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Q I am in my final year of BA Geography. 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? — Meenaxi Sood You could do your Masters in Population Studies at the following
universities: International Institute of Population Sciences, Govandi Station Road, Deonar, Mumbai 400088. The only institute of its kind in the world, IIPS is a Deemed University that is solely focussed on the study of demography. Course: Masters in Population Studies (MPS), also available through distance learning (1-yr). Eligibility: Masters in Stat, Maths, Econ, Sociol, Anthro,
Psy or Geog.
Annamalai University, P.O. Annamalainagar 608002, (TN). Bharathiar University, Maruthamalai Road, Coimbatore 641046 TN). Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati 517502, Chittoor, (AP). 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). Retail & the female
Q I am interested in working in the retail industry. Is it a good field for women? — Janki Dave This is largely because of retail majors offering them a level-playing field as far as jobs are concerned. In certain categories like household products, grocery and garments, women turn out to be better marketers compared to their male counterparts. Lack of trained and qualified people is a very major challenge for this industry. Which means you have a bright future in this industry — particularly since you are interested in it. Test drive
Q I am a 3rd year Mechanical Engineering student. I am very confused whether I should go for an MBA or an M.Tech. I am interested in the automobile field. What are the opportunities for this field by doing MBA? — Mihir Chaudhry 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 par with a bright but relatively fresh batchmate from your B-school. If you work-ex 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. Although one can’t automatically presume
that a good engineer necessarily makes for a good manager, but engineering students
tend to be relatively more disciplined in their approach, better grounded and acquainted with systems and
processes and the practical applicationof theory. 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. The number of mechanical engineering jobs is fairly large — next only to jobs in electronics and computer engineering.
Room for MBA
Q I am a second year student of IHM Meerut Cantt, pursuing B.Sc (Hospitality, Catering & Tourism). After completion of my course I want to do MBA. What are the options available for me? — Feroza Malhotra 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. 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). Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar also offers an MSc in Hotel Mgt 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), Welcomgroup Management Instt, Green Centre, Gurgaon offers a 1˝ -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. Prospects in PR
Q I am doing second year BBA. I want to pursue a PG course in or Public Relations or Advertising. What is the scope of PR and which are the known institutes for the same? Is work experience necessary? — Suparna Sehgal A
PR 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. 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. Typically for pursuing a PG Diploma course in Advertising and PR, work experience is not
mandatory. Some of the leading institutes are:
Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi (www.iimc.nic.in) Course: PG Diploma in Advertising & Public Relations. (1-year) Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai (www.nmims.edu). Course: PGDBM (specialisation in Advertising). MICA, Ahmedabad (www.mica-india.net) offers two courses: Certificate Programme in PR and Event Management (9-month, full-time residential). Postgraduate Programme in Communications (with specialisation in Corporate Communication & Public Relations). Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication, Pune (www.simc.edu). Courses (2-year): Master’s Programme in (Mass Communication / Communication Management). Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai (www.xaviercomm.org/courses). Courses: PG Diploma in Public Relations (for graduates). Makhanlal Chaturvedi Rashtriya Patrakarita Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal (MP) (www.mcu.ac.in) Besides these, Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, YMCA and YWCA centres all over the country offer courses in PR and Advertising. 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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With global population growth having reached dangerous levels, population studies has 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.
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You can definitely work in the retail sector. A lot of women are coming forward to strengthen the sales force in this industry. In fact, the retail sector is poised to emerge as the largest employer for women in the country. Industry estimates suggest that women constitute 30 per cent of the total sales force on the shop floor and their number is rising fast with the expansion of existing players and new entrants. 
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Go to any B-school and 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. 
