Evaluate your strengths & weaknesses

Dear Sir,
I am a second yearBsc Biotechnology student. I want to do medical after completing my BSc. Can you please suggest the exams that I need to write for doing medical and can you also please suggest a few medical colleges.
A student

Dear Student,
All medical colleges are now governed by the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) which is held once a year all over the country.  Depending on your rank in the exam, you can select your college.  The tuition fee is lower in government colleges. Details are available at www.mciindia.org and cbseneet.nic.in.  You need not wait for completion of your BSc since the minimum qualification is Class 12 Pass. You can appear for the exam in 2018 and in case you do not succeed, you can try again in 2019 by which time you will be completing your graduation.

Dear Sir,
My son is a first PUC (PCMCs) student. He wants to enter the gaming industry as a games programmer. Should he take up BE Computer Science or Information Science or can he get into BCA and then take up MCA? What are the other related courses and institutes ? Please guide us.
Nalini R

Dear Nalini,
If he is good in Maths and Physics, is hard working and willing to establish a good foundation, he may get into a BE or BTech Computer Science engineering course, and subsequently learn game design. If not, there are many colleges all over the country offering Bachelor of Design courses with specialisation in gaming. These are being considered better than BCA for those who are focused in this field only.  Some of the well-known institutions are DSK Supinfocom, Pune;  GD Goenka School of Design, Haryana;International Academy of Computer Graphics, Hyderabad; Jain University, Bengaluru, Maeer MIT's Institute of Design, Pune, PESIT University, Bengaluru, Symbiosis Instituteof Design, Pune.

Dear Sir,
I am a Class 12 Science student. My score is around 95% and I am really confused about my future. I want to take up hotel management but people say it might not suit me as I’m a vegetarian. I want to know the options in this field.
A confused student

Dear Student,
If you are keen on hotel management, then, being a vegetarian should not be a hindrance because a few colleges have now started adapting to the needs of vegetarian students (examples are MS Ramaiah and Mahavir Jain Universities).
But do ensure that you are clear about your long-term goals, and do not take the word of idle advisors who are not knowledgeable about careers. If necessary, consult a career counsellor or undergo an aptitude test. Administration and management is generally learnt at the Masters level, so you have that option open regardless of what course you take up at the degree level.

Dear Sir,
My daughter is studying in II PUC (Arts) and wants to pursue a career in International Hotel Management.  She wants to become a chef. Kindly provide information about the course, good colleges & placement opportunities.
Uma

Dear Uma,
The vocation of a chef is referred to as culinary arts.  This is a specialised area when compared with people who study comprehensive Hotel Management which includes Marketing, Maintenance, Production, House keeping, Banquets, Customer Relations etc.  If your daughter wishes to specialise only in culinary arts, then she need not go for a four year Bachelor of Hotel Management (BHM) course, but can enrol for specific courses offered by institutions such as Ecole Hoteliere, Maharashtra, Indian Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad, ITM Institute of Hotel Management, Bangalore and Culinary Academy of India, Hyderabad.

Dear Sir,
I have completed my BCom in 2015. Along with that, I am doing CA. I have completed IPC group but now due to some problem, I did not complete CA. Please suggest what can I do that can help me  with what I have studied earlier.
A student

Dear Student,
Having completed your CA process half-way and also successfully completing a degree in commerce, by now you should be able to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and check out whether you are a pure accounts person, or whether you will do better in applied finance, commercial activities such as stock markets, merchant banking or insurance etc. Once you understand what field you would enjoy and be good at, you can take up some courses that enhance your qualifications in that field while you take up a job and gain simultaneous work experience.

Dr Ali Khwaja is the founder and chairman of Banjara Academy, Bengaluru.

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