Decide on your specialisation

Dear Sir,

I have just completed my second PUC Science (PCMB). I wish to pursue BBA rather than continuing in a science course. Kindly advise if my choice has a wide scope? Will I be able to pursue it? Can you suggest some good colleges in Bengaluru? 

Hitesh

Dear Hitesh,

It is always better to set career goals before taking up any degree course. If you have not already taken admission, start the process of listing out what you are good at. Have a policy in the life of being for something rather than against something. Do not take up BBA just because you are not interested in science. There is a very wide range of careers that are not related to science. Your selection should be based on your specific skills, your personality traits, your multiple intelligences and of course, your interest.

Incidentally, BBA is a foundation degree and it does not make you a complete professional. It gives you a good foundation on all aspects of the corporate world, from marketing and HR to finance and systems. The jobs you may get with only a BBA may not be very rewarding and you may find progress slow. You will need to study higher in a specific field and acquire professional qualifications. Some of the possible fields are market research, product development, recruitment, event management, portfolio management, etc.

Dear Sir,

I am studying second-semester Telecommunication Engineering. I am passionate about design and fields and wish to enter into fields like user experience. But I am not sure whether I can pursue it with the knowledge of my branch. I would like to know the opportunities and a master’s degree that aligns with my interests. I would also like to know about the courses which guide me into the design field.

Akshay

Dear Akshaya,  

Creative people are currently finding bright opportunities in fields as diverse as the design of online games, websites, automobiles, animation, apparel, jewellery, industrial products, etc. Your study of telecommunication engineering will not go waste if you use it as a base to start planning to enter the creative world. Do internships in design organisations, take up short term online courses, and start narrowing down which area of creativity you would like to specialise in. After your graduation, you can aspire for Master of Design course in IIT (Bombay and Guwahati), National Institute of Design, NITs, Srishti, Mudra, and many other private institutes which have acquired credibility.

Dear Sir,

My son is an average student. He has a backlog in BCom fifth semester and he will be writing his sixth semester in the next few weeks. Since he has a backlog in the fifth semester, he cannot pursue higher studies immediately. To keep him engaged during his break year, kindly refer to some short-term courses in Bengaluru that he can take up after completing his sixth semester which also helps him in pursuing an MBA in the future.

Parent

Dear Parent,

Since your son has been struggling with his academics, do help him to understand his strengths and weaknesses, and to set long-term career goals based on them. Do not send him for MBA till he has gained sufficient work experience and has decided on what domain specialisation he would like to acquire. You may even explore careers other than commerce if he has not been doing well in accountancy, business studies and related subjects. There is nothing preventing him from moving into other non-science fields if he identifies what he is good at. Based on these decisions you may decide on short-term courses, which could be selected from a very wide range from financial accounting software to SAP to personality development to sales and business process management, to name just a few. If he is unable to decide his career goals, it may help if you could help him get an entry-level job which is not too stressful or has long hours, so that he can get a feel of the working world and still have time to study the subjects he has to reappear in.

Dear Sir,

I am currently in Class 12 and have taken arts with psychology. I am planning to take either Criminal Psychology or Graphology as my profession. I wish to know the scope in these Areas of study in the country. Also, kindly suggest some colleges or universities that offer the required course to pursue a career in either of them.

Ulka

Dear Ulka,

It is very nice that you have selected a very humane and meaningful field to make a career. There will always be a good future in this vocation, and it gives immense satisfaction also. At this juncture, you need to select the right college for a BA degree, either specifically in Psychology, or one with Psychology and two other related subjects. Once you get a good overview of the entire field in three to four semesters, you will be in a better position to decide on your specialisation.

Criminal Psychology in the country is generally limited to the government investigation agencies, but there is a wide range to select from, some examples being educational, forensic, sports, consumer, environmental, counselling, clinical, etc. Keep options open and explore each of the above while you are doing your undergraduate studies, do some internships in your area of interest, which will ensure that you take the right decision.

Dear Sir,

I am a final-year BCom student. I wish to pursue a course in Mass Communication in the same field but I am worried about the job prospect. Kindly guide me on the entrance tests that I need to prepare as well as best journalism colleges in the country. Do guide me as to how I can pursue a career in multimedia journalism.

Student

Dear Student,

Once you have made up your mind to make a long-term career in mass communication, do not worry about the entrance exams, etc. You can either take up a PG diploma in the field for this academic year, or an online course, and get work experience through an internship. You can then prepare systematically for next year’s entrance exam and hope to do your Masters from one of the top institutions. The pay in media and communication sector has improved significantly of late and will continue to rise, so you need not worry about your income – if you are really good in your work, and if you are trained in a reputed college. To confirm that, you may get your writing checked out by some experts and take their feedback. It is one thing to be interested in some field, but it has to be backed up with the necessary talent.

Dear Sir,

My son completed his PUC (PCMC) in 2015. He joined the Architecture stream and after three years, he was unable to cope with the pressure and decided not to pursue further. Kindly suggest alternative courses with wide career prospects in the future. Moreover, he is considering taking a course in Animation and Graphic design or Photography. Kindly suggest some good colleges in Bengaluru. 

BS Raman

Dear Raman, 

If you are confident that he is a creative person and is good at design work, he can certainly take up a career in the fields you have mentioned. Architecture involves a greater extent of calculations and logical thinking, but graphic design, photography and other related fields need him to only have a strong creative bent of mind, but also the ability to convert his thoughts to the computer. If he fulfills that then he will not have to worry about his financial returns. Some of the reputed institutions that offer the course are NID, IIT Bombay and Guwahati, MICA, GD Goenka, Srishti, NMIMS, Christ, Jain, Symbiosis and Whistling Woods. If he is too late to get admission in one of these institutions since they start their entrance procedures early, he may take up a short-term or online course, for the time being, and get some hands-on experience and prepare for 2020.