Am I eligible for teaching job after BTech?

Pervin Malhotra

Am I eligible for teaching job after BTech?

Q. I am a final year student of BTech from Phagwara. I want to go into teaching. I have heard that BTech students can give the NET to become a lecturer. — Tripti Sehgal

A. The CSIR-UGC NET Exam for JRF & Lectureship is conducted by the CSIR in five areas: Chemical Sciences, Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean & Planetary Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences,   Physical Sciences. Yes, BS-4 years/ BE/BTech/ BPharma graduates are eligible to take the NET, apart from those with an MSc or equivalent degree/BS-MS/MBBS with minimum 55 per cent marks (5 per cent relaxation in marks for SC/ST/ OBC/ PwD).

In case you wish to take the CSIR-UGC NET Exam to be held on December  16, 2018, you can apply under the “Results Awaited” (RA) category – provided you complete your degree within two years in order to avail of the Fellowship (JRF).  However, if you only possess a Bachelor’s degree (BE/BTech/BPharma), you’re not eligible for lectureship.

Incidentally, the IITs offer direct admission to PhD for meritorious BE/BTech students (1st divisioners). But, as per current UGC norms, these PhD degree-holders are not eligible for the post of Assistant Professors in Indian universities although they’re qualified for the post at the IITs/NITs. Reason? They don’t possess the mandatory master’s degree.

This anomaly was finally addressed by the UGC in its recent meeting and is likely to be scrapped/amended.

Incidentally, BSc (Hons) or equivalent degree-holders who are enrolled in Integrated MS-PhD programmes (with minimum 55% marks) can also apply. The age limit is 28 years for JRF (NET). There’s a 5-year relaxation in age limit for SC/ST/ /PwD/Women candidates and 3 yrs for OBC (creamy layer). 

The application deadline is October 15, 2018.Details: www.csirhrdg.res.in

Data science course from govt agency

Q. I have been working as a software developer in a small IT firm in Noida for the past five years after doing my MCA. I have been reading about Data Science and am very keen to learn something about it. But it is not possible for me to leave my job as I have family responsibilities. Nor can I spend a huge amount on fancy courses. What do you suggest? — Vikrant Gupta

A. For starters, if you can spare four (two-day) weekends,  there’s an interesting Skill Development programme on Data Science & Machine Learning offered by the M/o Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), Govt. of India, that you could check out. The technology Development Centre of MSME, Meerut would be your best bet. If you hurry, you could enroll for their first session which starts on October 6, in NOIDA (Sect 3) itself.

Being a government initiative, the fee has been kept at Rs 25,000 (+GST).

For details, log onto: www.ppdcmeerut.com.

There are several other courses in the market, including some good online ones that are offered via the MOOCS platform which you could check out.

In fact, data scientists and front-end developers received the maximum salary hikes in 2017. Those with three to five years of experience fetched salaries ranging from Rs 25-29 lakh last year.

Data scientists use computing systems to collect, analyse and interpret large quantities of data and information to help businesses (including startups) improve their operations and gain a competitive edge over their rivals. And in the wake of the AI (Artificial Intelligence) boom, many companies are looking to grow their Data Analytics teams.

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