Q. I am a disabled captain confined to a wheelchair. What types of career opportunities are available to me at home?

A. While many disabled people successfully work at jobs in the corporate, industrial, government and non-profit sectors, home-based businesses offer an attractive alternative, as well. The best opportunities will result from the intersection of your skills and interests with the needs of an employer or customer.

Self-assessment is the initial step in determining your direction. Consider whether you see yourself working with people, data or more tangible objects. Depending on your skills, if you choose people, for example, you might pursue tutoring, advising or telemarketing positions. The BPO sector offers numerous opportunities: Voice and web-based jobs in customer care, technical support, medical transcription etc are easily available.

Data could lead you to bookkeeping, researching or computer-related work like database management, data warehousing etc. The BPO sector has sufficient requirement for those with a commerce background for verification of insurance claims, loans and accounts.

A preference for working with tangible objects might direct you toward greenhouse gardening, assembling or repair.

Disabilities aren't a limiting factor in entrepreneurship, as the Sel f -Emplo y ment for People with Disabilities website demonstrates: www.regent.edu/acad/schbus/employment/home.html shows. Profiles of successful entrepreneurs on this site range from those involved in sales of recreational equipment to people who run thriving baking and computer-maintenance businesses.

Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can do. In other words, focus on your abilities, rather than your handicap.

For further details, you could log on to: www.ncpedp.org

Heading for homoeopathy

Q. I am a student of Class XII (Sc). I want to go in for BHMS but my uncle says there is no future in this. Could you please tell me about the job prospects in homeopathy?

A. From being considered a non-scientific last resort, homeopathy is now a preferred, system of medicine both in India and abroad. An indication of its popularity lies in the fact that the best homeopathic medicines are manufactured by German and American companies.

With the spiralling cost of allopathic treatment, a large number of people are beginning to prefer homeopathy, both for chronic as well as common ailments.

Homeopathy offers virtually the same opportunities as the other systems of medicine. There are about 165 homeopathic colleges, 14 of which offer a PG degree (MD Homeo). More are being added. And so are the areas of specialisation within the field.

Homeopaths practice in most parts of the world. There are over 1,50,000 trained homeopaths in the country. Many of them work in government hospitals and dispensaries. Recruitment for these jobs is conducted by the UPSC and the respective State Public Service Commissions.

Opportunities are also available in private nursing homes and polyclinics. Medical colleges, training institutions and medical councils recruit doctors for purposes of teaching and research.

Although there are opportunities in govt. bodies, many homeopaths opt for private practice. If you are hesitant to start off on your own, working with an established homeopath for a while would help you gain the necessary confidence.

For further information, you may contact:

Central Council of Homeopathy, Jawaharlal Nehru Bharatiya Chikitsa Evum Homeopathy Anusandhan Bhavan, No. 61-65, Institutional Area, Opp. ‘D’ Block, Janakpuri, New Delhi-110058.

M.Ed through correspondence

Q. I would like to know about institutes offering M.Ed courses through correspondence that are approved by the NCTE. I have done my B.Ed and am working in an ICSE school since the past two years.

A. Several universities offer 2-year M. Ed (distance) courses. Since you have not mentioned where exactly you are based, I am listing some of those in the North:

Barkatullah Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal-462026

Himachal Pradesh University, International Centre for Distance Education & Open Learning, Shimla-171005

Kota Open University, Akelgarh, Kota (Raj)

Kurukshetra University, Directorate of Distance Education

Nalanda Open University, Patna (Bihar)

Panjab University, Department of Correspondence Studies, Chandigarh-160014

Punjabi University, Department of Correspondence Studies, Patiala-147002

University of Jammu, Directorate of Distance Education, Jammu (J&K)

University of Kashmir, Centre of Distance Education, Hazratbal, Srinagar-19006 (J&K)

For further details, log on to the university websites or write to Director, Dept. of Distance Education of the respective universities.

You could also get the relevant information on www.ncte-in.org which is the website of the National Council for Teacher Education which governs all education in this field.

Integrated M. Sc

Q. I am in Class XII (maths with comp sc). Please give me some information about integrated M. Sc courses.

A. Other than the IITs, which offer integrated M. Sc (as well as M. Tech) programmes in subjects like Biotechnology, Physics, Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry, Applied Geology, Exploration Geophysics, Maths and Scientific Computing, and IT, some of the other universities that offer such programmes are:

Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) (www.bits-pilani.ac.in), Pilani (Rajasthan); H N B Garhwal University, IIITM Gwalior (M.Sc IT); Satyabhama Instt of Science & Tech (Deemed Uuniv), Chennai (TN); Satyabhama Instt of Science & Tech, Chennai; AVC College of Engg, Mannampandal (Sw Engg), etc.

As in the case of undergraduate courses, admission to all integrated courses is also done on the basis of the respective entrance exams (JEE, AIEEE or state-level entrance exams).

Taking up an integrated course helps only when you are absolutely sure of your choice of subject right at the outset (Class XII). In which case, it saves you a year or so.

Also, unlike the usual B.Tech/BE or B.Sc course after which you have to take an entrance exam like GATE etc, for admission to M. Sc programmes in IIT, for instance, you directly move into the postgraduate level of the integrated programme.

For detailed listing of various universities and IITs offering integrated courses, you could refer to the Universities Handbook (Association of Indian Universities publication) in your school library.

Going global

Q. I'm an engineer seeking an international placement. I sent out my resume to jobs on all the sites I could find, but hardly got any response.

A. Most job seekers experience face great frustration because they submit many copies of one generic resume to every jobsite and every company they come across, without any customisation or real understanding of the employer’s requirement, and then wait in vain for replies. This strategy rarely works for anyone, and is even less effective for international applicants, feel most recruiters.

You're trying to take the easy way out -- one resume, one mail-merge cover letter and 300 clicks of the mouse. No big deal -- also no results!

Unless you have the specific technical skills which an organisation is looking for, don't waste your time applying for jobs this way. Global e-mail bombarding is not likely to get you far.

Sure, e-mailing your resume to an employer or recruitment consultant is fast and inexpensive, but do your research carefully and send out few but well-crafted and perfectly tailored resumes for each position. It's painstaking, but it gets much better results.

The best thing you can do to ensure your resume gets read is to include a personalised and custom-written cover letter. The cover letter gives you an opportunity to stand out from the hundreds of other people who are applying for the position.

Customisation is the key. Make each letter and resume different to match the particular culture and needs of each organisation.

Failure to do this accounts for the low return rate on on-line applications. Anytime you try to do a "one-size-fits-all" approach (by agency, computer, or just passing a resume around an organisation courtesy of a friend) you lose the all-important opportunity to craft the resume to fit a particular position.

— The writer is a noted career consultant

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