Job security is a mirage

Pervin Malhotra 

Q. I am working in sales with a Telco after completing my BTech. I see people around me losing their jobs across the board. I am very worried. Can you suggest a field that offers long term security? — TK Puri

A. Long-term security only lies in the grave…! On a serious note, instead of looking for long-term security — an elusive proposition in this age of obsolescence, train for something that really interests you and which cashes in on your natural talent and training. Your best hope for prospering over time is to find that line of work that fires your imagination on an on-going basis. Unless you’re enthused about what you do, you won’t be able to compete with those who are or keep learning and relearning.

Only if you’re passionate about something will you go that “extra” mile or put in that ‘extra’ time or do that “extra” bit to come up with the best solutions.

As far as lifetime employment is concerned, forget about it. In the age of AI and machine learning, the concept is passé. Aren’t we seeing even the global blue chip giants shedding staff at all levels, to protect their bottom lines in a downswing like what’s happening right now! 

So, if you’re looking for a relatively stable future, don’t look at what jobs are currently “hot” or “in” but at what really interests you. And if you are interested in a career in Advertising, for instance, don’t look at courses in Insurance, or vice-versa.

And be willing to risk being the first one to try something in your organisation. If you’re good at what you do, it will make you an asset. And even if it doesn’t, you’ll have a better idea than the rest, of what will work the next time.

Go for Occupational English Test 

Q. I’ve done my master’s in Dentistry and wish to practice in the UK. However, I’m finding the IELTS very difficult to clear. Can you please give me some tips that will help? — Deepak Gulati

A. The UK Home Office has recently announced that doctors, nurses, dentists and midwives who wish to register and practice in the UK no longer need to take English language tests like TOEFL and IELTS as the country will now accept scores of the Occupational English Test (OET) which they must anyway clear before entering the UK on a Tier 2 visa.

The OET is an international English language test that assesses the language communication skills of healthcare professionals, who wish to register and practice in an English-speaking environment. 

This change which applies to all Tier 2 (General) visa applications submitted after October 1 will enable hospitals and medical practices across the country to access the staff they need more quickly. 

What’s more, the OET is recognised as proof of English proficiency for registration purposes by major healthcare boards and councils not just in the UK but also Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Dubai, Singapore, Namibia and Ukraine. It’s also accepted in Australia and New Zealand for visa and immigration purposes.

A ‘fertile’ field

Q. I have taken physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology in Class XII. Can you please tell me something about agricultural engineering? Where is it taught?— Ranjeesh Baweja

A. Instead of giving you a cold definition, let me give you a few examples: A tractor-mounted dual-purpose till planter that simultaneously tills and sows; The Happy Feeder that cuts and rolls stubble while planting seeds for the next crop in straight furrows, a mule-operated multi-crop planter, harvester, straw chopper and sprayer; an automated gram-sheller; a mechanical power-operated pomegranate-seed extractor or a dryer that dries 3000 coconuts in one go; a new micro-spinning technology that processes small cotton samples at one-fourth the cost of imported equipment; fabricating traffic signals, wash basins and chairs from jute composites; solar-powered refrigerators; smokeless chulahs; biogas plants; soya-milk extraction units; self-propelled rice transplanters, reaper-harvesters, sugarcane cutters cum planters — these are just a small random sampling of what all agricultural engineering has achieved in the past few years.

Several engineering colleges offer BTech as well as MTech courses in agricultural engineering and related areas like agri-process & food engg and farm machinery & power engg etc.  IIT Kharagpur offers BTech (Agri & Food Engg), Punjab University, Chandigarh offers BE (Agro-Process Tech).

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