Choose a course that befits your aptitude and skills

Study in India

Dear Sir,

I am yet to complete my Class 10 board exam due to the outbreak of Covid-19. I am interested in pursuing PUC with PCMB combination. I wish to appear for IIT-JEE or NEET after my PUC. Kindly suggest some colleges in South Karnataka which provide good coaching for II PUC as well as competitive exams. The college should have hostel facility for boys.

A student

Dear Student,

There are innumerable such colleges and admission will depend on your marks, affordability and location. But my advice is that you should not try for such a wide variety of courses from engineering to medicine. The lifestyle, skills requirement, personality, working conditions differ very significantly.

First do introspection whether you would like to be in technology related fields or in the health sector (or any other for that matter) and accordingly join a good college where you get quality education to strengthen your foundation. Coaching should be secondary and only if necessary.

Dear Sir,

I am a Chartered Accountant with over 10 years of experience mainly in core finance, accounting, audit and taxation. I am working in a CA firm. I aspire to be a finance controller (CFO). I would therefore request you to suggest a few courses that I can pursue while working and which will help develop niche skills that are required to get into the next level of hierarchy.

Sudarshan Raghavan

Dear Sudarshan,

You have already acquired sufficient experience and expertise in your core areas of accounting and finance. If you are clear that you would like to move into financial management then this may be a good time to take up an executive MBA or PG Diploma in Financial Management, both of which are offered in part-time, weekend, online and distance learning modes.

Once you acquire managerial expertise you can apply for a job that requires more of people-management and project management, which will pave the way for you to fulfil your dreams of becoming a CFO.

Dear Sir,

I am working currently. I want to take up a course to become a counsellor (mental health and educational). Please provide the course details.

Keerthi

Dear Keerthi,

It is nice to know that you wish to do meaningful work in the field of mental health and education. You can start off with picking up some practical skills on how to reach out, be non-judgmental, listen supportively, empathise and empower people. There are a number of institutions in Bengaluru offering convenient part-time programmes, including Banjara Academy, Samadhan, Parivarthan, which you can take up without disturbing your working schedule.

Once you feel you are on the right track, you may take up a degree course in psychology through distance learning mode from IGNOU or any of the other open university, which will get you a formal qualification. Subsequently, you can decide which area you would like to specialise in.

Dear Sir,

I am currently in II PUC (PCMB). Now as every sector is witnessing a lot of changes due to Covid-19, I am confused as to what to take up for my UG. I wanted to do Mechanical Engineering. Kindly advise if it is okay to pursue the same?

Raghav

Dear Raghav,

All sectors witness lots of changes year after year and since you are likely to work at least 40-50 years in your chosen profession, you cannot predict the future. If you select Mechanical Engineering, it should be because you have a passion for it, have understood the field thoroughly, have matched your abilities to those required in that sector.

Then you are likely to succeed and be happy working in it, and it will ensure that even if there is recession or setbacks, you will be able to sail through the ups and downs, and in the long run you will be successful.