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CAREER HOTLINE Q I am a student of Class XII. Could you please tell me about the job prospects after doing a B.Tech course in dairy technology? — Sukhwinder Parmar, Una A Livestock farming, in particular the dairy sector, is one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors in the country today. The increasing production of milk and milk products in India has opened up lucrative career avenues for dairy technologists. These specialists can seek employment in dairy product manufacturing, and marketing and research establishments in the public and private sectors. Milk co-operatives, and federations also provide ample scope. Modern-day dairy farming calls for latest methods and techniques, to remain globally competitive. The operational areas include collection, production and processing of milk, quality control, and even the manufacture, management and marketing of dairy products like cheese, butter, ice-cream, mithai, chocolates, milk food, cream, milk powder etc. Amul, Mother Dairy, Milkfed, etc. are leading milk co-operatives in the country. There are several dairies and dairy development boards in the public sector where the pay and perks are as per government grades. The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), a multi-locational organisation, is involved in planning, implementing, financing and supporting farmer-owned professionally agri-business enterprises. State-level dairy development co-operatives also offer attractive opportunities. In the private sector, Indian as well as global giants like Cadburys, HLL, Britannia, Dabur, Nestle, Glaxo, Vadilal, Smith Kline Beecham, etc. are some of the major employers that hire dairy technologists. To begin with, dairy technologists are recruited as trainees and shift officers in dairy plants. They move on to become assistant managers and senior plant managers and even consultants to private enterprises. Research is another key area for those who go in for a PhD. Take to teaching History Q I have done my MA in History. Could you please tell me the exact procedure for becoming a Lecturer in a college? — Preeti Chawla A To standardise the quality of teaching at the college/university level, and to bring an element of fairness to the recruitment process, the University Grants Commission (UGC) conducts a National Eligibility Test (NET) which all aspiring lecturers and Junior Research Fellows enrolling for an M.Phil have to clear. For lecturers in science subjects, the NET is conducted by the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR). The basic qualification required for taking this test consisting of three papers is a Master's degree with 55 per cent marks (50 per cent for SC/ST). PG students who are appearing in the final year/semester exam are also eligible to take a shot at the NET. However, their candidature will be provisional subject to their securing the prescribed minimum marks. Held twice yearly at 88 university centres all over the country, the NET which is modelled on the Educational Testing Service (ETS), US, is designed to assess your mental ability, general awareness as well as in-depth knowledge of the core subject. Many states whose educational service commissions recruit lecturers for their government colleges and universities conduct a state-level eligibility test called the State Level Eligibility Test (SLET). The SLET, which is duly accredited by the UGC, is also on the pattern of UGC/CSIR-NET with eligibility requirements being the same. However, those who have cleared the NET are exempted from appearing in the state-level tests. Although the minimum requirement for lectureship is an MA with NET, in reality those with higher qualifications such as M.Phil and Ph.D stand a better chance. For the NET syllabus and further details, contact: University Grants Commission, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi 110002. Or log on to: www.ugc.ac.in. Incidentally, Indians staying/studying abroad (US, UK, Canada, Japan etc) will now be able to take the NET in Indian embassies there. This will prove a great boon to those pursuing post-doctoral studies abroad and who wish to teach in India. Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (Deptt. of Science & Technology), Anusandhan Bhawan, Rafi Marg, New Delhi 110001. For SLET, contact your State Department of Education. Visual media Q I am studying in Class XII. After this, I want to do B. Sc in Visual Communication. Please tell me about the institutions that offer this course and also the prospects. — Sunil Sachdeva, Meerut A Visual communication design is concerned with the presentation of information, whether printed on paper, presented on a screen or displayed at an exhibition. Graduates in Visual Communication are employed by design consultants, book and magazine publishers, printers, advertising agencies and as in-house designers for large corporations, and state bodies. Opportunities for these specialists also exist in the fields of television and film design, multimedia, exhibition and display. Listed below are some of the courses in Visual Communication:
However, you could also opt for a Bachelor's in Fine Arts (BFA) specialising in commercial art or graphic design, which would be equally acceptable for most of the jobs mentioned above. BFA courses are offered in colleges of art in almost every university, including Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Amity etc. Alternatively, you could opt for a diploma in commercial art at a recognised polytechnic and round it off with a course in multimedia. Telecom track Q I am a fresh BE in electronics and telecom. I have gone through various websites for entry-level jobs in telecom but could not find even a single one. Most jobs are for people having experience of 5 -10 yrs. I think I have chosen a wrong field. Do you think I should switch to software? — Gurbax Longowal A First of all, don't be nervous - and whenever you do, remember software and telecom are the tidal wave of the present era with never-before imagined numbers of opportunities. On the other hand, I can entirely appreciate and sympathise with your dilemma - the Catch-22 game of jobs requiring work experience and work experience not being possible without a job! It is true that many job ads ask for BE/BTech/MCA plus experience. But then as you may have observed, not many of these are entry-level positions. Also, it is natural for employers to advertise their ideal "wish list". But don't let that deter you unnecessarily at this stage. You should be able to get an entry-level job by taking the initiative in your own hands. As regards making a shift to software, you must be aware that some of the hottest streams in this sector are: information security, and convergence. Convergence seeks to make valuable information and data from the web accessible through a variety of devices such as a TV set, mobile phone, PDA, etc. rather than simply through the PC. This is achieved by the coming together (convergence) of the Internet, computer and telecommunication. Thus, telecom and software are beginning to move closer. The ideal route may be to first get a job in telecom; once in the field you will have a better idea of the specialist software you need to leverage your knowledge base of telecom. Also, with the resurgence of the IT sector, companies are recruiting fresh engineering graduates as software trainees (regardless of their area of specialisation). After BE or M.Sc in electronics you can even go into interfacing-related areas. Microelectronics is yet another hot option, should you wish to study further. (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
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