CAREER HOTLINE — Amit Sachdeva A The eligibility for Matric Entry Recruit (MER) in the Indian Navy is matriculation or equivalent with Science and Maths (55 per cent agg) or plus two with Physics and Maths (50 per cent agg) for general category candidates. For sons and blood brothers of Naval personnel & candidates sponsored by widows of naval personnel who die in-service, the eligibility is Matric/equiv with science and maths (45 per cent agg) or (45 per cent agg) in plus two/equiv with Physics and Maths. Incidentally, August 9, 2004, was the last date for MER recruitment for the January 2005 batch, but the Navy keeps recruiting fresh candidates regularly, so watch out for the announcements in leading newspapers. For further details you could also log on to the Indian Navy's website: www.nausena-bharti.mil.in. Eyesight norms Q If I clear the IIT JEE, can I still be eliminated in the physical fitness round for TS Chanakya or MERI? Are the norms for eyesight very stringent? — Gurvinder Chopra A To be eligible for admission to the 3-year BSc (Nautical Sc) degree at T.S. Chanakya, Navi Mumbai and the 4-year Marine Engineering degree at Marine Engineering & Research Institute (MERI), Kolkata (www.merical.ac.in), you must be mentally and physically fit for sea life. You will be considered for admission only after you clear a separate eye test. Details of medical standards are listed in the information brochure. You can also log on to www.dgshipping.com. But specifically, for TS Chanakya you need 6/6 vision in both eyes. Those wearing glasses are not eligible. For MERI, glasses up to plus/ minus 2.5 are allowed. Defective colour vision is a sure disqualification for both courses (you must be able to ascertain the course and direction of an oncoming vessel by the colour of light it throws). All said and done, a sailor's life is not always smooth sailing. Life at sea can be pretty rough and demanding - involving long hauls away from home and family, braving the elements (and seasickness), which in turn require a very high level of physical (and mental) fitness. Research after statistics Q I have done my Master's in statistics and am currently working in a bank. I am very keen to do some research particularly in the emerging markets. Can you give me some information about the ICICI Research Centre and what they do? — Supreet Chattwal A The ICICI Research Centre is a non-profit centre, focused on conducting and sponsoring cutting edge research in financial markets, financial instruments and financial institutions with an emphasis on Indian and emerging markets. The goal is to provide a platform for facilitating active interaction between academia, policy makers and practitioners in finance. The Centre is managed by CAFS (Centre for Advanced Financial Studies), Institute for Financial Management & Research (IFMR). The purpose being to:
Offer advanced courses covering different areas of finance to disseminate the best current practices worldwide. Facilitate the construction of reliable databases, which would be made available to researchers, policy makers practitioners in India and other emerging markets. Allow Indian and foreign researchers to collaborate on areas relevant to emerging markets finance. IRC has commenced research on Emerging Markets Finance and is looking to add to its team of researchers based in Chennai. They are looking for bright PGs/PhDs with strong quantitative skills and / or statistical skills, and an aptitude and interest in research. The research programme includes modeling, financial econometrics, corporate finance, market studies, database construction and other areas of finance, with a strong emphasis on Indian and other emerging markets. For further details you may send your queries to:
contactus@iciciresearchcentre.org PRO & networking — Sunil Parmar A As with most young people, you face the problem of not knowing what you want to do. Your education also reflects this - English Honours to PR to network programming to call centres! Although it may have acquainted you with diverse fields, it is also somewhat wasteful - not just in terms of money, but also in terms of time. And energy. What you should do is to first try to determine what it is that you would truly enjoy doing. I know this is easier said than done. However, if you can identify your aptitude and skills, it will give direction to your career. You should then focus on acquiring the necessary skills to move in this direction. For example, if call centres is your career choice, you need to focus on improving your communication skills — both written and verbal. Besides, if you've got what it takes, you can with some experience, rise up to the managerial level in the BPO sector — and swifter than in the corporate sector. B-school
placement Q What is a 'lateral placement' in a B-school that we read about in the papers? Why are they offered higher salaries when they have done the same course? — Parminder Khanna A Instead of having to start out at the entry level (i.e. as a Management Trainee or Asst. Manager), MBA graduates with relevant work experience are offered lateral placement at a higher level in their respective functional area. For instance, engineers with 3-4 years of experience who are passing out of a good B-school would be placed as project managers in a manufacturing firm. Understandably, they would be offered higher salaries as compared to freshers because they don't need much training. The duration and level of work experience are determined by the company; there are no hard and fast rules. Vocational courses Q Our office peon has a very bright 15-year old daughter who discontinued her studies mid-way. Where could I enroll her for some useful vocational training? — Dilip Singh A The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) offers a unique vocational training programme at the Foundation, Secondary and Senior Secondary level through distance learning. The system is flexible and permits students to appear in any number of subjects at a time, whenever they are ready to take the exams. As many as nine attempts are permitted. Students can also enrol at study centres spread all over the country. Moreover, a wide choice of vocational courses are offered singly or in combination with academic subjects to make the education more meaningful. The objective is to offer need-based and job-oriented courses basically to suit the requirements of the unorganised sector, to prepare skilled manpower for self-employment, entrepreneurship, and income-generating work. The programmes are targeted at those who cannot get admission in ITIs, polytechnics and other vocational training institutes. While NIOS conducts the exams and issues certificates, training is provided at Accredited Vocational Institutions (AVIs) all over the country. These courses cover various aspects of business and commerce, engineering and technology, paramedical health, home science, applied science, humanities, agriculture, IT and other emerging sunrise sectors. The entry requirements vary from primary school pass to a pass in plus two. Admissions, on first-come-first-served basis, are open during May-July and October-December. Examinations are held twice a year in May and November. Like any other distance learning program, NIOS provides specially prepared reading material as well as audio & videocassettes, practical manuals and study guides, laboratory and workshop sessions and contact classes. Check out the NIOS website: www.nos.org for details and the list of centres in your vicinity. (The list of courses is 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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Q I wish to join as a Matric Entry Recruit in the Indian Navy. Can you please tell me something about the eligibility requirements?
Q I have done BA (Hons) English followed by a course in Public Relations. Then I did a 1-yr course in network programming from NIIT. I did Java too but all this is useless as I'm only getting a job as a front office executive or in call centers. I'm now thinking of doing MBA through correspondence. Please advise.
