“Will I get a job if I do this course?” is the prime question eight out of 10 students ask when they consider a degree programme. But Kris Lakshmikanth, Founder and CEO, Headhunters India, asks different questions. It is your interest that must drive education, he says. Careers are passionate affairs and unless one enjoys what one is doing, excellence can never be achieved and sustained, is his conviction. Ravi Tejus concurs. After an MTech in computer systems, he gave it up to start an adventure sports academy. “I wasted 10 years of my adult life seeking happiness in IT. It did not work out. I had to give it up and start afresh on what I love, and I am enjoying every bit of it,” he says. But the road towards what you like is not paved in gold. Kris says, it is quite painful initially when you follow the dictates of the heart. It is downright painful, agrees Ravi. “I was jobless, penniless. And my wife almost threatened to leave me, during the initial years of the academy!” he shares.
| Opportunities Galore | |
| Domains | No. of seats |
|
Engineering
|
14,24,752
|
|
General college
|
6,52,050
|
|
MBBS
|
32,860
|
|
Pharmacy
|
53,265
|
|
Hotel Mangement
|
20,181
|
|
Teachers Education
|
1,23,894
|
|
Law colleges
|
1,20,000
|
| Total | 24,06,823 |
With the arrival of new universities, the vanilla BA and BSc have given way to BS, BBA, BIFA, BSc (Tech) and so on. Subjects like Applied Nutrition, Biotechnology, Nanotechnology, are offered at the undergraduate level. Prof. Ramaswamy, Senior Academic at a leading university argues that it is the way to go.
Today’s economic environment focuses on specialisation, and one needs to build capabilities tuned to the industry needs even at the early stage, he says. On the other hand, Prof. Imran Siddiqui, a prominent biologist working with the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, is very clear that a basic degree is the way to go. The issue becomes much more complicated when one does a programme like BBA or MBA where the courses, specialisations and even core text books are similar between the two programmes.
There’s a positive side too
Ravi Dayal, Director, Staff Right has a different take. He says students with BBA, BBS, BMS are a straight fit for entry-level roles in admin, secretarial, coordination, sales and human resources jobs. But he cautions, after about 2-3 years on the job, when it comes to promotions a Master’s degree is usually sought after. On the other hand, courses like BSc in Retail or Hospitality can be launch pads for jobs in these sectors since the training is tuned to the needs of the industry.
Do lots of projects and internships
Chandramauli, a student of BFIA at Delhi University agrees that both these activities open doors. An alumnus from the 2010 batch, he currently works as an assistant at an investment advisory firm. He credits his job to the mandatory summer internships he did in all the three years, as well as the regular industry interfaces the school organised. Chandra met his boss at one such interface. His probing questions were noticed and he was offered an internship initially, which later extended to a position. But not all schools offer such value, he says and cautions students about job-oriented programmes. Visit the campus and see for yourself. A crowded notice board packed with events is a good sign, he says. The general consensus is that unless one is exceptionally interested in a particular specialisation and is sure about the programme’s value and the school’s reputation, it makes sense to keep options open and diverse at the UG level.
