power generation industries.

There is tremendous scope in automobile engineering, cement industry, steel, power sector, hydraulics, manufacturing plants, drilling and mining Industry, petroleum, aeronautical, biotechnology and many more. With its wide scope of application, mechanical engineers are always in demand in any part of the world. You can also find job very easily in government and public sector organisations such as Indian Railways, defence research organisation, armed forces, thermal power corporations etc.

Getting in

Students with physics, chemistry, and maths subject combination in Class XII are eligible for opting for graduation courses in mechanical engineering.

The final examination of the Plus II system, conducted by any recognised central/state board, such as Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi; Council for Indian School Certificate Examination, New Delhi; etc.

Intermediate or two-year Pre-University examination conducted by a recognised board/university.

Final examination of the two-year course of the Joint Services Wing of the National Defence Academy.

Duration

The graduation course for mechanical engineering is of four years, and in case of polytechnic diploma courses, the duration is of two to three years.

The writer is CEO, NGF College of Engineering & Technology, Palwal

ON MY OWN
Drive to achieve

Atul Khosla, Director, Om Nanotech Pvt. Ltd is a young entrepreneur who ventured in 2006 to set-up manufacturing facility in a very high-tech segment of computer hardware, with an objective of bringing a new technology to India. Om Nanotech’s products like computer memory and pen drives are currently sold in 21 countries and also across India. Within a short span of five years, the company is has given employment to more than 450 persons in its day-to-day operations. In an interview with Arupjyoti Gogoi, Atul Khosla talks about his venture

How did the idea of setting up this organisation come about?

India is among the IT superpowers, having one of the highest growth rates in personal computer sales. However, India did not have a single computer memory manufacturing unit that could take on end-to-end activity —from testing of DRAM ICs to manufacturing of complete tested products. This kind of activity was mainly undertaken by Taiwan, Korea and China due to two reasons – one, such technology was limited to only a few selected companies in this region, second, the cost of production in such countries was much lower than that in India. India anyways was not an attractive destination for computer hardware manufacturing. However, there was an urge in the promoters to bring such a technology to India and ultimately develop a quality product that could make its mark globally. The conviction, to bring India also on the global hardware map, made promoters set up the unit in India. This laid the foundation for Om Nanotech Pvt. Ltd., which became the largest exporter of memory modules. Today our brands Zipmem and Dolgix are doing extremely well in India and overseas.

What, according to you, are the mantras of success that need to be followed for a business firm to reap maximum benefits/profits?

There is no single mantra for success.  We also subscribe to the oft-repeated adage, ‘Customer is the king’. If an enterprise consistently meets or exceeds customer’s expectations, the resulting reputation shall ensure long term customer loyalty. The enterprise must also be perceived to be fair in its dealings by its distributors, dealers and all other stakeholders. Last but not the least, a motivated, empowered and adequately trained team is the bedrock for any successful venture.

What are the ideas that you’ve introduced in your business firm’s operations/work culture?

We have a no-frills set up that is cost conscious and very agile to meet the need of the hour. Due to global volatility of the prices, that sometimes even change by the hour, our production priorities could also change many times a day.  The emphasis on ensuring minimum turn-around time, from raw material to end product, has led us to work on 24X7 basis. It would not have been possible to manage production and quality in such a volatile environment without a well trained and empowered manpower. A clear process results in right decisions on shop floor, without any intervention from top. Every job is well defined and each worker is certified by the QC department for specific role that he can take. We have ensured that each worker carries at least two certified skills; this ensures that the manpower is always busy in productive work, without need to hire extra manpower. At the same time, we have tried to keep politics out of the organisation so that all departments work in harmony.

What were the major challenges faced while implementing these ideas?

The challenges were many. Since there was no manufacturing unit that was doing the kind of work that we wanted to undertake, we could not hire pre-trained manpower. To be competitive globally, especially with China, we could not afford hiring expensive manpower. Again finding workers that could work in night shift was not easy. The biggest challenge was training and retention of the low-end manpower. 

Then there were other challenges — to import and export the products in minimum time. We could manufacture the end product overnight but getting it on the flight takes additional two days. The global customer does not want to wait and cancels orders if the order is not delivered in time.

What is the way forward/ what are your future plans for taking the organisation ahead?

We are going to increase manufacturing capacity soon. We are also going to introduce new products that are ‘Made in India’. Currently our emphasis is to take our ‘Made in India’ brands – Zipmem and Dolgix, global. These brands probably shall be the first memory brands from India that shall be available across the world. Currently our products are sold in 21 countries.

NEWS BOARD
Study centres opened

Lovely Professional University (LPU) has opened two study centres each for distance learning programmes in Chandigarh and Mohali to provide academic as well as administrative support to students. Commenting on this development, Ashok Mittal, Chancellor, LPU said, “By opening the LPU Study Centres for Distance Learning, we are ensuring that an innovative pedagogy is developed to help students get education which is flexible, economical, convenient and effective by all means.”

Under LPU DE, students are provided with study material, contact classes and various online resources to facilitate learning. LPU DE programmes are recognised by the Distance Education Council (DEC), an apex body for the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system in India, and Joint Committee of UGC-AICTE-DEC for running Distance Education Programmes. For taking admission to DE programmes candidates can log on to the LPU DE website www.lpude.in, check out the nearest study centre, and approach it for admission. The other way is to down load Application Form from the website and send the same to the nearest study centre or to University, along with required documents.

Behavioural lab at XLRI

In a first-of-its-kind initiative XLRI, Jamshedpur, has set up a behavioural Lab on campus. An inter-disciplinary laboratory that will allow researchers to delve into the minds of prospective consumers across categories was inaugurated by Fr. E. Abraham, S.J. (Director of XLRI). The lab will be available for use across all functional disciplines of the XLRI comprising XLRI faculty, fellow-researchers, and post-graduate students. Conceptualised last year, the ambitious lab is aimed at providing students and teachers with cutting-edge research tools designed to peer into the unconscious mind - said to influence consumer choices - and study behavioral trends. Several research projects, in the fields of behaviour studies, organisational behaviour studies, economic, finance, HRM etc, can be conducted at the lab.

The lab will undertake collaborative studies in close concert with all the departments within the XLRI campus. The lab has chalked out plans to establish a consumer panel of over 3,000 persons from different walks of life. The consumer panel will include people from urban and rural parts of Jamshedpur and East Singhbhum District. Jamshedpur, a cosmopolitan city with a population of over 14 lakh has a high literacy rate of 83 per cent and is a home to several industrial giants viz; Tata Steel and Tata Motors. Employees working in these companies and other companies in Jamshedpur come from different parts of the country thereby allowing selection of a diverse consumer panel by way of income, age, cultural background, education levels etc. to carry out experiments and controlled testing.

At present the lab is equipped with software like Qualtrics, Media Lab and equipment to run experiments based on the principles of cognitive psychology like direct response time machine that help in understanding whether the stimulus shown to people is having an emotional or cognitive impact. 

Don't tip the balance
Jappreet Sethi

Are you married to your job? Have your family, personal hobbies and social life taken a back-seat? For how long has this state of affairs been going on?

If you do not have a healthy work-life balance, chances are that your stress-levels are on the higher side. You may be able to detect some of the symptoms of stress within yourself - fatigue, recurring headaches, lack of appetite, depression and hopelessness, etc. However, the more dangerous symptoms of work-related stress are likely to be flying below the radar. If you don't know this by now, wake up - stress can kill you.

No escape

Gone are the days when people could draw the line between work and personal life. Modern technology (read Blackberry, laptops and video conferences) has ensured that work follows us wherever we go. This causes us to lose whatever harmony we may have once had in our lives. We forsake our hobbies, give our families the short end of the stick and lose touch with our friends. We do nothing to divert ourselves from work and work-related issues.

Avoid overload

If you're currently married to your job because you're chasing a promotion, remember that losing your work-life balance can actually impede your productivity. The lack of diversion and family time will cause your faculties to overload and slow down. Moreover, you will have lost focus on what hard work is finally all about - creating a better life for yourself and your loved ones. Your absence from your family is, therefore, not going to increase the quality quotient of your life

Also, don't forget that the more you put in over and beyond the call of duty, the more will be routinely expected of you. You may soon find yourself shouldering a burden of responsibilities that should ideally be spread over a team. In other words, your hard work may be nullifying the chances of forming and leading a team for your department. This obviously translates into negative career growth.

Unhealthy side effects

Losing work-life balance is also a leading cause of substance abuse, nervous breakdowns and various other health-related problems.

Finally, excessive work may also be an escape mechanism. Many people whose personal lives are out of whack tend to bury themselves in work. This is a form of denial which can have serious consequences. The objective in such cases is to postpone or entirely avoid working on such issues. The ultimate result will be that these unresolved issues reach a breaking point. For instance, many divorces take place because of this syndrome.

If you find yourself consistently working harder and longer hours and losing work-life balance, it is time to take a close look at your options. Here are some the questions you should get answers for:

Are you empowered to hire subordinates?

What are your delegation powers?

Is you company open to flexible working hours and/or telecommuting?

However, the onus of creating work-life harmony still falls on you. After all, we cannot blame our employers for giving us workloads that we seem willing and even eager to take on. If you have not learnt to refuse to take on excessive work, you may need counselling to muscle up your assertiveness skills. You should also reinvent your weekly schedule to include a fair and equitable amount of time with your family, with your friends and on your own to pursue your personal interests.

Office  Mantra
The fine art of complaining

D. C. Sharma
Although almost every employee grumbles and complains at one time or the other in his work life, not everyone knows how and when to present his/her complaint. As most employees fail to present their complaint adequately, all complaints are not adequately redressed.

Mastering the art of complaining, however, is not everyone's cup of tea. But with proper practice one can master it to some extent. Such a practice even lightens the mind and body of the complainant making him more constructive and productive and establishing his value, worth, reputation and popularity.

Sandwich technique

First technique is to learn to sandwich your complaint. A person who grumbles like a chronic complainer is considered a misfit, a crank by his bosses. But when the same person learns to be patient and sandwiches his complaint, he is often given a patient hearing. This diplomatic twist is an art that enables you to lodge a bitter complaint to your boss without annoying him.

In order to master this art remember the following points.

Never doubt your own worth. Alexander Dumas has well said, "A person who doubts himself is like a man who enlists in the ranks of the enemy and bears arms against himself."

Why use derogatory terms and labels to prove your point? Be polite and humble. You just need a good result and don’t have to establish that you are right and that your boss is in the wrong.

Make use of juicy-sweet words. Present your complaint in three parts just as in a tasty sandwich. Your enticing opening should get the attention of your boss making him receptive to listen to whatever you have to say. Once he opens his ears, his eyes, too, would become wide open to read your complaint in further detail. Therein comes the spicy part of the sandwich. Now strike the iron while it is hot. Now make his mouth water creating a sense of suspense so that he may crave to know more about your genuine right and legitimacy. Then present your case in as great detail as you can. But beware of using any point of irritation lest he throws the pages into the dustbin.

The closing part of the complaint is the final layer of the sandwich. This part is no less important. Herein establish why your complaint deserves to be redressed at the earliest. Indicate and show why you deserve this and how you had been deprived of your right earlier. But never ignore the gratitude part. Tell your boss how grateful you would feel when you get your due. Be firm yet humble. No boss would ever tolerate the injustice done to you provided you know how to click, otherwise you generally miss.

Present the real picture

Just bear in mind that no boss ever wishes to be instructed how and when to solve your problem. That type of attitude surely goes against you. That way he will resist to do what you want him to do for you. Let him see the real picture for himself. Your function is just to relate your problem. You just politely convey what you deserve, and why you deserve it. Convince him and then leave the matter to him.

Perfect timing

The time of giving the complaint by hand to the boss is of utmost importance. Never approach him when he is already engrossed in a problem bigger than yours. He will most probably ignore you at once. And once you create that bad impression of interrupting him, you will always miss the winning mark.

Studies have shown that complaining if not treated as a threat or challenge makes a better impact upon the boss than otherwise. A complaint is not to give vent to your suppressed anger, but a calm and cool method of presenting your problem. It is not an untimely abortion but a smooth delivery of your grudge and grievance. Herein you are claiming your right and want to get the justice. Here you are not to spout filthy words on the opponents but let the other party feel how you have the legitimate right to get what you have demanded.

Don’t cross the line

There is no question of persuading your boss to grant your wish at the cost of others. Stewart Johnson advised, "Our business in life is not to get ahead of others, but to get ahead of ourselves." The attitude of getting un-genuine benefits will make you feel guilty sooner or later. And your relations with others are spoilt forever. Even your near and dear ones will one day say how selfish you are! Judge your own feelings for a moment. So do others have their sentiments and emotions too! Hurting their feelings you lose your own peace of mind. Such a complaining would rather make you a loser instead of a gainer.

— The writer is a psychologist and a career expert

Hormones guide career choices

Parents please note: You may want your daughter to be a scientist, doctor or an engineer. But, a new study suggests her career choice largely depends on the hormones she was exposed to as a foetus.

Psychologists at Pennsylvania State University found that girl children exposed to high rates of a male hormone in their mother's uterus are more likely than other females to later be interested in jobs normally preferred by males, such as engineer or pilot.

The psychologists looked at the career interests of 125 young men and women with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), a genetic condition in which the body produces high levels of the male hormone androgen.

Although they are exposed to androgen while developing, females with CAH are genetically female and reared as females.

However, their career interests tended to match those shown by males, both with and without CAH. They were less interested in jobs like social worker and teacher than other females, the researchers found.

"We took advantage of a natural experiment," said study author Sheri Berenbaum was quoted as saying by LiveScience.

For their study, the researchers asked each participant, whose ages ranged from 9 to 26, to rank 64 jobs based on their like, dislike or indifference to.

It was found there were clear differences in how each group of participants - females and males with or without CAH - ranked certain jobs and types of jobs.

When the researchers grouped the jobs on a scale of whether they involved working more with people, such as a nurse or teacher, or working more with inanimate things, like a carpenter or chemist, the association became clear.

Females with CAH, and males in both groups, expressed more interest in jobs working with things, whereas females without CAH preferred jobs working with people, found the researchers who detailed their study in the journal Hormones and Behavior.

According to the researchers, understanding how this preference originates could help psychologists develop ways to encourage women without CAH to try out jobs in the science, technology, engineering and medicine (STEM) fields.

"This suggests that a way to encourage women to enter STEM fields is to show them how those jobs involve working with people," Berenbaum said.

Even those not affected by CAH are exposed to varying levels of hormones during development, and previous studies have shown that this influences childhood behaviours, such as toy preferences. CAH is one extreme of the variance in hormones, but the trend seen in the new research likely holds true in the broader population, Berenbaum said.

The explanation for how hormones influence behaviour all comes back to the brain. "The brain has to be mediating this," said Adriene Beltz, a Penn State graduate student who worked with Berenbaum on the research. — PTI

Happiness @ work
Gems of ancient wisdom
Allow for a human angle

Even while you consider work to be worship, always remember that there is a man behind the machine. He may fall ill, want to party or may have some household errands to run.

At the age of eight, Adi Sankaracharya decided it was time to become a sanyaasi. His mother let him go only after he promised to return in her last moments. Even while he was writing commentaries on scriptures, debating with scholars, reestablishing Advaita and Shanmatas or setting up muths across India, he kept his promise.

As most warriors in the Mahabharata war were connected by blood or marriage, they could check on each others’ wellbeing at the end of the action every evening.

Despite the fact that they were on opposite sides and even while Ravana had said many bad things to him and kicked him out, Vibheeshan’s eyes were full of tears when his mighty brother fell dead at the hands of Rama.

In 1576 at the Battle of Haldighati against Akbar’s forces, Rana Pratap was injured. Rana escaped from the battlefield and took refuge in a cave in the jungle along with his family. One day, a cat ran away with the chapatti that Rana’s son Amar Singh was having. When his sister gave Amar her share, she fainted due to hunger. Unable to bear this anymore, Rana decided to accept Akbar as suzerain.

Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi carried her son on her back during the First War of Indian Independence in 1857.

When she came to know about her son Ramana Maharishi’s whereabouts, Alagammal came to his ashram at the Virupaksha cave in Tiruvannamalai. As she began cooking for everybody, she needed a metal ladle. In a few days, a devotee offered a few ladles to the Maharishi.

Though they themselves were content leading a simple life, Sudama and Drona went and sought their childhood buddies’ help for the sake of their respective families. While Krishna helped Sudama, Drupad insulted Drona.

On November 15, 1915, in Japan, Rash Behari Bose, along with Lala Lajpat Rai, spoke against British atrocities. As a result, Britain made Japan issue extradition warrants against them. Lalaji fled to America and Bose went into hiding in Japan. Bose got married in 1918 to Toshiko Soma, but till he got Japanese citizenship in 1923, the couple had to change many houses to avoid the police.

After attaining Buddhahood, Siddhartha returned to his wife Yashodhara and son Rahul, whom he had left years ago without saying goodbye.

Even while Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was among the few Indians in London to support Madanlal Dhingra’s killing of Sir Curzon Wyllie, he didn’t approve of his students mocking Lady Curzon’s wailing at the funeral.

Boss, (take) leave and let leave.

— Sai R. Vaidyanathan

The writer can be contacted at svaidyanathan@tribunemail.com