Be passionate about your career

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Dear Sir,
I am a mechanical engineering graduate who graduated in 2015 with an aggregate of 60%. I wasn’t able to get a job in the core industry. I am very much interested in pursuing a master’s degree in theoretical physics. Can you please tell me about the exams I need to take and the university I need to apply to  in order to get into research work in Physics. Also, please advise on the transition from engineering to pure sciences and the career prospects.
Sujay

Dear Sujay
If you have a passion for Physics and are good in the subject, then you can certainly switch over to theoretical physics. Career prospects will depend on what your long term aim is — whether you want to be in research, teaching, documentation and writing, applications such as product development, quality control etc.  You need to match your abilities and be sure that you will enjoy the lifestyle each career carries with it.  
At the same time, be aware of why you could not score higher in engineering and what prevented you from getting a job in a mechanical industry for the last six months. That will ensure you do not take a wrong step again, and will move on to something you really enjoy and have an aptitude for. Most reputed universities like IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, NISERs, BITS etc offer postgraduation in Physics and you will have to check their websites for the specific entrance exam details.

Dear Sir,
I am a student in II PUC (Science). I have good communication and computer skills. My preference regarding career is Psychology. I would like to pursue BSc (Psychology). But many people have expressed their concern regarding its scope as a field. My parents are also telling me to take up engineering, as it has more scope and also due to my strong computer skills.
But I am more interested in Psychology and prefer it the most. I have been informed that Central University Karnataka offers an integrated Psychology course, i.e., BSc & MSc, for five years. So, I would like to know which universities/colleges offer graduation in Psychology, preferably in Karnataka, and also the scope of Psychology, as a field, in India in the coming years.
Mohammed Amer

Dear Amer,
I am a firm believer that you should take up a career that you are passionate about and have the required skills for, regardless of the ‘scope’.  In future, the scopes of every field will go up and down many times in the 40-50 years of your working life.  Engineering is already seeing a downturn due to large number of colleges producing lakhs of graduates every year.  
You can certainly take up the integrated MSc course in CUK, or opt for a three-year graduation in psychology in any reputed institution in Karnataka such as Bangalore University, Christ University, Jain University, CMR University and many others. If you are good in your field, you will find opportunities for steady growth anywhere in the world, or through online work even residing in Bidar.

Dear Sir,
I’m an engineering student in the final year, studying Electronics & Communication. My passion has always been art and design. I would like to pursue that after graduation. I want to know the different options that are available in fine arts and design. Would you recommend an undergraduate level course or a certificate course? I’d like to know if I can pursue the same abroad as well.
Chinmayi Kaushik

Dear Chinmayi
After graduating in engineering you need not go back for an undergraduate course in design. Since the concept of “Imagineers” was created by Disneyland, there are many opportunities for creative engineers to get into design work. Reputed institutions such as Industrial Design Centre of IIT Bombay offer a two year MDes course open to all graduates(see www.iitbac.in), CPDM of Indian Institute of Science (IISc) also offers similar course. Entrance is through GATE or CEED exams.  
Various other institutions such as Manipal, Symbiosis, Jain and Bangalore Universities offer general or specialised PG courses in design. It will be good if you can narrow down to which area of design you would like to specialise in, and then apply for the most suitable course. Most reputed institutions have already commenced their entrance process for 2016.