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— K V Hoon A Introduced in end-2004 to tap talented professionals from all over the world, the Netherlands Knowledge-Migrant (KM) scheme is proving to be a hit with Indian professionals. The scheme provides a fast-track entry into the Dutch labour market for non-EU nationals, for employment in companies that accept the minimal gross salary conditions of the immigration department. The KM visa is issued for 5 years. Under this scheme, visa application of skilled professionals and their families are so speedily processed that often, they can come and settle down in the Netherlands within a fortnight. In 2006, KM visas were issued to 900 Indian professionals, constituting 26% of the total number of KM visas issued, the highest among non-EU workers. Furthermore, KM applications from India went up by 30 per cent in 2006.
Making maths count
— Manya Gupta A There are several reasons. First, Maths with other science subjects, including biology, opens up many career avenues e.g. clinical research, biotechnology and bioinformatics, about which you may not be sufficiently aware of now, but which may catch your interest later. Why close their doors prematurely at this point? Second, medical research on various health problems is growing, partly due to the world’s increasingly aging population. Medical research often involves complex statistical calculations, which is why many respected statisticians happen to be doctors. A strong mathematical base helps in statistics. So if you choose to pursue medicine and later opt for medical research, grounding in +2-level Maths will certainly help. Third, according to a recent study by researchers at both Harvard University and University of Virginia, students with the most rigorous high school preparation in Maths perform significantly better in college courses in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. And only Maths has such an effect. Other sciences such as Physics and Chemistry, contrary to conventional wisdom, do not have any significant effect on performance in sister sciences. So studying Maths is likely to improve your performance in the subjects you will be studying for medical entrance exams. Convinced?
Translation track Q I have a good knowledge of Persian. However, I feel that I need some technical inputs to go into professional translation work. Can you suggest any relevant short-term courses? — Afzal Qureshi A Besides offering MA, M.Phil and Ph. D and a slew of short-term diploma and certificate courses in the language, DU’s D/o Persian, Fac/o Arts, offers two job-oriented courses in Persian:
Proficiency in the language will open up opportunities for working in hospitality, escort services, UN, NGOs and translation and research projects in India and elsewhere.
What's in a name Q Can you please clarify if MBA and PGDM are one and the same thing? When the course offered by the IIMs is called a Post Graduate Programme in Management, how come several private B-schools call their programmes MBA? — Kamlesh Jain A The All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), which also regulates management education in the country, has asked all states to caution private B-schools against fooling students by calling their full-time regular management programme an MBA. According to the revised regulations, every two-year full-time general management programme which is not affiliated to any university, must be referred to as postgraduate diploma in management (PGDM). In addition, B-schools must mention the sector/branch in brackets. For instance, programmes focusing on finance will be called PGDM (Finance). The AICTE does not approve PG management courses that are of less than 12-month duration. Hence, all management programmes between 1-2 years' duration are treated as certificate courses. This means no private B-school can offer an MBA or a PGDM if the course duration is more than one year and less than two years. Even the management programmes offered by the IIMs are called PGPM because the IIMs are not a university or affiliated to any university.
Research route Q What is clinical research? What are the career prospects in this field? Can any science graduate go for CR? — Sudhakar Navalkishore A Before a drug is introduced in the market, it has to pass a lengthy approval process involving a series of clinical trials. That process is called clinical research. In the next few years, many key patents will expire and major pharmaceutical companies (i.e. Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Merck, Apotex, GlaxoSmithKline etc.) will be looking to bring new pharmaceutical products off the laboratory bench and onto the pharmacy shelves. In order to accommodate this, the pharmaceutical industry is going to transition from pre-clinical research and development (R & D) to large-scale clinical trial work. As such, the industry will witness a sky rocketing demand for CRP’s (Clinical Research Professionals). According to a McKinsey Report, global clinical trial outsourcing to India will reach about Rs 5000 crores by 2010, with the industry requiring about 50,000 clinical research professionals. Although many CR institutes enroll science graduates, they essentially end up doing data-management work. Medical professionals are best suited for going into actual CR work.
Legal flight Q Can you please tell me something about pursuing LLM in the US? — Neerja Mayor A Generally, LLM programmes are intended for qualified lawyers who have several years of experience but wish to pursue further study or teaching as a career. However, some LLM students, especially international students, have found a short-term position (6-12 months) in a non-academic employment setting to be beneficial to their ultimate career goals. A handful of students secure permanent positions with legal firms in the U.S. The programmes can be individually tailored to suit your interests and normally require a thesis of publishable quality. Some LLM programmes offer concentration in particular fields such as taxation, international law and comparative law, and may or may not require a thesis. For foreign-educated lawyers like you, some law schools offer LLM programmes such as "US Comparative Law" or "US Legal Studies", which are designed to give them an insight into the American legal system. LLM programmes are typically 1-year long and don’t normally require standardised tests such as the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or the GRE (www.gre.org) for admission. International applicants may be required to take the TOEFL. Other postgraduate degrees include master’s degrees in Comparative Law (MCL), in Comparative Jurisprudence (MCJ), and in Legal Institutions (MLI). These programmes differ from the LLM in that they tend to be less specialised and less research-oriented.
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Q I am a chemical
engineer with 5 years of work experience. Can you please tell me
something about the Knowledge Migrant visa for working in the
Netherlands? I have applied to a Dutch company.
Q I am studying in Class X. I plan to pursue medicine after Class XII. I want to know why a person like me should study Maths in plus two, along with the other relevant subjects, since I fail to see its relevance. Please enlighten.
Q I am in the first year of B Tech (IT). I am a video games enthusiast and would prefer to join one of the firms designing video games. What are the employment prospects in the gaming industry in India?
