Career Hotline
Score well as company secy
Pervin Malhotra

Q I have secured 49 per cent aggregate in Class XII. Can you please tell me if I have to appear in a qualifying exam in order to enrol for a course in company secretaryship.

A There is no qualifying exam for enrolment to the CS Foundation Course.

Anyone who has cleared plus two (any stream except fine arts) can seek admission to the eight-month distance-learning programme.

The Foundation Course covers topics such as business communication, elements of business law and management, financial accounting, basic economics and business environment, information systems and quantitative techniques.

To become a CS, you must clear the foundation, intermediate and final Exams conducted by the ICSI plus the 16-month practical training. Registration is open throughout the year. You can also directly enroll for the intermediate course after graduation. Registration is valid for five years. All students are required to undergo a Training Orientation Programme (TOP) before they commence the 16-month practical training.

For further information, contact: The Institute of Company Secretaries of India, ICSI House, 22, Institutional Area, Lodi Road, New Delhi 110003.

Website: www.icsi.edu.

Q I am a student of Class X. Although I am not so good at maths, I am interested in a career in engineering. Would it be a wise step with such a background?

A Since maths forms a core component of all engineering courses, it makes sense to be good at maths. Besides, the entrance tests for all engineering courses also have a very significant maths section.

If you are really interested in a technical career, you can certainly improve your maths within the next two years through regular practice, i.e. by the time you complete your plus two. And I am sure you can do it if your heart is set on the larger goal.

Q I have been diagnosed as having juvenile hypertension and advised to opt for a non-stressful career. What are the fields open to me?

A Let me begin by telling you that there is no inherent stress in any particular job, or situation for that matter. It largely depends on how we interpret what’s happening in our internal and external environment.

Agreed that some jobs like advertising, marketing, media, treasury and stock brokering, air traffic control etc, that demand adherence to strict deadlines and producing immediate results, do have the potential to be stressful and anxiety creating. But a lot also depends on your attitude and temperament. Also, while mild stress may be actually good as it revs up the body to perform at peak capacity, prolonged stress is definitely harmful and can lead to a number of psychosomatic problems.

However, since you have a clinically diagnosed problem, it makes sense to avoid such jobs that are real-time and mission critical.

This does also not mean that all these fields are denied to you. Each area of work has a front end and a back end i.e., in hotels you have the front office. And then you have the back-office jobs like HR, accounts, or maintenance which are equally important but relatively less stressful. Similarly, in airlines, an air traffic controller’s job is certainly more stressful than other ground jobs.

As a matter of fact, there are a whole lot of such back-office jobs like editing, accounts, planning, art and design which you could happily opt for — depending on your interests, skills and aptitude.

— 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