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Woman’s domain

I recently lost my father who was a respected building contractor. Since I’m the eldest in the family, I’m thinking of pursuing a career in real estate as I have a slight familiarity with the subject.

Woman’s domain


Q.I recently lost my father who was a respected building contractor. Since I’m the eldest in the family, I’m thinking of pursuing a career in real estate as I have a slight familiarity with the subject. My family however feels it’s a male domain. If so, can a woman like me hope to achieve success in this sector? Mala Guneria

A.Why not! Today women occupy enviable positions in big corporates; as in every field. They’re earning more, living great lives and supporting their families.

Growing exponentially at a CAGR of 11.2 pewr cent every year, the real estate market is expected to touch $180 billion by 2020. Despite seasonal ups and downs, it’s one of the fastest growing sectors — constituting 11 per cent of India’s GDP.

Moreover, this sector is currently the second highest employment generator in India, only after agriculture. This in turn, has opened doors for FDI in India and enhanced career prospects for professionals and agents.

However, despite holding 70 per cent of global wealth, this sector is relatively undiscovered by girls as career choice.

But as you may have realised, real estate not only comprises bricks and mortar –related options (construction), but also provides varied choices for a specialised career under its broad ambit. Sales & Marketing, Finance & Banking, Project Management, Facilities Management, Quantity Surveying & Valuation, being some of the domains that have a high demand for specialized professionals.

Buying, selling, renting property is a man’s job, you’d say. But, the truth is that some women have already taken charge of this hitherto male dominated industry -- occupying the very top spots in the field.

And while a career in real estate was earlier limited to brokers, masons and labourers, but now the industry opens up limitless scope for investment bankers, marketing managers, visual merchandisers, supply chain distributors, logistics and warehouse managers.

Mahindra Life Space Developers actually prefers to recruit deserving girl candidates for the company.

  • India is rapidly urbanising and there are huge opportunities in this sector. Around four million professionals are needed every year as there in shortage of more than 80 per cent of qualified people in the industry.
  • DLF, JLL, CBRE and TATA housing being just a few of the firms that hire graduates from this specialized field.

So if you’re all set to foray into this sector that will open doors and break through the expectations in terms of job opportunities, just go ahead.

Institution watch

  • Indian institute of Real Estate (IIRE) — www.iire.co.in
  • RICS School of Built Environment, Noida www.ricssbe.org
  • Amity University, Noida — www.amity.edu
  • Ansal University, Gurgaon — www.ansaluniversity.edu.in
  • TERI University, Delhi — www.teriuniversity.ac.in
  • National Institute of Construction Management & Research, Pune www.nicmar.ac.in
  • NIREM Institute of Real Estate Management, Delhi (www.nirem.org)

Uncertainty over US admission

Q.I have got conditional admission to a university in the US to pursue computer science at the bachelor’s level. But there’s been a lot of confusion regarding visas for conditional admission in the US. I’m very concerned. Will this mar my prospects of going there? — Avinash Gulati

A.Well, the US government has now released its final official policy guidelines on conditional admissions for international students. Here are the highlights:

nUniversities can only issue I-20 visas for academic programmes if students have met all the admissions requirements.

This means that students pursuing English studies, or any other preparatory programmes that are offered by a university require a separate I-20 for those courses, and then a further I-20 for their degree studies.

nStudents pursuing preparatory studies at a partner institution in the US (i.e., a separate language school etc.) must do so on the strength of an I-20 issued by the partner school, and wait until all admission requirements have been satisfied before securing a separate I-20 for their university studies.

For more information about SEVP policy guidance, please visit: 

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevp-guidance-for-comment


Scope in AR

Q. I’m a student of BTech IT in a government engineering college. I have been reading a lot about Augmented Reality (AR)  and find it quite fascinating. Is there scope for this field in India? What can I do to prepare for a career in this field? I’m still in the third year of college. — Akash Bhatia

A.Augmented Reality (AR) is no longer a phenomenon for geeks but an experience for the masses, thanks to the phenomenal popularity of Pokemon GO and its likes.

Currently deployed in gaming, AR is swiftly revolutionising marketing formats for the retail industry, and extending to other sectors in the business and consumer domain.

In a year’s time we’ll see online retailers deploying AR-enabled e-tools.

Even as a student in an engineering college, you can chip in with start-ups, looking to cash in on the huge opportunity that’s coming.

Computer science students will now have this new high-paying segment to fall back upon as more and more regular apps and games are transformed into the AR experience. The market is expected to boom in the next three years.

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