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Prosthetics and Orthotics
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If you have a caring attitude, patience and a desire to work in a medicine-related field, then here is a career that’s just made for you Usha Albuquerque
A Prosthesis, or what is commonly known as an artificial limb, is an extension or replacement of a missing or damaged body part. It can be an artificial leg, an entire hand or just the palms of hands or feet etc. Prosthetics is the science dealing with artificial replacement of lost body parts and professionals who deal with prosthesis are called Prosthetics. Orthotics is the science dealing with mechanical correction of orthopaedic deformities, realignment, support of weak parts, prevention of unwanted movement, relieving weight borne by certain body parts, etc. An Orthosis is a device which can give support to weak limbs or help to correct a deformity. It is derived from the Greek word ‘ortho’ meaning ‘to straighten’. Orthotists are professionals concerned with manufacture and fitting of orthosis, which include braces, splints and special footwear that assist movement and tend to lessen the amount of discomfort. The work
Prosthetics and Orthotics are highly qualified professionals without whom the total rehabilitation of orthopedically handicapped individuals would be incomplete. They work along with physicians, orthopedics, nurses and associated medical professionals. They have to study the reports and records of the patients and have to communicate with patients and their families regarding the treatment. For accurate fitting and fabrication of the prosthetics and orthotics, they need to make a detailed study of the patient, assess the muscles involved, flexibility, tone etc and take the necessary measurements for making the aids. They have to prepare the design, select material and prepare a model or cast. Each of the devices need to be custom-made and vary with the nature of disability, body type, and the working and living conditions. The fitting requires several sessions for carrying out trials, making minor changes and adaptations for shape, size and fit, and final approval by the doctor. Materials normally used for the device may vary from wood, leather, plastic, to fiber glass, foam, fabric etc and need to ensure the alignment and proper fitting of these devices so as not to cause discomfort to the patient. Prosthetics are also responsible for training their patients and their families in the use and mobility of the devices so as to make them confident and independent in society.
Getting in
To handle such skilled responsibilities these professionals need to be highly trained to be able to work competently. There are a number of institutions that offer courses for training in prosthetists and orthotists. The minimum eligibility is Class XII with physics, chemistry and mathematics and/or biology followed by diploma course of two year duration or degree course of 4½ years. The course is both engineering and medical based. The syllabi includes classes in basic life sciences, basic engineering, prosthetics and orthotics workshop technology, orthopedics, computer studies, physical medicine and rehabilitation, mobility aid, upper and lower limb prosthetics and orthotics, spinal orthotics. After the successful completion of final year examinations, students have to undergo a six- month internship which comprises clinical practice, case presentation and fabrication of different kinds of orthoses and prostheses. Selection for the course is through an entrance test. The tests usually consist of objective type questions based on subjects — biology, physics, chemistry, maths, English and GK. The questions are based on Senior Secondary School Certificate (Plus II) curriculum. Many medical colleges conduct courses and practical internship is completed in the teaching hospital. Government of India has also set up a Rehabilitation Council to train paramedical staff and to conduct related activities in rehabilitation. After graduation, in order to practice as prosthetist and orthotist in India candidates must register with Rehabilitation Council of India. The diploma courses are usually of two years duration. The eligibility requirement for a diploma course is that the candidates should have passed Plus II with science subjects (physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology) or they should have a pass in Plus II in the vocational stream in the trade of machinist or Plus II and ITI certificate in the trade of Fitter/ Turner/ Machinist/ Tool or die maker. Candidates with a pass in the final diploma examinations conducted by the Board of Technical Education of the State Government in mechanical/electrical/ or electronics engineering are also eligible. Candidates with diploma qualifications are employed as technicians.
Job prospects
After completing the course one can work in hospitals, rehabilitation centres, institutes, or with NGOs or multinational companies who are providing rehabilitation services in India and abroad. Today India is a world leader in practical, low-cost foot prosthesis, ever since master craftsman Pandit Ram Chandra Sharma created the “Jaipur foot” and the orthopaedic surgeon Dr P.K Sethi, brought it to the world’s attention. Much emphasis is being laid on development of innovative designs, research and evidence based practice. The emerging trends in new technologies like robotics, neuroscience, electronics and advanced materials have revolutionised the field of Prosthetics and Orthotics. This is a challenging and stimulating field to work in, especially if you have a technical mind, and also like biology, and can work with equipment with skill and precision.
— The writer is Director, Careers Smart Pvt Ltd., New Delhi
Institute watch
Institutes offering the Prosthetics and Orthotics courses
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smart strategy: personal branding Developing and nurturing your personal brand may sound fanciful, but a methodical approach can yield impressive results Preetinder Kaur
How important it is
Many will ask is personal branding important? A short answer — YES!! There is a misconception that personal branding or self-marketing is for self-employed or senior executives. Everyone can develop a personal brand and benefit from personal branding principles. When executed correctly any efforts towards this will only enhance your reputation and give wings to your career aspirations. Some of the benefits of personal branding include: Understand yourself:
The process of defining your brand creates the foundation for any successful career. So to have your unique ‘brand’ you have to discover yourself and your goals. If you don’t know where you are going then you can’t find the right track. Increase visibility: Visibility is essential for any business to survive, but equally for jobseekers to survive in an increasingly challenging job market. Creating a personal brand will elevate you to the status of a “go-to” person and highlight you as an expert in your field. There are many professionals who are never short of work options or job offers because they have effectively mastered the art of self-marketing. Work finds them and they don’t have to look for work. Differentiate from competition: We all understand the importance of standing out in the crowd in a tough job market. Creating a personal brand will give you a competitive edge, it will also change how prospective employers will view you.
How to develop the
brand ‘You’
The first step is to identify and define your brand and how you differ from those you are competing against. Quite often this will involve something that you are passionate about or are an expert in. It is then important to make a marketing plan to develop your brand. Then there is the all important stage of communicating your brand and developing your realtime and online presence.
Useful Tools to help develop and communicate your brand
Personal website or blog: The cost of developing a website or blog is no longer very high. If you enjoy writing, I suggest a Blog but if not then go for a Personal Website. Ideally build this in your own name domain
www.yourname.ie. Join a job portal: Be visible on a professional platform like LinkedIn. Develop a strong profile and join relevant network groups and engage through answering and asking questions. Develop your network. Other related social networking tools include Facebook and Twitter. All these tools combined are effective tools for increasing visibility and presence. An increasing number of rmployers now check out a candidate’s presence on these platforms to get some idea of his competence level and personality. Networking: Networking plays a valuable role both online and offline. Networking inside your company can be as valuable as that outside. Remember if you deliver results people will talk and word-of-mouth (WOM) can spread your brand. Strong PR: Generate PR within printed media and radio, write articles for online sites or popular blogs. Review the papers and you will notice as many employees doing this as business owners/self employed individuals. Traditional tools: You can’t ignore CV and Cover ing Letter. When executed effectively, these still prove to be effective marketing tools. Continuous effort: Personal Branding is like everything else in that you get out what you invest. Building your brand takes time and energy but maintaining that is a constant endeavour. So keep updating and keep adding to your achievements so that
you can show a progressive graph. — The writer is Personality Development trainer, Baddi University
What it stands for
In short, personal branding is about self-marketing and it is important to preach the importance of this to jobseekers everyday. According to Wikipedia personal branding is — “the process whereby people and their careers are marked as brands... Further defined as the creation of an asset that pertains to a particular person or individual; this includes, but is not limited to the body, clothing, appearance and knowledge contained within, leading to an indelible impression that is uniquely distinguishable”.
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career compass: big data analyst Gauri Chhabra We live in the best of times, and the worst of times…to borrow — Charles Dickens That pretty much describes the data analysis time in which we live. The best part is businesses are flooded with huge quantities and varieties of data on one hand, and the worst part — ever-faster expectations for analysis. The vendor community is responding by providing highly distributed architectures and new levels of memory and processing power. Upstarts also exploit the open-source licensing model, which is not new, but is increasingly accepted and even sought out by data-management professionals. With the data flow increasing across companies, there is a growing demand for a niche specialisation among IT professionals called big data analysts. These are the people who know how to read, manage and optimise big data environments. What is Big Data Analytics?
Simply put, big data is a collection of data from traditional and digital sources inside and outside your company that represents a source for ongoing discovery and analysis. Elaborately, big data analytics is the process of examining large amounts of data of a variety of types to uncover hidden patterns, unknown correlations and other useful information. Such information can provide Sustainable Competitive Advantage (SCA) over rival organisations and result in business benefits, such as more effective marketing and increased revenue. Using techniques such as text analytics, machine learning, predictive analytics, data mining, statistics and natural language processing, the businesses can study data to understand the current state of the business and track customer behaviour. Besides, businesses can analyse previously untapped data sources independent or together with their existing enterprise data to gain new insights resulting in leaner processes and effective decision making thus making it graduate from increasing wallet share to strategic thinking.
Skills and tech expertise
Big data analytics can be done with the software tools commonly used as part of advanced analytics disciplines such as predictive analytics and data mining.The unstructured data sources used for big data analytics may not fit in traditional data warehouses. Also, traditional data warehouses may not be able to handle the processing demands posed by big data. As a result, a new class of data technology has emerged and is being used in many big data analytics environments. The technologies associated with big data analytics include NoSQL databases, Hadoop, Linux, Python, Hive and MapReduce. These technologies form the nucleus of an open source software framework that supports the processing of large data sets across clustered and diversified systems.
Career options
Today, the term big data analyst is used somewhat loosely and ubiquitously; however, it forks into three specialty fields — technologists, who write the algorithms and code to transverse the large amounts of data; statisticians and quantification experts; and artist-explorers, creative people who can navigate content and find something others don't see. A word of caution: People are just slapping buzzwords on résumés and looking to get 50 or 100 per cent more, and they’re getting it. There are a number of people who can window dress their resume through Hadoop and call themselves big data analysts and they are polarised from the field.
Has academics caught up with the growing demand?
Universities are now waking up to the need for big data related curriculum. Coursera, which offers free online courses, holds a course on Web Intelligence and Big Data. Teradata has also recently announced free certification for candidates seeking analytic jobs. EMC too has been active in sponsoring certifications for the Business Intelligence. With Big Data analysis becoming a do-or-die requirement for today's businesses, now is the time to script a promising career
ahead. — The writer is a Ludhiana-based career consultant
How are companies using Big Data?
Gaining new insights: Companies are building a data advantage by pulling in relevant data sets from both within and outside their domains. They have witnessed a paradigm shift from mass analysis of data to selective cherry picking where specific objectives are laid down and only a specific behaviour of the consumer is analysed. This helps them take tough decisions like cannibalising their own brand or ditching one product in favour of another. Most sales leaders deploy resources, for example, on the basis of the current or historical performance of a given sales region. P2P is the new B2B: A decade ago, marketing activities were only confined to B2C. Today, there is no watertight compartmentalisation and B2B transaction is, in fact, a person to person interaction so much so that companies face a double challenge — winning new customers and keeping existing customers from defecting. To stay competitive, they need to invest in Search Engine Optimization and Google Analytics to make sure potential customers are finding them, and social media monitoring to spot new sales opportunities. They need to analyse both the pre and post-purchase behaviour of the consumer and also his cognitive dissonance if any. For instance, the retail giants tailor their offers and discounts based on predictions of how likely a valued customer areabout to defect and also by perceptually mapping it with competitors' products. Automated linear marketing: Companies invest in an automated linear marketing that processes vast amounts of data, mines it and linearly uses it to create better and more relevant interactions with consumers. That can include predictive statistics, machine learning, and natural language mining. These systems track key words automatically, for example, and make updates every 10 seconds based on changing search terms used. It can also make price changes across thousands of products based on customer preferences, price comparisons, inventory, and predictive analysis. For instance, banks capture and provide credit card payments and online fed next-product-to-buy steps to call centers which the front desk employees use to make suitable offers during the customer's next interaction.
Key platform capabilities
Hadoop-based analytics Nine-year-old open-source data-processing platform first used by Internet giants, including Yahoo and Facebook, leads the big-data revolution that processes and analyses any data type across commodity server clusters. Stream Computing Drives continuous analysis of massive volumes of streaming data with sub-millisecond response times. Data Warehousing Develops deep operational insight with advanced in-database analytics
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Diagrams and examples hold the key to a good score
Somak Chatterjee If science stream students of Class XII have the stress of scoring well in entrance and board exams, it is not a cakewalk for students in the commerce stream. The almost unrealistic cut offs of 98 per cent and above for getting into good colleges weigh heavily on the students wanting to pursue a degree in commerce in college. This leads to increased stress levels. Here are some handy tips that can help you excel in important subjects in the commerce stream: Accounts
Practical questions, the question can be expected from any of these topics — admission, retirement/death, dissolution, share capital, issue and redemption of debentures, cash flow statement. Make sure that these chapters are on your fingertips and you are acquainted with the different patterns and types of numerical problems asked from these topics. In the Partnership chapters, be thorough with the accounting treatment of Goodwill, different reserves and funds (such as workmen Compensation fund, Investment Fluctuation Fund, Employees Provident Fund, etc.), past adjustments and guarantee of profits. Once you have mastered these chapters, be assured that you have easily earned 20 to 25 marks. Chapters related to Company Accounts, Shares and Debentures carry 25 marks and are pretty easy if dealt with thoroughly. Be well versed with the journal entries, particularly that of the share allotment, forfeiture and reissue. Carefully work out the ascertainment of the number of shares allotted or applied for the defaulters and show the working notes properly. The chapters of Ratio Analysis and Comparative and Common Size Financial Statements carry 12 marks and are straight forwardm but do require a good command over the formulae. Lastly, for the chapter of Cash Flow Statement, memorize the format - particularly for the adjustments, prepare the adjustments related to Fixed Assets Account well, as also Provision for Depreciation Account, Provision for taxation and Proposed Dividend. Students generally do not pay due attention to the theory portion. However, the theory part is very scoring and one need not cram; all that is required is common sense.
Economics
Neat and labeled diagrams are a must : For certain questions (like equilibrium questions, relationship between AC, MC and TC, relationship between TR,AR and MR and similarly other relationships), practice as many diagrams as you can. Diagram conveys the written text instantly. Psst! : Examiners LOVE illustrations. Be assured you can score full marks in that question with a diagram! Be thorough with the formulae : Make sure you are thorough with the estimation of the National Income (via Gross Value Added Method, Expenditure and Income Method), formula to ascertain elasticity of demand and supply, tabulated questions based on the relationship of TR, AR and MR, ascertaining various costs- AC, MC, TFC, TVC etc. A question on Deflationary Gap or Inflationary Gap, Difference between Final Good and Intermediate Good, Stock v/s Flow Variables, Factors affecting demand and supply, implications of fiscal deficits, measures to avoid double counting, functions of money, etc. are some of the most popular topics from which questions have been placed in Economics exams. Illustrate your answers with real life instances: If a question is asked on Law of Demand, you can supplement your answer with the example of rising petrol prices and falling demand. Similarly, you can find hundreds of examples related to various topics which can enrich your answer and help you fetch extra marks.
Business Studies
Stick to the word limit: The question paper is pretty straight forward and the easiest of all the Commerce related subjects. Nevertheless, even after having all the concepts and answers on tips, often students face a common problem with regard to time management while writing their papers. In this regard, one just needs to stick to the prescribed word limit. A few important chapters — Chapters such as Marketing Management (14 marks), Financial Management (12 marks), Directing (8 marks) and Organising (8 marks) are the most important chapters as these carry more weightage If a question is on types, functions, features, etc. then supplement your answers with flow charts and branch diagrams. This will help the examiner to have a quick glance at all the points covered by you in your
answer. — The writer is VP- Content, Meritnation.com
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work
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But, how many times have you found these to be the biggest productivity killers and useless distraction? Well, I have faced that innumerable times. After all they are the products of human minds and hands, and if these minds are not too careful, then you end up with high-speed chaos. How many times have you received an email which is so chockfull of typos and abbreviations that it resembles an extra long SMS? You spend half an hour trying to decipher it, and even then are not sure if you’ve got it right. Or how about the email with a 50mb non-compressed attachment? Good luck with trying to download that by the end of the workday. Modern offices and companies thrive on efficiency and speed. And it is here that good email etiquette and procedures can help in moving things along. Many companies have very strict rules for email content, style and frequency. Right from the recipient, to the ‘cc’ and the ‘bcc’, to the Subject, the content and the attachments, brevity and conciseness are key. Unless its a group email, you’ll do best to have one or two recipients and put the rest in ‘cc’ or ‘bcc’, as the situation demands. The subject would be clearly spelt out so as to make life easier for the recipients. The content would similarly be proof read and grammatically correct. “Hi there, I really appreciate all the effort you put into forwarding me all these pithy sayings and cute photos of kittens and sunsets. I’ll tell you what, instead of sending them piecemeal, I’ll just come over one day and download them onto my pen drive. It’ll save you a lot of trouble and time.
Thanks.” — The writer is an Organisational Identity and Personnel Development Consultant
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20 lakh new jobs in banking sector
The banking sector may create up to 20 lakh new jobs in the next 5-10 years, helped by issuance of new licenses and efforts being made by RBI and government to expand financial services to rural areas, experts say. The hiring trends may get a further boost from the public sector banks, as many of them would need to hire fresh talent in the wake of nearly half of their workforce scheduled to retire in the next few years. According to HR services major Randstad India, banking sector will generate 7-10 lakh jobs in the coming decade and the sector would be among top job creators in 2014. Estimates are, however, much higher for Manipal Academy of Banking, which expects expansion in banking sector, including by the existing and new banks, to help create 18-20 lakh new employees over the next five years itself. Besides direct hiring, expansion in banking sector also helps in huge job creation in various support areas, experts say. According to Randstad, public sector banks could account for a bulk of hiring and could see 5-7 lakh new jobs being created in the coming years, as close to 50 per cent of their workforce in the lower and middle-level functions will retire in this period. “With the new banking licences, which are likely to be issued in the first half of 2014, the banking sector is poised to create big career opportunities in the near future,” Randstad India & Sri Lanka CEO Moorthy K Uppaluri said. Enthused further by the government’s financial inclusion plans to expand banking to rural areas, Uppaluri said: “With only less than 30 per cent of the Indian population having access to bank accounts, top banking firms are looking to expand and venture into the untapped rural markets that have so much potential to boost growth and profitability”. Reflecting similar views, talent assessment company MeritTrac Services' CEO Vasu K Saksena said “hiring in banks is likely to increase in the next couple of years” owing to expansion of banks into new cities and rural locations. “Along with new banking licenses, the reason can also be attributed to the large numbers of retirements that banks will witness during this year and the next,” Saksena added. According to Manipal Academy for Banking, about 4 lakh people applied for jobs in public and private sector banks last year. Of these while public sector banks hired 60,000-70,000 candidates, private sector hired another 40,000 job aspirants. — PTI
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A fresh take on confidence
Seerat Toor Grewal
Success always comes to the confident; half of your battles are won if you have confidence — these are the oft repeated words that each one of us has heard at one time or the other. But this book stands juxtaposed to such popular beliefs. The author has addressed confidence in an intriguing and scientific way. Confidence is a word that has been generally misinterpreted and unwisely dealt with. The author has tried to break the myths associated with the charisma and stigma attached to confidence and low confidence, respectively. The author reiterates the fact that low-confidence is a better mental condition than one of a delusionary and inflated self-confidence. While the former fosters in you the spirit to work hard, the latter pushes you in a world of stagnated energies to gain further competence. Kindness, modesty, trustworthiness and a temperament to work hard serve as the basic formula to success. It is a balance of passion and practice which can bring the real confidence. Interesting as it may sound but the greater part of the book emphasises on the positive aspects of low confidence. It sheds new light and adds a positive vein to the hitherto considered roadblock to success. The book is spread over eight convincing and engrossing chapters which take readers over the various aspects of human life through a different lens. It is written in a direct tone that makes the transition between topics very smooth. The author has taken care to support the arguments with real-time research examples. Confidence, which definitely holds prime importance in a professional world, is not entirely divorced from the personal endeavors on a daily basis as relationships, social conduct, health issues etc. The book holds a bright perspective for the new-age young workforce, who have a hard time focusing and mastering the confidence-building strategies to get through simple social and professional situations. It can act as a guide to help shape and channelise one’s energies so they are able to capitalise on their weaknesses. So, if you have been letting your failures hold you back from taking on more challenges, this book is a must read. Not only does it suggest of ways to get up and address your previous failures, but also puts a strong argument in favour of competence.
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Gems of ancient wisdom To win, grab half-chances
“I can ride along in your chariot,” said Hanuman. “No, you can’t. You will scare the tiny Balakhiya sages who travel in my chariot,” replied Surya. “So I will fly along with you outside your chariot,” said Hanuman. Later, as guru-dakshina, he promised to help Surya’s son Sugriva. In the 1920s, the sepoys of the First Brahmans Regiment in Delhi would go to bed dead tired, but there was one who kept practicing his hockey. It was Dhyan Singh. Not only did he practice till late in the night, he also “dreamt” of hockey. Seeing his nocturnal routine, his mates decided to change his surname from Singh to Chand (meaning moon). On the banks of the Ganga stayed a boatman named Kewat. Like every devotee of Lord Rama, he too wanted to touch his feet. Not only did Rama stay far away in Ayodhya, but the prince was too humble to allow others to touch his feet. But when Rama’s exile brought him to the banks of the Ganga, Kewat refused to take him across. On being asked, he replied, “I have heard that the dust of your feet turned a stone into a woman (Ahalya). If my boat turns into a woman, I will lose my means of livelihood. So I must clear your feet of all dust by washing those.” Rama understood and acceded to Kewat’s demand. At the temple at Tiruvarur, 10th century King Raja Raja Chola was mesmerised by a hymn. On enquiry, he found that the saints who had written those were dead and most of their work lay forgotten. Immediately, he ordered a search. On a tip-off that the hymns were locked in a room, which could only be opened in the presence of the three saints, at Chidambaram temple, he took life-size statues of the saints, recovered the masterpieces and arranged for those to be sung at all Shiva temples. In 1916, scientists Satyendra Nath Bose and Meghnad Saha joined the University College of Science, Calcutta, as lecturers. “Modern physics” was bringing about a revolution but as World War I was on, books on the subject were not reaching India. The duo searched hard and found that a German scientist PJ Bruhl had some literature in German. So they learnt the foreign language. Also-rans wait for a road to the goal, winners make it. — Sai R. Vaidyanathan The writer can be contacted at svaidyanathan@tribunemail.com
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Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar Special lecture by Pakistani historian A special lecture on ‘The Resourceful Fakirs’ was organised by the Department of History last week. The lecture was delivered by eminent Pakistani historian, Dr. Fakir Syed Aijazuddin in the Guru Nanak Bhawan Auditorium. Prof. Ajaib Singh Brar, Vice-Chancellor presided over. Prof. M. S. Hundal, Dean, Academic Affairs introduced the guest speaker to the students. Delivering the lecture Dr. Fakir Syed said his ancestors had served in the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Maharaja had deputed his ancestor, Fakir Aijazuddin as his spokesperson on all matters relating to foreign affairs, to conduct negotiations with British neighbours in the east and the Afghans in the west. He said that his ancestors, two other Fakir brothers, who were an integral part of the Sikh Court of Lahore were Fakir Imamuddin (keeper of the Gobindgarh Fort, Amritsar) and his younger brother Fakir Nuruddin (Member of the Regency Council for Maharaja Duleep Singh), also rendered their services. Dr Fakir has published a number of books on this period of Punjab history. The first was Pahari paintings and Sikh Portraits in the Lahore Museum (1977), a catalogue of the miniature paintings collection in the Lahore Museum. MoU with German varsity
The university has signed an MoU with the RWTH AACHEN University, Federal Republic of Germany and its Institute of Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry to promote scholarly activities and international understanding. Prof. Ajaib Singh Brar, Vice-Chancellor of the Guru Nanak Dev University and Prof. Dr. Bernhard Blumich, Director, Institute of Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry signed the MoU. This agreement would be valid for a period of five years. Speaking on the occasion Prof Brar said, "Both universities will cooperate to meet the needs for cultivating international professionals. This MoU is designed to facilitate the advancement and intensification of academic cooperation between both partner institutions. The activities include student and faculty exchange programmes. It would also include exchange of academic information and materials in the fields of interest to both the universities".
Student artistes honoured
The university honoured its student-artists who got positions in the North Zone Inter-University Youth Festival organised by Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow (U.P) recently. Vice-Chancellor, Prof. A.S. Brar honoured 34 student-artists who won the titles in the North Zone Inter-University Youth Festival with cash prize, medals, blazers and certificates. On this occasion student-artists, Anadi Mishra, Surtaal Singh, Satwinderpal Singh, Surpriya Seen, Rashi, Palakdeep Kaur, Gaurav Saul, Harpreet Kaur, Sham Singh, Arminder Singh, Ranjeet Singh, Kamaljit, Divya Saini, Tarrunum Sharma, Anjali Badhan, Poornima Jain , Navjot Kaur, Nancy Bagga, Paramvir Kaur, Ravinder Kaur, Sumeet Heer, Divyesh Dutta and Paras Sharma, among others.
— Contributed by G.S. Paul
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The Emerging Artist of the Year Award
Entries are open for the third edition of the 'Emerging Artist of the Year Award' organized by Glenfiddich and Bestcollegeart.com. Artists across the country are invited to participate and upload their five best artworks for free on Bestcollegeart.com before tFebruary 21, 2014. The finale will take place on April 4, 2014 at Gurgaon.The winner will pose as the India representative artist for 2014 at the globally acclaimed Glenfiddich Artists in Residence (AiR).The programme has hosted over 90 artists from 18 countries to visit Dufftown, home to the Glenfiddich distillery, to create varied artistic expressions ranging from the distillery, history, heritage, people, and craftsmanship of the surrounding area, which are then showcased in leading markets across the world. Artists will compete for a cash award of Rs 10,00,000 including three months residency allowance at The Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland. Strategy leadership contest
CitrusPay, the payments innovator of India, is hosting a leadership contest for students from IITs, IIMs, and ISBs. The Citrus Strategy Leadership Contest (CSL) is aimed at directing bright minds not only towards thinking and strategising but also in executing their marketing skills in creating a plan for one of 2014’s most exciting consumer product launches in India. The challenge posed to all these students was to tackle the menace that is chutta (loose change) and small cash transactions. The first phase of the competition has just ended and the winner of this phase was announced in a hangout session with the founder of Citrus Pay Satyen Kothari and Mohit Bhatnagar, Managing Director, Sequoia Capital. Gowtham from IIT-Guwahati, was the winnerbadge-selected.jpgbased on his thorough understanding of the user needs around the problem and his creativity of expression. The second phase is now open to all participants across with the grand prize being a trip to Thailand for the winning team and many other daily and weekly rewards for participants. As potential Citrus Strategy Leaders, the contestants were asked to design a marketing plan for the launch of a new Citrus consumer payments service across their campus and extended network. The entries are now open for the contest at www.deathofchutta.com
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UG programmes in economics
The Indian School of Business & Finance (ISBF), an Affiliate Centre of the University of London (UoL) with academic direction from London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) invites students to apply for its three-year full-time undergraduate honours degree programmes in BSc. Economics, BSc. Economics & Management and BSc. Business & Management Eligibility: Applicants who have passed the Class XII examination conducted by CBSE/ISC/State Board/International Baccalaureate (IB)/GSCE A-Levels (by May 2014) are eligible to apply. All applicants for this degree should have demonstrable proficiency in both, English and mathematics. Candidates applying for BSc. Economics need to have proof of competency in mathematics (equivalent to Grade XII). For other programmes candidates should be able to demonstrate ability in mathematics (equivalent to Grade X). Selection procedure: CBSE/ISC/State Board: Selections are made on the basis of an Entrance Exam (iMET- ISBF Mathematics English Test) and Personal Interview. IB and A-Level students: Are exempted from the Entrance Exam (per application basis). Selections are made on the basis of a Personal Interview. How to apply: 1. Apply online: Visit www.applytoisbf.com 2. Download application form: Visit www.isbf.edu.in – Undergraduate section. Complete the form as per the instructions and send it via email (uol@isbf.edu.in) or print the completed form and courier it. The application fee of Rs 2500 can be paid by cheque/demand draft/bank transfer/online. (Demand draft/cheque in favour of “Teamwork Education Foundation”, payable at New Delhi. In case, of a bank transfer please refer to the instructions mentioned in the form or contact 9971795612 / 13). Deadline: April 11, 2014 Check out: www.isbf.com Diploma in interior design
JD Institute of Fashion Technology invites applications for Diploma in Interior Design The course: It is a one-year programmeand will cover topics like introduction to the subject, history of interior design, basic and advanced graphic presentation, orthographic projection, basic and advanced building services, elements of design, building materials, basic and advanced construction techniques, role of an interior designer, professional practice and annual design project. Eligibility: Applicant should have passed Plus II from a recognised board in any discipline. How to apply: Application forms are available at the corporate centre of JD Institute of Fashion Technology, Hauz Khas Village. Application Forms can also be downloaded from the website www.jdinstitute.com Deadline: February 28, 2014. Check out: www.jdinstitute.com
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International Office scholarship
The University of Bristol offers International Office scholarship opportunities for students applying to the university. Five scholarships of £8,500 available for prospective students of master’s courses and another five scholarships of the same worth for prospective undergraduate students for 2014 entry are on offer. Eligibility: All applicants must be classed as overseas students for fee purposes All applicants must already hold an offer of a place on a full-time undergraduate or master’s programme at the University of Bristol. Applicants may be from any discipline. Sponsored students and students in receipt of another scholarship/award over £3,000 are not eligible to apply. Current University of Bristol students are not eligible to apply. Details: The scholarship is strategically divided in to three parts for three years; £3,000 in Year One, £3,000 in Year Two and £2,500 in Year Three. No awards will be made for subsequent years. How to apply: Interested applicants can apply online and are required to submit a short essay of up to 350 words. Deadline: June 13, 2014. Contact: AnuradhaSareen india-desk@bristol.ac.uk Opportunity for PG students
Bangor University, UK, is offering international scholarship programmes to students for postgraduate courses in 2014. Every successful candidate will be considered for a scholarship of £2,500 or higher, there are also full fee waiver scholarships available for postgraduate taught candidates. Eligibility: The International Scholarship will apply to students beginning their degree course in September 2014 Students who receive other types of scholarships from Bangor University or other sources of funding will not be entitled to the International Scholarship The International Scholarship is offered in the form of a reduction in tuition fee How to Apply: Application Forms available at Oberois Education Link Deadline: March 31, 2014 For queries contact: EDUCATION LINK 503, 88 Skipper Corner Nehru Place, New Delhi Check out: www.educationlinkhouse.com
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Canada relaxes student immigration norms
The Canadian student immigration category has become more attractive with the Canadian government allowing students to earn while they learn from the day one of initiating their educational course. Students also need not apply for 20 hours per week, as was mandatory earlier. The changes introduced by Citizenship & Immigration Canada (CIC) will come in effect from June 1 onwards. The change has also eliminated need for students to compulsorily work on-campus for the first six months of their academic term thereby providing them a wider horizon of working opportunities. Earlier, a student had to wait for completion of course and then work for six months on campus before applying for work permit, which again took time to set things in line. Now, the students can earn while they learn. Going a step ahead, CIC has declared that the students who had come on visitor visa as a part of some student exchange programme, can also apply for a student visa while being in Canada itself. Earlier, the student had to come back to his or her home country and then apply for a student visa. This reform is a respite for students who will now be able to meet their financial needs easily in Canada. The formalities of applying for work permit will be done away with. — TNS
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Take charge of your life
Rajnish Virmani
A. The most natural tendency of any human being when things are not going well is to blame others — even God, if there is no colleague or friend who fits in. Why me? Why is God against me? Please wake up and take note that reacting to this first question that comes to your mind is very dangerous. You are inclined to make an error of judgement if you respond to this first question that crops up in your mind. My suggestion is — Wait for the “Question behind the Question”… there is bound be the next question that comes into your head. Build that discipline to ask that next question — “What can I do best in this circumstance?” “How do I act to make the best impact in the current situation?” This next question on “How” and “What” is bound to creep up after the “Why”. React to this question now and make the best impact given the new situation. Take the new situation as given. You can’t change it, so make sure your reaction is based on what you can do best in the circumstance. Stop being in the victim mode. Oh God, Why me? Take charge of the situation and act to the best of your ability. That is what great leadership is all about. Be a leader. That is the only way I know on how to turn the tide. Value commitment
Q. What do you do if you accept a job offer but get a better offer soon after? The first offer was only made verbally. —
Sunil Kumar A. The answer depends on the individual’s value systems. Is a little extra money or material benefit valued more than a commitment given? I would personally value my word highly and respect the first offer. However, to be fair to that organisation and myself I would tell them about the situation openly and seek a written confirmation of the verbal offer. If they are still debating and unsure, only then will I revert to the second company with an affirmation.
Be a team player
Q. I feel I am much better as compared to the average worker at my company. I believe I can deliver much more on my own, but my team keeps pulling me down here. What should I do? —
Shailendra Nagar A. First and foremost, your values must match the company values. The company seems to be asking you to get along and deliver as a team. If these values do not match your personal values, you are probably at the wrong place and maybe the solution may lie in switching jobs. Having said that, I’d like you to introspect first on what you are saying. Life today is so interconnected that even the best amongst us cannot deliver as a standalone entity. We need to deliver as a team. You seem to be in a mental framework of “I am OK, you are not OK” and therefore you are not respecting what the others bring to the table. Ideally I’d suggest please move to “I am OK, you are OK” stance in life. Take advantage of the diversity in any team and gain from what everyone in the team is contributing. If you genuinely believe you can contribute more, please coach and mentor the other members of the team so that they develop and deliver better. I suspect over time the team can deliver much better and you will feel more cherished in what you have personally been able to achieve. This is the right spirit of leadership, not just grumbling about the team and pointing fingers at your team partners and colleagues. I genuinely believe that the
next-gen CEO is not the person with the best IQ, but the person who can carry the team along the best.
— Rajnish Virmani is a management guru with 30 years of experience. He has also authored has also written a book on management You Can Lead. Readers can send their workplace-related queries at
careers@tribunemail.com
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What are the prospects after completing MSc from IIT
Pervin Malhotra
A. Back in 2005, when the MHRD asked the IITs to break their tech barriers, one of first courses they launched was an integrated MSc in Economics in the D/o Humanities & Social Science in IIT Kanpur and Kharagpur (the one at IIT Madras has now been integrated into the Development Studies programme). Students are trained in diverse fields of Economics e.g. Microeconomics, Macro-Money, Industrial Organisation, Regional Economics, Environmental Economics, Development Economics, Law and Economics, Transport Economics, Econometrics, Input-Output Analysis, and Project Economics. Along with theoretical knowledge, students and faculty work on projects in challenging areas like irrigation management, alternative energy sources, rehabilitation and resettlement, urban transport systems, measuring aggregate capital stock, steel industry employment etc. Students can harness their knowledge of basic sciences/fundamentals to solve a problem or develop a product or look at finding a remedy to societal problems. From what I could gather, job offers for gradutes of this programme come from consulting firms, financial institutions, FMCG, IT, engineering, software and investment firms. Some graduates also choose to go for higher studies like a PhD in Economics or MBA from the IIMs and foreign institutes, while some prepare for the IAS. They’ve had pretty good placements in companies such as Citibank, Nomura, Deloitte Consulting, Deutsche Bank, Accenture, Daeyang Shipping Corp, GenPact, Diamond Consulting, Cognizant, Evalue Serve and Novartis Pharma etc. Self-study vs
coaching centre
A. While self-study is certainly an option, I think a good coaching class will help you focus on the essentials and give you some focus. Arguably one of the stiffest and most gruelling competitive exams of its kind in the world, the Civil Services exam is attempted by over 6 lakh aspirants each year of which barely a fraction (about 900-odd) are finally selected. And with engineers, doctors and PhDs in the fray, the competition gets even tougher. Very few manage to make it in the first
attempt. Although a bachelor’s degree in any stream is the basic requirement, the course is so vast that you need proper guidance to fine-tune your effort. Be prepared to put in 1-2 years of serious single-minded effort. A good coaching centre gives you the opportunity to interact with professors who are specialists in their subject. It will also provide photocopies of relevant articles published in various journals, which students may not ordinarily have access to. The courses fall into two broad categories: consolidated for Prelims & Mains and modular ones. Much like detachable Lego pieces, the components can be taken singly or in combination. A veritable coaching industry has sprung up to cater to this market. So before you select a coaching centre, do verify its success rate and track record: How many of their students have actually cleared the Prelims and the Mains and made it to the UPSC in the last 2-3 years? Also check out the faculty. Are they sufficiently experienced in this line? Talk to students studying there to get a clear picture. Then check out the fees. The most expensive need not necessarily be the best! Those on a shoestring budget can pool in resources and share study material or procure cheaper second hand notes. If you don’t have access to a good tried and tested coaching centre in your area, then opt for the best correspondence package. Various universities and state governments also offer free coaching for SC/ST/OBC candidates.
Options for a bio student
What other career options do I have if I opt for medical in Class XI except being a doctor? Your answer will help me a lot. —
Bhawna A. Biology finds wide applications in microbiology, genetics, agriculture, forestry, forensic sciences, biotechnology and environmental studies. Besides medicine, you can look at Veterinary Science, Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Nursing, Physiotherapy or pursue B.Sc (Hons) in Botany or Zoology, Home Science or in specialised courses such as BSc in Genetics, Microbiology, Environmental Science, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, and Biomedical Studies and B. Pharma. BSc in Life Sciences/Biological Science focuses on the more modern aspects of biology in an integrated manner. After completing your bachelor’s degree, you have the option of choosing higher (PG) studies in agriculture (e.g. in plant breeding or pathology), molecular biology, biotechnology, biomedical sciences or life sciences. MSc. in Botany or Zoology, followed by B.Ed which is popular, specially among girls, for becoming a teacher in schools. The more ambitious can pursue a Ph.D and opt for teaching at the college/university level, or join a research institute as a scientist. Biology students can also compete for Indian Forest Service and other central services. There are openings for biologists in biotechnology and environment management organisations as well. Email your queries to
careers@tribunemail.com
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There are 2.19 crore people in India with disabilities who constitute 2.13 per cent of the total population. A large percentage are physically handicapped individuals who suffer from limb malfunctions or abnormalities. Prosthetics and Orthotics is a medical and engineering-based healthcare profession that deals with rehabilitation of people suffering from neuro-motor and musculoskeletal disorders to live a normal life.
The placement season is just beginning to gain momentum with students gearing up to bag attractive offers. While academic performance and skills play a large role in getting a ‘yes’ from a prospective employer, it is how you package these two essential ingredients that matters the most. More and more professionals are bringing business principles into the career arena with great success. The days of a jobseeker entering the job market armed with just a CV are passe. ‘Personal Branding’, thus, is becoming the most soughtafter strategy in the job market now. There has been a dramatic increase in the use of this term in India over thepast few years. Tom Peters first used this term in an article back in 1997, and increasingly professionals are sitting up and taking a note of it now.
More and more companies are using Big Data to increase their marketing return on investment. It is paying them through increased productivity and enhanced customer relationship management.
It will not be an overstatement to say that much of our existence in this tech-oriented world is built around emails, especially our professional lives. It would be inconceivable to imagine a workday without the constant flow of a stream of emails, replies and forwards. This ubiquitous tool has revolutionised information flow and has come a long way since the early days of Hotmail and Sabeer Bhatia. Snail mail has all but become the preserve of bills, cards, official documents and junk. Even one-to-one written personal communication is firmly aboard the email train now.
A lot of the blame for shoddy email writing (any writing for that matter) can be put on the forgiving nature of word processing software. Writing with ink on a piece of paper is a one shot deal — you make a mistake and you either have to cross it through or tear up the paper and start again. The writer is a lot more careful putting pen to paper, than he or she is while letting his fingers dance on a keyboard. The same would apply to a manual typewriter and personal computer. Anytime you have an instantaneous ‘back’ or ‘erase’ key, the concentration flags. We love second, third and fourth chances in life, and that’s why we love our computers so much.
High speed communication does not necessarily equate with incomprehensibility. A certain boss once related a tale of how he turned down an enthusiastic business proposal by a salesperson via email. He got a reply from that person, thanking him for his time and hoping that next time things would turn out differently. But, as a postscript, the salesperson had added that he was a little surprised that the rejection had been delivered in a harsh manner. Mystified, the boss in question went back to his email and discovered that his ‘caps lock’ had been pressed and the whole email was in capitals. Talk about electronic yelling! And how about responding to emails? It seems that the most efficient system is to set aside certain times during the workday to reply to all but the most urgent emails. Half an hour in the forenoon and another later in the day would be one option. Otherwise a person finds himself playing ‘catch-up’ all day long. Further, if properly written, emails can be subtle carriers of gentle sarcasm and goading. As you are not face-to-face with the recipient, there is a certain degree of leeway that can be used. Distance softens the blows and a quip here, a joke there, can deliver your message more effectively than a face to face confrontation. 
Rare are the ones who have a crown waiting for them. So whenever an opportunity knocks, make sure you take full advantage of it.
It was time for young Hanuman to go to school. So he chose Surya, the sun-god, as his guru. “Son, I am always on the move. Where will I find time to teach?” Surya tested his pupil.
Q. I believe I have been very unlucky and not succeeded with whatever I have done at work recently. Life seems generally stacked up against me. What should I do to turn the tide? —
Amit Singh
Q. My son is a student of MSc. (Economics) second year in IIT, Kharagpur. I want to know the future prospects of economics from
IIT. Please explain all the aspects. — S.K.Mishra
Q. I am a commerce graduate from Panjab University. I have recently appeared in the Company Secretary professional exams, the result of which is going to be declared on February 25. Now I want to start preparing for IAS exams. My query is whether I should go for self-preparation or join a coaching centre. I am a complete beginner so I don’t know from where to start if I opt for self preparation. If I go for coaching, which coaching centre will be the best for me in Punjab? I am also confused over the choice of optional subject. I am in a complete fix. —
Anjana Singh 
Q. I am a student of Class X. I am quite confused about opting for a stream in XI. I have a fair interest in studying biology but I don’t want to be a doctor.