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The SAP route to success
on
board(s)
FIELD IN FOCUS:EDUPRENEURS
new frontiers
smart strategy: time management
Tech Mahindra to hire locals in overseas centres
Career Hotline
Happiness @ work
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The SAP route to success
“Good plans shape good decisions. That’s why good planning helps to make elusive dreams come true”
— Geoffrey Fisher The world has shrunk into a flat ball and day after day we find Accounts talking to Finance and Finance talking to Operations. In such a scenario, when departments talk to each other, companies have expanded operations across the globe, how does the Management team sitting at a centralised location come to know about diverse departments like inventory, sales, finance, and payroll? All this is done through ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning. One of the software programming systems that make it possible is the SAP. Now the question arises: What is SAP? As mentioned, SAP or System Analysis and Programme Development is a German software programming system that helps in smooth functioning of a modern corporation. It is the mechanism by which, say, the leaves, PPF and other perks get factored in the Payroll of an organisation that may have thousands of employees spread across different locations in the globe. The software is installed on the corporation’s computers. It provides log in credentials to different users as per their roles and the information they can access and use for their decision making. Owing its genesis to the early 1970s by 5 IBM engineers, it gained momentum in the early 21st century when organisations expanded their operations both vertically and horizontally. Today it stands tall and has become the world's leading software application providing company. Today it provides customised solutions to many of our business needs, to improve their performance and cater to their clients better. Hence, the need for SAP professionals. Course curriculum and pedagogy SAP is a macro level field of study that consists of everything, ranging from business, academic and technical skills. It is specially designed to broaden the skills and acquire necessary knowledge about required tools for a student so that one can gain practical knowledge and apply it later when required. SAP has tied up with NIIT in India and several other institutes to serve the course curriculum with Indian students. The SAP certificate course is intensive and it is crafted well for students to follow it easily. Getting started When you begin to think about your SAP career, there are forking pathways you can take: you can start by deciding whether you want to go in for technical, functional or consulting side. Your focus is dictated by a bi-pronged approach: the overall background of your experience, and where you want to be headed from there. Technical side On the technical side, there is a distinction to be made between two main career paths: SAP developer and SAP Basis consultant. Basis incorporates hands-on SAP systems administration functions. Often, some DBA know-how is included in the Basis skill set, though on larger SAP installations, the SAP DBA is frequently a separate role. The same goes for SAP Security. While there is such a thing as a SAP Security consultant, security is often a skill set under the SAP Basis umbrella. On the developer side, experience customising SAP reports, making UI enhancements, and developing third-party interfaces are examples of bread-and-butter skills. Functional side In case you have a BCom degree and are interested in Accounting or an MBA with specialisation in Marketing and Finance, you can take up the functional side of SAP like FI-Financial Analysis and Company and CO, SCM-supply chain management, or CRM-customer relationship management. SAP consulting as a combination of two important skill sets: SAP implementation experience and enterprise consulting experience. It's not always easy to acquire both these skills at the same time. In the 1990s, you could sometimes get trained as a consultant while getting your first SAP exposure at the same time, and all you needed was a certification. To become a SAP consultant in today’s market, you almost always need to have SAP implementation experience under your belt already. That means you've done a 2-4 year stint working in a hands-on capacity on a full-blown SAP project. Typically, this experience is acquired while being a full-time employee. If you have experience consulting in other enterprise applications like Oracle, PeopleSoft, and understand ERP implementation methodologies, you might be able to break into SAP from that side, bringing the consulting side of the skill set to the table. However, on the SAP side, you’d still be considered a junior consultant and there aren’t nearly as many junior consulting roles as there once were. However, this does not reduce the significance of the consulting side of the SAP. It usually takes years before you can become an effective consultant. Nothing takes the place of experience on multiple projects, where you master the art of helping users to define their business requirements, guiding them through the implementation of SAP that meets their requirements, and leaving them with knowledge successfully transferred. On the whole, to become an effective consultant, you need to strengthen either your hands-on SAP skills or your overall consulting skills. Think out-of-the box and be hands on. The cutting edge For those who are thinking, is SAP certification a must, the answer is No, not necessarily. There are many people in the market who are non-certified, earning good amount of money than the certified consultants. Therefore, certification is not a must for you to fetch a job in the market. However, if there are two people shortlisted with the similar skills and experience, probably, in such situations, the certification will give you a cutting edge. Otherwise, the customers are looking for the people who can effectively deliver the goods without certification. Another feather in the cap that you need to have and would give you a cutting edge is diversification of your knowledge. It is true that you master on one SAP module such as SAP FI or SAP CO and so on. However, you need to have an understanding of other SAP modules as well. As a SAP consultant, you need to be a jack of all trades and yet a master of your specialisation. It is not possible to have a thorough understanding of each of the SAP modules but at least you should know the basic processes of other domains. You need to be aware of what is happening across SAP modules and stay updated, to progress successfully as a SAP consultant. You need to explore your knowledge and expertise beyond your limits and, therefore, should not be restricted to a confined domain. As you grow professionally, it is ideal to enhance your knowledge on application functionality and on how to implement or optimise architecture. Thus, discovering more domains is another important step towards a successful SAP career. Thirdly, you need to stay updated with the current SAP world and the latest developments. You can be a member of SAP professional groups and forums, subscribe to SAP portals to know about the updates on SAP programme. You can subscribe to popular newsletters, magazines and attend SAP training programmes both online and classroom so that your knowledge never gets outdated. The road ahead There is a wide array of industries that utilise SAP technology, allowing you great flexibility in your career choices as an SAP consultant. In fact, the list of industries that use SAP will continue expanding into the coming decades as small to medium businesses find it increasingly necessary to become SAP users in order to remain competitive. In addition, SAP is reinforcing this trend by turning its attention to the small and medium-sized business markets, developing products and services specifically adapted to the needs of these companies. So in case you follow the route of SAP, the road to success is smooth and silky. — The writer is a Ludhiana-based career consultant
Institute Scape
Some of the well-known institutions offering SAP certifications are Siemens Information Systems Limited having its centers at New Delhi, Secunderabad, Kolkata, Chennai and Kerala. Here are the some SAP Training institutes in Delhi: ●
Siemens India, G.K. ● H.P., Nehru Place ● SAP Labs, Nehru Place ● Webcom Technologies, Delhi. ● PCS Systems, Gurgaon ● MaxVistas , Delhi ● Mass Technologies, Mehrauli ●
Genpact, Gurgaon ● Visnova, Gurgaon
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How to ace Business Studies exam
Sunanda Grover To do well in board exam is an aspiration of every student and for sure this is parent's expectation too along with social pressure in some of the cases. The key to performing well in the exams, apart from, studying hard, grasping everything and retaining everything is to study smart and in a proper manner, so that your efforts translate into performance. You only have to make all efforts to manage your preparation and attempt your examinations effectively. In order to score well in your CBSE exams, all you need to do is - schedule your studies effectively so that you can gain maximum in minimum time. STUDY SMART without having too much on your plate (general tips) In this final month of February when your preparations are in fourth gear still try to improve it by putting it in overdrive and those who are not very confident should concentrate on their weak areas while simultaneously focusing on their areas of strength. During this time, the aim of a student should be to perform to the best of his/her abilities and also concentrating on keeping himself healthy will make all efforts to improve your mental strength with meditation. You are expected to prepare a proper schedule of revision which definitely should be practically feasible for you to follow, so make realistic targets for a day. Stop worrying about what might happen, believe in yourself. In between your study hours take some short intervals read, sleep, play or do whatever you think diverts your attention away from worrying for exams. Streamline your preparation While revising, note down the headings and sub-headings of each chapter. Review these headings from time to time. Sub-headings ensure that you are covering every angle of the answer and, at times, act as a checklist. Practice questions from ncert ● Go through all questions and case studies given in the NCERT textbooks. NCERT sample papers can be the best bet to pass the exams can help you easily cover the entire syllabus. ● Take section-wise/chapter wise tests for the chapters with maximum weightage. Once you start to feel confident with your weak areas, start taking full length three-hour sample papers in a timed environment as writing practice for the theory paper is must. Identify your weak areas and try to rectify them. ● Solve one paper (including CBSE Sample papers) each day, preferably from 10 am to 1 pm, in an environment as close to the one that you expect at your examination centre. After you have solved the paper, mark yourself as per the CBSE marking scheme. Higher order thinking skills (HOTS) ● While trying to prepare High Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), keep chapter-wise allotment of marks for each chapter in mind. Remember, HOTS questions are meant to test ● Your analytical and interpretive skills, thus answering them can require you to inter-relate different topics. Tips for writing your exam Besides estimating time and effort it is very important for obtaining optimum results, one needs to attempt the question paper in an effective manner. Strategise ● During the 15-minute reading time, read the question paper very carefully, plan writing strategies and prefer to select the options of long questions carrying 6 marks since internal choice is provided. ● Divide time between very short, short and long answers so that time doesn't run out while attempting 6-mark questions. Expected time for very short questions is one minute, short-answer question of 3/4 marks in five to seven minutes and for 5/6 marks question in 10 to 12 minutes, so that you have enough time to revise. Interpret Be very careful with State, List, Enumerate, Describe, Comment, Explain, Outline etc., make sure to check the marks assigned to the question and attempt accordingly within the prescribed word limit. Underline key words In application-based and long-answer questions, highlight important points/headings and sub-headings so that these are not missed by the examiner. Besides, be particular about presentation of answers, it should always be in bullet points with a heading and a brief explanation. Respect the word limit ● Before attempting a question, always check the marks assigned to it and accordingly write your answer within the word limit prescribed. ● However, wherever any process is asked to be explained, write all steps involved, irrespective of the marks allotted to that question example: Process of organising, Process of Staffing etc. and it is always better to show steps through diagrammatic representation, flow charts etc. ● One-mark question should be answered in one word or one sentence, For example Name the element of directing function under which the superior attempts to influence the behaviour of people at work towards the realisation of specified goals. Projection Support your answer with the flow charts or diagrams, relevant examples wherever possible, depending on marks. Tabular form Distinguishing/difference should be always be done in a tabular form with basis of distinction. — The writer is Principal, Manav Rachna International School, NOIDA Choices Some of the options available to Commerce students after school Following courses are available in different universities ● B.Com.(H) ● B.Com(Prog) ● Eco(H) ● BBS ● BFIA ● BBE ● Mass Communication /Journalism/ BA with subjects in Journalism ● Law through entrance - CLAT ● BCA/BIT/B.Sc. at many universities through entrance. ● Management as an option is available at most of the universities through Entrance; different terminology used like BBM, BBA ,BMS etc. ● Hotel Management, Fashion Designing, English (Hons), CA-CPT, CS-Foundation, ICWA-Foundation, Maths (Hons.), Stats (Hons.) etc can also be considered by interested and eligible students etc.
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New-age entrepreneurs
Arupjyoti Gogoi & Seerat Toor Grewal The education sector in India has been recognised as one of the sunrise sectors and it is attracting significant investments. There are huge opportunities for edupreneurs as the sector is in a transitional phase and has witnessed huge demands in areas like e-learning, vocational training, finishing schools and higher education, among others. While addressing a public forum, Shiv Nadar, the Founder and Chairman, HCL and Shiv Nadar Foundation once said that he would like to be called an “Edupreneur” rather than an entrepreneur. In 2011, Nadar established the Shiv Nadar University, which is a private philanthropic institution aimed to develop and educate the leaders of tomorrow. In India, the edupreneurship culture is catching up fast and the number of entrepreneurial ventures in the education sector has also increased manifold. Generally, edupreneurs can be referred to as those entrepreneurs who have started their own ventures in the field of education. “Unlike entrepreneurship, Edupreneurship is not necessarily profit-oriented; but can operate on lean profits in its pursuit of excellence in value delivery. Choosing the career path of an Edupreneur has its roots in taking initiative that propels meaningful growth in the development of social indicators,” says Ashok Mittal, Chancellor, Lovely Professional University A sunrise sector According to Shantanu Prakash, Chairman and Managing Director, Educomp Solutions Ltd., “The outlook for the education sector is extremely bright. The Indian middle class is expected to expand significantly, from 300 million people today to 583 million people in 2025. By 2025, about three-quarters of India’s urban population will be a part of the middle class, compared with slightly more than one-tenth today. With the growth of the Indian middle class and the increase in their spending power, there is expected to be a major supply-demand gap, which opens up many entrepreneurial opportunities in this sector.” According to Saurabh Jain, Executive Director, Vidya Knowledge Park, Meerut, “Predominantly in India, there has been a job-based mindset and with the exceeding population there is a very typical scenario wherein the job seeks are over numbering the job providers and eventually the gap between the economic strata is widening. There are instances of emergence of new initiators but on the whole over a period of time the sustenance is less than the exit of such initiatives.” Huge opportunities The new breed of young edupreneurs include several B-school graduates who have rejected lucrative job offers and started their own edupreneurial ventures. Take the example of Shouvik Dhar, who did his MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship from ISB, Hyderabad, and started his own edupreneurial venture Career Aces immediately after completing the course. Shouvik says, “Education is one of the most exciting industries to be in. Having been a scientist for five years, I have always had a soft spot for technology. I see the use of technology in education to be ground breaking. No wonder that so many young technology graduates are jumping into this field to address some need. They get to do the ‘cool’ stuff. I see the major trends in the industry very closely linked with technology to enable those. The most striking ones that come to mind are adaptive learning, flipped teaching and BYOD.” Due to the recent amendments in FDI policies by the government in key sectors, the economy will need more quality manpower at all levels in the near future. The quality of education has to supplement the changing trend in the industry and maintain the same driving pace. Sam Pitroda-led National Knowledge Commission has also suggested that the Government of India should allocate more funds in all educational initiatives in the country. Skill set To excel as an edupreneur one needs to possess the lethal combination of technical know-how, subjective expertise and a sagacious grasp of market scenario to cater to the public sentiment. They are businessmen with a difference. Their deep inclination towards recognising educational lacunae, a sense of social responsibility to plug them and a strong patriotic drive to bring our educational standards at par with the world make them different from other entrepreneurs. Edupreneurs also comprise all those individuals who are deeply involved with education industry with the aim to make formal education more interesting, usable, hands-on and interactive. They find places in all roles viz. director, principals, teachers, mentors, counselors, tutors, guides, technology-providers etc. With the advent and boom of internet technologies and availability the education-industry has stepped-up its pace to harness its advantages. This young brigade of tech-savvy individuals has transformed the archaic methodologies of classroom teaching by rethinking and redefining the process by introduction of novel approaches. They have transcended the geographical and national limits and come up with models of absolute online teaching and knowledge exchange programmes. Key challenges Even though there are huge opportunities existing in the education sector, edupreneurs are facing many challenges as well. There are many issues, including demand-supply gap of quality manpower, infrastructural bottlenecks, quality issues and lack of innovation, amongst others. Saurabh Jain points out, “Indian society is still not very open to entrepreneurial spirit, so there is a psycho-societal challenge for any entrepreneur. Additionally, Indian businesses are still not very open to funding new projects as aggressively as it is being done in the West. Further any new venture has a certain gestation period, whereas the younger generation is not so patient as to wait for a business to show returns up to five years or more.” Lack of modernisation is the other challenge being faced by the Indian education system. There is not enough research taking place here. “The Indian Edupreneur is susceptible to being a victim of the inertia that is prevalent in the education sector here. Curriculum, pedagogy, class room culture —everything is undergoing a rapid change the world over; but we are not keeping pace with the latest. An Edupreneur has a challenging task to mark a departure from the existing, and think in innovative terms, if he wants to survive and flourish and all this is not as easy as it seems,” points out Mittal. AGENTS OF CHANGE The region also abounds with intellectual minds who have given a new direction to the careers of many students. Some of the noted names in the region are Chandigarh University Satnam Singh Sandhu’s belief in improving the existing quality of engineering and management education in the region with a steady focus on innovation led him to establish the Chandigarh Group of Colleges. Initially affiliated to Punjab Technical University, the institution has now grown and attained the status of a university and is known as Chandigarh University. As an edupreneur he owes his success to the ‘transparent administration’ at each level and on the well-qualified and experienced faculty. Desh Bhagat University Dr. Zora Singh, practiced medicine for 15 years before establishing the Desh Bhagat Group of Institutes. The Group, which comprises 21 colleges/institutes, is imparting international standard professional education to over 8,000 students from 28 states of India and 12 different countries for the past 16 years. Ace Tutorials It was the keen foresight and belief in the future of coaching industry which motivated Dr. P.V. Gupta, a prominent physicist, to venture into the education industry at a scale unprecedented at the time of inception of Ace Tutorial way back in July 1989. His career took an early start during his student life at Punjab University when he began tutoring students and wards of his then professors. Guru Institute Dr. Sonamdeep Sandhu, a dentist by profession, entered into this fast-growing industry via a niche segment of coaching for UGC-NET exam. Dr. Sandhu has left her medical practice and is completely involved in this venture. Under her astute guidance and vision the institute has tripled in the past three years both in scale and results. She lays great stress on competent faculty and discipline in routing working.
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Material science
In January, Prof Doug Cleaver of Sheffield Hallam University in the UK, contributed a Plenary Lecture to a conference in Varanasi on future materials. Here, he shares some insights into the speciality of materials modelling and discusses its development as a field of study in India. Scientific research is a fascinating and highly rewarding career option. It opens up a wealth of opportunities for self-expression and for interacting with people from other cultures and disciplines. Thanks to modern modes of communication, the materials modelling area is particularly flexible since simulation codes and methodologies can readily be developed and exchanged between groups on opposite sides of the world. The field The field of materials modelling unlocks the processes that underlie materials behaviour. Here, the word “materials” broadly means- natural systems (blood cells, membranes, wood cellulose etc), manufactured components (plastics, metals, clays, glasses etc), products (food, soaps, inks, plastics), devices (displays, printer nozzles, solar cells) — anything you can see in the room around you or buy at your local store. In reality, very few of the objects we use or are made from are the perfect crystals we learn about at school. Real materials, particularly those in living systems, owe their properties to a hierarchy of structural and compositional variations — materials modelling focuses on gaining an understanding of (and, thus, finding routes to controlling) aspects of this rich panoply. While materials science is predominantly an experimental discipline, there are classes of system that are inaccessible to our microscopes and other analytical techniques. The ways that fibres grow, sea shells develop or our bones replenish themselves involve a balance of cooperative association and dissociation processes. However, our ability to investigate these systems is restricted because of the sizes of their active components, some level of a periodicity or randomness in their superstructures plus the simple fact that it is hard to achieve direct experimental resolution within, say, an opaque mixture of water, growing crystallites and template inorganic molecules. This is where modelling comes into its own. Sub disciplines to explore There are several distinct sub-disciplines within the field of materials modelling, but most approaches used can be categorised as either ‘top-down’ or ‘bottom-up’. In bottom up methods, the fundamental physics and chemistry that control interactions between atoms, molecules and electrons are used to derive or guide the development of particle-based models. Once a rule set has been established for a given set of particles, their cooperative or ‘many body’ behaviour can then be determined using what amount to computer-based experiments. Top down methods, in contrast, start from a more engineering-level description (very often in the form of a continuum theory) which is typically solved self-consistently at a number of grid points. Practical appeal The modelling has a practical role to play in research and development. For example, it can give insights into how complex processes operate. It can also be very effective in product design and optimisation. In the pharmaceuticals sector, for example, molecular simulation techniques are routinely used to screen families of molecule types - only those variants identified as favourable by the modellers are then included in the subsequent (and much more expensive) experimental test stages. Who can get in In particular, science and engineering graduates, who have a good underpinning in how and why objects interact, can use research in the modelling area to develop their technical and professional skills and open doors to high-level employment options. Thus, while some can go into academic and teaching careers, others can hold senior positions in computational hardware and software management and, in particular, the finance and banking sectors. The project-management and self-motivational abilities required to complete, for example, a PhD research degree on schedule are well recognised by employers, and projects involving collaboration with industry or international networks offer excellent opportunities to learn and demonstrate team-working skills.
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smart strategy: time management D. C. Sharma Almost every employee spends six to seven hours at the workplace daily. But how many of them actually make full uutilisation of this time? Managing hours One must learn to assign specific time slots to activities on priority basis. One must know what Charles Buxton has cautioned: “You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it.” Anyone can learn this art provided one develops an intense desire to learn it. In some offices, you might have seen stacks of files and heaps of paper lying unattended. The whole work stations there seem to be heavily laden with important documents in folders. While at some other offices you might have seen files kept in their respective drawers with labels on the top of each file. And in some other offices you might see minimum number of papers on the tables and only well-set computers on almost each and every table. The first scene is an example of an ill-organised office. The second one is of the one where time management is given some importance. The third one is a reflection of efficiency, orderliness, and effective time management. Avoid procrastination Like some other employees you too might have developed the attitude “I’ll do it tomorrow...”. But you must realise that such employees actually land nowhere. They stay put at the same position from where they had begun their career. And remember, people who achieve things in life are the ones who always discipline their time. They make good use of each moment. Nothing is wasted. They know that they will never have any more time which can be better than the present moment. They utilise their present moment well, and the future moments take care of themselves. That is effective time management in practice! Every piece of work requires a particular point of time when it needs to be done. The tables and formats which are needed by the other workers at a workplace in the morning can’t be prepared in the evening. They are required to be prepared well before they are needed. To get them prepared in the evening while the same are needed in the morning, would not help in making time. It is, therefore, very important to ascertain how much time a particular task will need and when it should be done. Don’t squander time Employees should remember that the organisation where they are working is not paying them for playing games at the computer or peeping into others’ cubicles. Nor does it pay for making personal and private calls. The employees who kill their precious time loitering and gossiping around are not productive and constructive employees. Only those who keep themselves busy and focused, are the ones who really make time. Tips ● For effective time management learn to plan the day well in advance. Such a planning needs a cool calculated mind. So it must not be done in a hurry. ● When the “To do list” is ready, prepare the task plan. n Jot down the important activities that need to be completed the next day. You should know how much time should be devoted to each activity. Prioritise these in the order of importance. ● Don’t begin the next work until the one in hand is completed. ● To make time, always make sure that the tasks are completed within the stipulated period. ● True, some achievers boast of having achieved certain targets without having set their goals too! But that should not be considered time management success formula at all. In that situation the employee feels like a captain after having lost his way in the sea. Had the same employees set their targets, and deadlines, they would have completed the same job winning more laurels. ● The same task can’t be completed in the same length of time by every employee. It requires a different length of time from different employees to do it. The one having no knowledge of doing a particular work needs more time to do it than the one who has perfect knowledge to do the same. A competent officer, therefore, assigns different jobs to different people as per their knowledge, skills, and efficiency. That way the officer not only makes his own time but also that of the employees working under him. — The writer is a psychologist and a career expert
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Tech Mahindra to hire locals in overseas centres
Software exporter Tech Mahindra is in favour of hiring locals at its overseas centres, as there is an urgent need to respond to the sentiment against offshoring in the West.
“If we have to grow as a global company, we have to recognise the host nation’s problems. If they have unemployment problem, that is important for them to address, which is equally important for us too. That is why we are increasingly hiring locals now, because it is a concern,” Tech Mahindra Executive Vice-chairman Vineet Nayyar told PTI here. “We have to change according to the circumstances, we have to be accommodative,” Nayyar said. Stating that most of the transnational companies are going local, he said most of the true MNCs in the country like HUL don’t have even five foreigners working for them here. When asked how he will control cost and keep margins intact as local hiring will eat hugely into salary cost, Nayyar said, “If profitability has to come down, it will come down, but we have to operate as a global player, with the same sense of responsibility as other truly global players have. “How many foreigners do you see in an MNC working here in our country? How many of them do you see working at HUL? “Why do we think we should only have Indians working in our US or British centres? That will have to change as we are taking away these jobs from them.” Tech Mahindra operates in 10 African countries and has nearly 95 per cent locals in these centres. In China too, it has followed the same policy. “Going forward, we will do the same in the Western markets as well, as we should respect local sentiment,” Nayyar concluded. During the December quarter, the company had a headcount of 49,059, which includes 25,009 software professionals, 22,565 BPO and 1,485 support staff. Tech Mahindra subsidiary Mahindra Satyam generates 54 per cent of its revenues from the US, 24 per cent from Europe and 22 per cent from elsewhere. — PTI
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Career Hotline
A.It's never too late to resume or continue your studies. Doing your BA (Eco) from IGNOU is a good idea. And IGNOU being a fully recognised Open University (besides having made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for having the largest number of enrolments in the world), you should have no problem whatsoever in pursuing your Master's in Journalism and Mass Communication or in any other subject for that matter. As is evident from the marks you've scored in Class XII, you are a bright and capable student, so please go ahead and continue your education from IGNOU or any other Open University for that matter, without any hesitation.
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All for a social cause
Q.I am a science graduate but my heart is set on doing social service. Please tell me about the scope in this field and suggest some good institutes for
MSW.
A.If your heart is in the right place, you can even earn a living doing good to others. A master’s in Social Work will equip you to work as a professional social worker in national and international social welfare organisations. Many corporate houses that have a full-fledged community development department also hire professionally trained social workers in the areas of medicine, education, family welfare and human rights etc and as professionals to drive their CSR activities. You can also work as a project officer, programme coordinator, development consultant, counsellor, instructor or lecturer. You can work with a wide range of people who need support for any reason - children, adolescents or adults, including their family members and friends, and other professionals such as police, lawyers and doctors. The fieldwork that forms part of the MSW course will give you a flavour of what it entails. Social work has undergone a sea change from its jholachaap days. It is no longer viewed as the profession of the jobless. Social work needs young highly motivated, professionals who are committed to their cause. Today the sector is comparable with the corporates in terms of tight deadlines, quality and output of work. However, despite this so called corporatisation both in terms of work and pay there are no formal hierarchies and cut throat competition that characterizes the new age work culture. And the best part is that you get to go to sleep with the satisfaction that you actually tried to help someone in distress. Opportunities Government Sector:
The Government of India conducts exams through the UPSC and State Public Service Commissions for appointing Welfare Officers at the central and state levels. The position is that of gazetted officers in family welfare, education, social welfare, tribal development programmes, etc. National bodies like the Central Social Welfare Board (CSWB) and National Institute of Public Co-operation & Child Development (NIPCD) and major community development projects also appoint welfare officers. These jobs are also open to PG degree-holders in related fields like sociology, psychology, economics, etc. As a Social Welfare Officer, your functions would be primarily that of an executive. You would be involved in programme planning, funding, execution, monitoring, evaluation and auditing procedures. NGO Sector:
Most Social Workers work in NGOs, many of which are voluntary non-profit organisations. There are over 1.2 million NGOs in India. The voluntary sector supplements the government's work in crucial sectors such as health, education, child and women development, water, HIV/AID, drug addiction etc. As ‘prime movers’ or ‘catalysts’ in the development agenda NGOs actively help state governments and communities during natural disasters and calamities. This sector offers diverse, and reasonably well-paying career options as counsellors, administrators and project leaders. There are over 18,000 registered NGOs in India. Many of them flush with funds from foreign donor agencies. Medical and psychiatric work with hospitals and drug rehabilitation or family welfare centres, child clinics, special schools and research organisations. The Industrial and corporate sector also recruits MSWs from leading institutes as labour welfare officers and Personnel managers in their Human Resources and Industrial Relations departments. Almost all universities offer MSW courses. However, the leading ones are the D/o Social Work of Delhi University, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, Punjab University, Chandigarh, Xavier Institute of Social Sciences, Ranchi, MS University, Vadodara (Gujarat), etc Alternatively, you could also check out some of the Master’s courses in Development Studies.
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Course cruising
Ability Enhancement
Multimedia Programme Manovikas Community College for persons with intellectual and other developmental disabilities for sustainable employment, has announced the admission for Ability Enhancement Multimedia Programme. The programme has been envisaged in collaboration with Aims Media and is recognised by Apple. The course:
The programme is designed for children with special needs to keep them abreast with technology. The programme has been designed in a manner that will not only help the students to identify their creativity but also enhance their right brain activities and also help to build self confidence. This is an initiative to create a platform for children with special needs to make them creative and imaginative. Under this program students will be taught about Pre Production (Story Boarding Sketching, Production (Dialogue Making + Camera Handling), Applied Art (Clay + Art & Crafting). Introduction to Print Media Graphic Suite Adobe Photoshop 6 Corel Draw 4 Adobe Illustrator 4 Movie Maker (Stop Motion- Window Movie Maker). Duration: 18 months Eligibility:
The candidates should be 14 years or older, borderline to mid-level developmental disability such as autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, learning disabilities, hearing impairment etc. Above average results on the Multiple Intelligence Disabilities test in the areas of linguistics, interpersonal, and bodily kinesthetic intelligence. How to apply:
The forms for admission are available on the website manovikas.co.in or you can write to Manovikas Community College, A-267, Surajmal
Vihar, Delhi-110092. Deadline: March 31, 2013. Check out:
www.manovikas.co.in/mcc Forestry Doctoral programme The Indian institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, invites application for its 2013-17 doctoral level Fellow Programme in Management commencing from July 2013. Eligibility ● The maximum age limit is 45 year as on July 1, 2013. A bachelor's degree with at least 50 per cent marks and master's degree (minimum two years prescribed duration after 10+2+3 years of formal education) in relevant discipline (relevancy as decided by the
IIFM) with at least 55 per cent marks, including five year/four year integrated master’s degree programme or professional qualification like CA,
ICWA, CS with at least 55 per cent marks. How to apply: Application form and details about the programme are available at
http://www.iifm.ac.in/fpm or can be obtained in person or by post by sending a request along with bank draft of Rs 500. Completed application form should be sent to Chairperson, FPM Admissions, Indian Institute of Forest Management, Nehru
Nagar, Bhopal 462003, M.P. Deadline: April 2, 2013. Check out:
http://www.iifm.ac.in/fpm Master's in politics Interested candidates can apply for Jawahar Lal Nehru University's M.A in politics (with specialisation in International Relations) and economics (with specialisation in World Economy) courses being offered under the university's School of International Studies Eligibility:
Bachelor's degree in any discipline under 10+2+3 pattern of education with at least 50% marks in the following subjects: Economics (Honours) with Mathematics as subsidiary subject; Mathematics (Hons.) with Economics as a subsidary subject; or Statistics (Hons.) with Mathematics & Economics as subsidiary subjects. How to apply: A candidate can apply either Online or Offline. Candidates can apply Online on payment of prescribed fee if they have access to a computer, a printer and Internet by logging on to JNU website
www.jnu.ac.in. Online application portal will remain open till 5 pm on March 23, 2013. Deadline: March 28, 2013 Check out:
www.jnu.ac.in. Entrance exam centres Jawahar Lal Nehru University will hold entrance examination on May 18, 19, 20 and 21, 2013 for admission to various full-time programmes of study at the following 51 cities : Agartala, Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Allahabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Bareilly, Bhubaneshwar, Calicut, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Delhi, Dimapur, Gangtok, Guwahati, Goa, Gorakhpur, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Imphal, Indore, Itanagar, Jaipur, Jammu, Katihar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Madurai, Mumbai, Nagpur, Noida, Pant Nagar, Patna, Pondicherry, Pune, Raipur, Ranchi, Sambalpur, Secunderabad, Shillong, Shimla, Silchar, Siliguri, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Udaipur, Varanasi, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. In addition, the University will hold entrance examination at Kathmandu (Nepal).
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S.N Bose student exchange programme
The Science & Engineering Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology (DST) of Govt. of India, the Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) announces exchange programme between premier institutions in India and the US. This programme is to provide an opportunity to Indian students to experience world-class research facilities in leading US institutions. Students currently pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree at a recognised institution of higher education and learning in India can apply for the scholarship. The programme is named in honor of Satyendra Nath Bose (1894-1974), a visionary Indian physicist best known for his work on quantum mechanics in the early 1920s. Study
Subject(s): The scholarship is open to students of Atmospheric and Earth Sciences; Chemical Sciences; Engineering Sciences; Mathematical and Computational Sciences; and Physical Sciences to take up research as a career. Course Level: This scholarship to take up research as a career in leading US institutions is for students pursuing a Bachelors or Masters' degree at a recognized institution of higher education and learning in India. Eligibility:
Indian citizens currently pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree at a recognised institution of higher education and learning in India. Open to students of Atmospheric and Earth Sciences; Chemical Sciences; Engineering Sciences; Mathematical and Computational Sciences; and, Physical Sciences The applicant should have a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 8.0 or higher (percentage equivalent: 80 per cent and higher). Only those candidates, who shall be completing their degree programme on or after May 2014, are eligible to apply. Details: The selected students will get stipend, accommodation and air fare How to apply:
By post Deadline: February 15, 2013 Check out: www.indousstf.org Sir Mark Waller Postgraduate Law scholarships Newcastle Law School has up to 8 scholarships available to international students intending to pursue studies at Newcastle University, UK in one of the following programmes: ● LLM International Business Law
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/nuls/postgraduate/taught/businesslaw/ ● LLM Environmental Regulation and Sustainable Development
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/nuls/postgraduate/taught/environmental/ ● LLM International Legal Studies
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/nuls/postgraduate/taught/internationallegal/ Eligibility: The Sir Mark Waller Postgraduate Law Scholarships are awarded exclusively on academic merit in recognition of academic excellence. This includes: ● Recent graduates ● Undergraduates completing their course before September, 2013 ● Those currently completing professional legal qualifications ● Non-Law graduates in a discipline related to the programme ● International and
home/EU students Applicants must demonstrate academic excellence in results achieved up until and including the closing date which is commensurate with a 2:1 (Honours) degree award or the equivalent. Applicants whose first language is not English and who have not undertaken any programme of study in which English is the medium of instruction will be required to show adequate language proficiency for postgraduate study in Law. Newcastle Law School's requirement is IELTS 6.5 with at least 6.5 in writing. Details: The scholarships range from a minimum of £2,500 each to full tuition fee waiver. If awarded, scholarships are deducted from the tuition fees. Tuition fees for 2013(subject to change) are as follows: International: Full time £11,500 part time £7,750 How to apply: Online. Deadline:
February 28, 2013. Check out: www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/
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Happiness @ work No target is unachievable for someone with the right skills set, never-say-die attitude, hard work spread over a long term and some luck. Who would have imagined that two exiled princes Rama and Lakshmana — with just a few friends at the time of Sita’s abduction — would be able to subdue a world-conquering and mighty monarch like Ravana? And who believed that a cowherd lad Krishna could vanquish a powerful king like Kansa who had usurped the throne from his father Ugrasen, terrorised the citizens and imprisoned his father, sister Devaki and brother-in-law Vasudev? Thrown out of his home at birth for “killing” his parents, cast off — at the age of seven — by his foster father when his foster mother died and shunned by everyone in Sauron village, Rambola had no future ahead of him. But under the wings of saint Naraharidas and acharya Shesh Sanatan, he, as Tulsidas, took the tale of Rama back to the masses with his Ramcharitmanas. Mohandas Gandhi was a shy barrister who couldn’t “utter a word” in a Bombay court. He was thrown out of a train at Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, in 1893. He was kicked and stoned. But this half-naked fakir shook the British Empire on which “the sun never set” with his non-violent means. Son of a grocer in Rewari, Haryana, Hemu became first superintendent of bazaars under Sultan Islam Shah and then went on to become secret service chief. Under Sultan Adil Shah, he became a minister and then the Commander. Assuming independent charge, he conquered Agra and Delhi and was crowned as King Vikramaditya. But for a chance arrow that killed him during the Second Battle of Panipat, he would have wiped out the Mughal Empire in India. Village girl Ahilya, daughter of Mankoji Shinde, patil of Choundi, caught the eye of Malharrao Holkar. He got her married to his wayward son Khanderao. Under Malharrao’s tutelage, she became an able administrator. When her father-in-law, husband and son died, she took charge of Malwa and turned it into a prosperous kingdom. Being a merchant’s daughter, Chennamma had no blue blood in her. Despite opposition from his courtiers, King Somashekhara Nayak of Keladi married her. The king was poisoned by scheming minister Bharama Mahuta and Commander-in-Chief Thimmanna deserted her on the eve of an attack by the Bijapur army. She fought, lost and took refuge in Bhuvanagiri fort — deep in the forest. When Thimmanna rejoined Chennamma, she regrouped her forces, won back her kingdom and was crowned queen in 1671.
Remember, success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. — Sai R. VaidyanathanThe writer can be contacted at svaidyanathan@tribunemail.com
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Fortnightly quiz 432
1. Which three countries, apart from India, are involved in a 1,680-km-long natural gas pipeline project scheduled to be operational in 2018?
2. Where was Asia’s largest air show held recently? 3. Name the weaponised light attack helicopter that was recently inducted into the Indian Army. 4. Name the maker of the film ‘Vishwaroopam’. 5. Which ceremony of the Army, Navy and the Air Force marks the culmination of the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi? 6. What is the capital of Mali? 7. What is Pakistan’s lowest score in a Test cricket innings? 8. Who recently became the first player to captain 100 cricket Tests? 9. Which two Indian batsmen have scored 81 first-class hundreds? 10. Which team has won the Ranji Trophy title for the maximum number of times? — Tarun Sharma Winners of quiz 431: The first prize by draw of lots goes to Riya Chauhan; class VII, Topaz; Little Angels Senior Secondary School; Patel Nagar; Sonipat; Haryana; Pin Code - 131001 Second: Abhinav Bajaj; Class VIII-B; Little Flower Convent School; Sangrur (Punjab); Pin code - 148001 Third: Ritik Koundal; Class- VIIIth; Government Senior Secondary School, Durgella, tehsil Shahpur, district Kangra; Himachal Pradesh; Pin code - 176206 Answers to quiz 431: Dreamliner; January 25; Davos (Switzerland); Naveen Patnaik; India; Mahendra Singh Dhoni; Fauja Singh; Lance Armstrong; Dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh); Wasim Jaffer Cash awards of Rs 400, 300 and 200 are given to the first, second and third prize winners, respectively. These are sent at the school address. Note:
Kindly mention the pincode of your city . Answers can also be sent at
quiz@tribunemail.com
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“Good plans shape good decisions. That’s why good planning helps to make elusive dreams come true”
— Geoffrey Fisher
In January, Prof Doug Cleaver of Sheffield Hallam University in the UK, contributed a Plenary Lecture to a conference in Varanasi on future materials. Here, he shares some insights into the speciality of materials modelling and discusses its development as a field of study in India.
With the corporates turning into conglomerates and the boundaries between departments and corporations merging fast, there is a growing need for a seamless integration of departments. 
Spending time and making time are two entirely different things. La Bruyere has revealed the fact that those who make the worst of their time most complain about its shortness. So only those who use time effectively create an identity of their own. Effective time management alone brings true success at every workplace. 
Q.I passed Class XII in 2006 with 80% marks, but couldn't continue my further studies due to a serious accident. Now I am working in a publication house. I want to do my graduation (BA Economics) from IGNOU. Please tell me, if I can do MJMC as a regular student after BA from IGNOU. —
Shivjeet Bedi
A profession devoted to helping people function optimally within their environment, it could involve providing direct services or therapy. It also includes working for change to improve social conditions. 
Success and happiness come to the one whose mind is fixed on Me, who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, said Krishna (Gita 6.28-30). Me here means the supreme goal.
