CAREER HOTLINE
Flight steward's job

Q Could you please tell me about the eligibility criteria and also the institutions conducting training programmes for flight stewards? I want to be a flight steward. I have done B.Sc. and am doing M.Sc.

A Flight Steward/Purser's job is quite similar to that of an airhostess. Starting as an Asst. Flight Steward, you will work alongside the airhostess, while as a Sr Steward you will check the cargo, keep an account of occupancy, handle the duty-free items, serve alcoholic drinks on board, collect the money for in-flight purchases and help the hostess perform her duties efficiently.

Personal attributes like a friendly and helpful nature, ability to communicate, patience and good humour will hold you in good stead. You also need loads of stamina to walk up and down the aisle pushing trolleys and serving the passengers on board.

The typical eligibility criteria for a flight steward are as follows:

Male candidates below 26 years

Minimum height - 165 cm (barefoot)

Weight - in proportion to height

Education - Bachelor's degree or Class XII with 3-yr diploma in Hotel Management & Catering Technology

Physically fit with a pleasing personality

Fluency in English and Hindi

Knowledge of foreign languages is desirable

Vision - normal without glasses. Total power of contact lenses for correcting distance vision should not exceed -2D (minus two dioptres)

Ability to communicate easily with people.

Assistant Flight Stewards are selected on the basis of performance in an objective-type written test to assess your general awareness and mental flexibility. Those who qualify in the written test are called for group discussion and interview to assess mental alertness and communication skills. Training, similar to that for airhostesses, is provided but with less emphasis on personal grooming. With experience, a steward can rise to become the senior or chief steward. Your flying career can happily continue up to retirement unlike your female counterparts.

Candidates are taken in as Assistant Flight Stewards in government carriers as trainees on a monthly stipend. On confirmation, the remuneration package is fairly decent. Typically, private airlines tend to pay higher salaries. Flying allowances and other benefits like free travel etc. are additional in both cases. However, international carriers have begun to recruit flight pursers from India only recently.

It is not necessary to join a training programme to become a flight steward as most airlines provide extensive training upon recruitment. But if you need help with communication, deportment and etiquette, they may be of some help.

Become a news presenter

Q I want to be a newsreader on TV or Radio. Please tell me about institutions that offer training in news reading.

A A background in journalism, or political science in addition, would hold you in good stead. No news channel worth its name would recruit a fresher and put him/her directly on the news desk. You have to prove your merit in ground jobs such as active reporting etc, before you graduate to anchoring or presenting the news.

Here are some courses that you can check out (The list is not exhaustive):

Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. Course: PG Diploma in TV Journalism (1-yr)

New Delhi YMCA, Institute for Media Studies & Information Technology, Jaisingh Road, New Delhi. Course: PG Diploma in Television Journalism (6-month)

Jamia Millia Islamia, MCRC Course in Electronic Journalism (Hin/Urdu, weekend).

Jagran Institute of Mgt & Mass Communication, F 21-23, Sec 8, NOIDA. Courses: Cert in TV Anchoring

Makhanlal Chaturvedi Patrakarita Vishwavidyalaya (contact their affiliated institutions/study centres). Course: MA in Broadcast Journalism.

Bihar Institute of Film & Television (BIFT), Patliputra Colony, Patna. Course: Diploma in TV Journalism.

Besides these, some TV personalities also conduct short-term courses on television presentation. However, do check out their offerings before you sign up. Many of them offer substandard fare that will get you nowhere.

While it’s an asset, it’s not absolutely mandatory to do a course. If you are a graduate with a clear diction, a well-modulated voice and are pleasant looking, you can appear for the written test (a background of the cultural traditions of the region and overall general awareness are important criteria for selection) conducted by Radio/TV channels. If you manage to qualify the written test, you will be called for an audition followed by an interview.

Take a shot at the FM channels as well. The confidence and skills you gain while presenting the programmes will hold you in good stead.

Scope in software sector

Q I wish to pursue MCA but I am not very clear about its job prospects. Please guide me. Is it true that a majority of software professionals are male?

A With an MCA degree from a reputed institution, you will have a choice of sporting any of the following job titles in software:

Analyst Programmer, Application Programmer, CAD Designer, CAD/CAM Technician, Computer Consultant, Computer Graphics Specialist, Web Developer, Web Master, Computer Operations Manager, Computer Security Analyst, Customer Engineer, Data Communications Specialist, Information Services Executive, Inspection Supervisor, Management Information Systems Analyst, Operations Research Analyst, Program Librarian, Regional Manager, Software Services Representative, Systems Analyst, Systems Design Specialist, Systems Development Manager, Systems Maintenance Analyst, Technical Services Manager, Technical Training Manager.

A majority of these jobs require competence in Systems Analysis. The SA is a professional problem-solver who analyses the different sets of manual procedures in use in an organisation and replaces them with computerised processes.

MCA is offered at hundreds of engineering colleges and institutions in the country. However, since the number of seats in each course is small (30-35), the competition for the premier institutions is very stiff.

Expertise and flair in technologies such as mobile computing, embedded or telecom software, VLSI Design, GPS and information security which are the other hot areas, should boost your prospects further.

I hope you are preparing in dead earnest for the AIMCET which will enable you to apply for a majority of the better universities.

To answer the second question, approximately 79 per cent software professionals are men. However, the male:female ratio is likely to be 65:35 by 2005. This ratio is reversed in the ITES sector, where the ratio is 35:65.

MBA through distance school

Q I have completed B.Tech (Electronics & Instrumentation) and now want to enrol for MBA through correspondence. Please tell me about the scope of doing an MBA through distance learning.

A As a thumb-rule, a regular full-time MBA from a reputed B-school offers better job prospects by way of overall exposure and on-campus recruitment.

MBA courses offered through distance learning are usually preferred by working professionals to upgrade their qualifications for better growth prospects, particularly in the government sector.

Naturally, since no placement facilities are offered for students of these courses, you will have to look for a job on your own. If you can leverage your work experience adequately, well and good. Otherwise, you’ll find it tough to compete with your full-time MBA counterparts.

You will gain in professional knowledge but miss out on classroom interaction, dissection of case studies and the opportunity of networking with your peers, professors and visiting faculty that form an essential core of a regular MBA programme.

Management is essentially a practical hands-on discipline rather than a mere academic field of study. If possible, try and enrol for a part-time course instead so that you can continue to work alongside.

In the West, online MBAs are gaining popularity amongst working people. These are being offered by some of the top B-schools and have a fair amount of interactivity built in to make them more meaningful. Of late, a number of such programmes, including a few offered via satellite, are being offered in India. However, even such courses are meant for working people, not freshers.

Besides, rowing two boats at the same time is not easy. After a hard day at office, it’s tough to sit down to regular study in the evening or night — month after month. Which is why not many of those who enrol for correspondence or part-time courses end up completing them. You need to be very focussed, disciplined and regular to submit your assignments and take the exams.

Sitting for SAT

Q I will be completing Class XII this year. I would like to do my bachelor’s in the US. I would be very grateful if you could give me some information about the new version of SAT.

A The SAT format is being considerably modified. The new test will have a tougher math section (instead of asking you to compare the volume or area of different objects, your knowledge of high school algebra and geometry will be tested).

There will be a greater emphasis on reading and writing. The notoriously tricky word analogy section will be replaced instead by questions that will gauge your reading ability (short reading passages will be added to the existing long ones). Hence, the verbal section will be appropriately termed "Critical Reading". So you would do well to brush up your writing skills in preparation for the change.

A new section called the SAT Writing Section containing multiple-choice grammar questions as well as a written essay will be added.

You will be able to earn a maximum score of 2,400 on the restructured 3-part, three-and-a-half-hour exam (each of the parts will be scored on a 200-800 point basis.

However, the proposed changes which have been approved by the appropriate authorities, are being field tested presently and would only be applicable from March 2005 for students planning to enter college in Fall 2006. Until then, the present format will apply. Incidentally, the test fee has been raised from $26 to $38.

For those who don’t have the patience to wait for a month before the College Board results arrive, the ETS will end your doubts — for a price. Both SAT I and SAT II scores are available on the hotline by phone or on the Web within 2 weeks for a $13 surcharge.

For further details, check out the official SAT website: www.collegeboard. c om

Two good books I could recommend are: Baron’s SAT Guide and The College Board’s 10 Real SATs . The books come with free sample software to give you a real feel of the test.

Test for tax officer

Q I am an Arts graduate from Panjab University. I want to become either an Income Tax or Central Excise Officer. Please tell me the selection procedure and maximum age limit for recruitment.

A To become an Income Tax Officer or Central Excise Officer, you should first take the Civil Services Examination conducted by the UPSC. In the Civil Services, both posts are of the Group ‘A’ Officer cadre. The maximum age limit for taking this exam (for general candidates) is 30, eligibility being graduation. Be on the lookout for the UPSC advertisement in Employment News in December.

You could also take the competitive exam for Inspectors of Central Excise, Income Tax, etc. conducted by the Staff Selection Commission. The eligibility for taking this exam is a Bachelor’s degree and the age limit is 25.

Joining Merchant Navy

Q I have completed my matric examination with 50 per cent marks from the CBSE with science, math and English. I am keen on pursuing a career in the Merchant Navy and want to know about Rating. Could you please tell me what the job entails?

A Shipping companies directly recruit fresh candidates for marine engineering as well as navigation. Be on the lookout for their ads in leading national dailies and apply to them directly. Sixty per cent in Class XII (PCM) and medical fitness are the basic requirements. For the navigation branch (as a Deck Cadet, you need 6/6 vision in both eyes without glasses; for marine engineering however, glasses up to plus or minus 2.5 are permitted.

In terms of functional hierarchy, Ratings work under the Officers in three major departments: deck, engine room and catering. In ships that operate with small general-purpose crew, Ratings work both in the engine room as well as on the deck.

Deck Ratings: mostly work manually – cleaning, sweeping, chipping off the rust, polishing etc. They are also involved in the maintenance and operations at the time of loading and unloading the cargo.

Moreover, Ratings act as ‘look-outs’ and helmsmen on the bridge. At the port, they assist in the mooring of the ship, preparing for cargo operations and taking stores on board, and participate in fire and security patrols.

A recent international study has projected an oversupply of Ratings by 2.55 lakh by the end of 2010, from today’s excess of 2 lakh ratings. Moreover, there is stiff competition from the Chinese, Philippinos, Bangladeshis and Russians for these jobs because they are willing to accept cheaper wages (even lesser than those specified by the International Transport federation (ITF).

Besides some private establishments, the three main establishments for training of Ratings are T S Bhadra, Kolkata, T S Mekhla, Vishakhapatnam, and T S Navalakshi, Gujarat. The training lasts for three months and 640 cadets are trained annually at these three institutes for the deck department and engine room. On completion of training, you will be engaged as Seaman-III.

It may be a good idea to subscribe to a shipping journal like the Marex Bulletin, a shipping industry weekly magazine published from Mumbai. It regularly carries recruitment ads of several shipping companies as well as course notifications and other industry news that you may find useful (www.marexbulletin.com).

Prospects of protocol design

Q I am a student of BCA and want to do M.Sc. in Networking and Protocol Design. Please guide me regarding its job prospects.

A The computer hardware industry can be segmented into complete systems, peripherals and consumables. The Indian market for computers and peripherals has been growing at a rapid pace. In fact, the networking market has been one of the fastest growing segments in the industry.

Over 3 million units were sold in FY 2003-04 and the figure is expected to grow by 40 per cent crossing the 4.2 million-mark in 2005 — driven by technological innovations and a drop in prices on account of the IT agreement under the WTO which will come into effect (translating into a PC penetration of 20/1000). Going by the average requirement of one hardware engineer for every 50 machines, the demand for networking professionals is bound to increase.

While 1,00,000 technicians and engineers are required, there are barely 50,000 of them at present.

Currently, there is a considerable demand gap of 2.4 million of networking professionals worldwide. As many as 20,000 positions are open for such skills in Japan, Korea and China alone.

There are several career avenues within networking:

Network administration: This involves configuring and managing LANs (Local Area Networks), WANs (Wide Area Networks) and VPNs (Virtual Private Networks). You will be responsible for analysing, installing and configuring the company’s network even from a remote location. Your daily activities will include monitoring network performance, troubleshooting problems and maintaining network security which has to be done on a daily basis.

With the proliferation of B2C (business to customer) websites, e-commerce, e-governance, VPN (Virtual Private Networks) and other Internet and telecom-based applications like remote servicing and IVR (Interactive Voice Response), the demand for network administrators is likely to peak in the next couple of years.

Vendor certifications like Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) or Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) or the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) or Sun Solaris Administrator can fetch premium salaries both In India as well as globally.

Network technicians: They tend to focus more on the set-up, troubleshooting, and repair of specific hardware and software products.

Service technicians: As a service technician, you will have to travel to customer sites to perform "field" upgrades and support.

Network programmers & analysts write software programmes or scripts that help evaluate third party products and integrate new software technologies into an existing or new network environment.

Network managers supervise the work of administrators, engineers, technicians, and programmers. Network and Information Systems managers also focus on the longer-range planning and strategy considerations.

Network security: As important data travels through networks, ensuring its security has become a critical issue. To excel in this field, you must be familiar with system programming and administration as well as security configuration. Information Security is a very hot technology in networking, which can be implemented by using sophisticated Firewalls etc.

Cyber laws and legal aspects: As security issues get increasingly complex and critical, demand for professionals in this area is also gradually increasing. But in order to understand cyber laws, you’ve got to be a lawyer first and then be cyber-literate.

(The lists of courses are not exhaustive)

— Pervin Malhotra

Please send in your query, preferably on a postcard, along with your full name, complete address and academic qualifications to: Editor, Jobs and Careers, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh-160030, or at careers@tribunemail.com