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Q I am in my final year of Geography (H). I would like to do a postgraduate degree or diploma level course in population studies. Can you please tell me about the courses and prospects of this field? — Garima Singh A With global population growth having reached dangerous levels, population studies have gained increasing significance. Specialisation in this field offers opportunities to work with international aid agencies like USAID, Population Council, Ford Foundation, UNFPA, Care, etc on their various surveys and research projects. Central Government offices like the Census Office, Registrar General and Census Commission and Ministry of Family Welfare also employ specialists in Population Studies as do some NGOs and professional bodies such as the Indian Association of Population Studies. You could do your Master’s in Population Studies at the following universities:
If you wish to pursue higher studies in the subject, you could opt for M Phil in Population Science from JNU. Eligibility for the programme is MA in Geography. The course will cover fields like Human Settlement, Methodology, Morality, Urbanisation, Census and Vital Statistics etc. Besides these, about ten universities offer a PG diploma courses after graduation: Maharshi Dayanand University, University of Madras, University of Burdwan, Punjab University, University of Rajasthan (post-MA Dip). It’s an ad, ad world Q I am doing second year BBA. I want to pursue a PG course in Advertising and Public Relations. What is the scope and which are the known institutes for the same? Is work experience necessary? — Supriya Sehgal A Public relations professionals work in public relations firms, advertising agencies, large business houses, non-profit organisations, media and entertainment companies, hotels, tourism, hospitals, MNCs (corporate communication), lobbies and pressure groups. You need good communication skills (written and oral) to get your foot in the door. Almost every ministry in the government has an Information/Liaison Officer to handle press relations and public relations. All public sector enterprises, govt. information departments, trade fair authorities and banks and other financial institutions employ PROs and corporate communication professionals. The travel and hospitality industry also hires publicity officers. A hotel may hire you as a guest-relations officer. The pay here is much better. The work will range from researching and creating content to media relations and business development. With sufficient experience in hand, you can also start your own PR consulting service. Typically for a PG Diploma course in Advertising and PR, work experience is not mandatory. Some of the leading institutes are:
Course: MA (Advertising & PR / Broadcast Journalism / Mass Communication) Besides these, Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, YMCA and YWCA centres all over the country offer courses in PR and Advertising. It’s about drive Q I am a third year Mechanical Engineering student. I am very confused whether I should go for an MBA or an M.Tech. Which field is more lucrative? — Afroz Raza A Go to any B-school and the chances are that six out of every 10 students have an engineering background. A large number of engineering graduates, including those from the top dog IIT’s, have been doing precisely that (just see the break-up of a typical IIM class). And this also holds true for many mid-career engineers. The reason is pretty simple: an engineering degree followed by a good MBA is a very desirable (read lucrative and versatile) techno-management qualification to possess in a global economy. By and large, managers are preferred for top jobs and get a better pay packet in most companies over plain engineers (unless the company’s core business is manufacturing). And even if you pursue a career in engineering like automobile engineering, you’ll find that a significant part of your job content, a few years down the line, will be increasingly administrative in nature — managing the project, leading your team, handling the financial aspects of the project etc. As the MBA programme is more holistic and covers a wide range of subjects, it broadbase your options and helps you develop an all-round personality and equips you with confidence to adapt to varied functions and environments. While a year or two of working in the field will certainly help you make the most of your MBA programme, be prepared to be placed on a par with a bright but relatively fresh batchmate from your B-school. If you work-experience is in sync with the area for which the company is recruiting, it’s an asset. Not necessarily otherwise. Besides looking at the leading B-schools, you could opt for courses specially designed for engineering graduates offered by sectoral business schools. The major objective of the B - schools is to groom graduate engineers as competent managers for technology intensive global business operations that can respond to the changing requirements of Indian industry. The MBA entrance exams (CAT and its variants, JMET) are also somewhat weighted in favour of engineering grads. As far as prospects of Mechanical Engineering are concerned, you need not worry. A bulk of mechanical engineering jobs are in manufacturing — mostly in machinery, transportation equipment, electrical equipment, instrumentation, and fabricated metal product industries. Cater to your interests
— Chandan Kumar A Nothing stops you from doing a course in HM even after your graduation. However, the GMT programmes offered by some of the leading hotel chains like Oberois, Taj Group, Hyatt etc are an excellent bet. If you are selected, you will be thoroughly groomed in the essentials of hotel management as well as the company’s work culture and style of management. Unlike most courses in hotel management that tend to be somewhat theoretical (barring a few exceptions), these GMT programmes are designed to train you in the current global industry practices. And to put their money where their mouth is, they pay you a handsome stipend throughout the training period instead of charging you a fee. Not only that, they will place you as an Asst. Manager at the end of your training. Make the most of this opportunity to gain valuable insights into the actual working environment, broaden your perspective and get acquainted with the various functional departments of the hotel. l Besides the GMTs, several HMIs (i.e. those under the National Council for Hotel Management & Catering Technology (& IGNOU) (www.nchmct.org) offer postgraduate courses in hotel management including MSc in Hospitality Admin (at IHM, New Delhi, Hyderabad & Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Hotel Mgmt, Chandigarh). l Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar also offers an MSc in Hotel Mgt l Oberoi Centre of Learning & Development (OCLD), 7, Sham Nath Marg, Delhi- 110 054 offers a 2 year Post Graduate Diploma in Hospitality Management. Depending on your preference, you can specialize in guest service management, housekeeping management, or kitchen management. (www.careers-theoberoigroup.com), l Welcomgroup Management Instt, Green Centre, Gurgaon offers a 1½ -year Hotel Exec Trainee programme to those who have passed out of other IHMs. A decent monthly stipend is paid throughout the duration of the course. Bag and baggage
— Ujjwal Lohia A Not really. The retail industry is drawing an increasing number of people from the hotel industry because of great career prospects and lucrative salary of 50-60 per cent. India’s retail sector is expected to provide 2.2 million employment opportunities by 2009. Around 5 lakh trained hands will be required to run hypermarkets, super stores and wholesale cash and carry facilities in major cities. Today, India’s $ 260 billion retail industry consists of 12 m retailers. It is becoming a major destination for investors and FDIs. The shift from hotel to retail is possible because both are service-oriented industries and deal with customer relationship management, providing the best customer service, supply chain management, distribution and logistics management, inventory management, market research, business communication, direct marketing and consumer behaviour. Front office and F&B professionals are being ardently wooed because of their excellent customer-orientation. Banquet managers of leading hotels are also hot among retail HR honchos. As more and more malls and shopping complexes mushroom, food courts are coming up in almost all these places. Executive chefs are now moving out from hotels and serving the retail industry in these places and this trend is likely to continue over the next two to three years. 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
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Q
I am a second year student of B.Sc (Hospitality, Catering &
Tourism). After completion of my course I want to do a MBA. What are
the options available for me?
Q
I am working in the hospitality sector and want to try my hand in
the retail industry. Will it be difficult for me to shift career
from the hotel industry to another field?
