Q & A – January 2016

JAYANTI GHOSE
Jayanti Ghose is a career and education consultant. She holds an honours degree in economics and a degree in education. Her research in career counselling and guidance spans more than 25 years. She pioneered the concept of career counselling and career writing in the print media. She is actively involved in personal and group counselling.

STUDY IN INDIA

PATHWAY
My son is to enter class X soon. So far he has been doing consistently well in all subjects of his CBSE curriculum. He is very keen and committed to Computer Science. What should be our plan of action after class 10th Board exam? – P. Shenoy

ANSWER
Your son has to maintain consistently good academic performance since the class 10th board exam aggregates are the primary determinant of his choice of college/ school/ subjects, etc. At plus two level, choice of subjects must include physics, chemistry, mathematics and English to lay the academic base for further professional training in computer science. Studying computer science as an elective subject isn’t necessary. Taking the engineering route would be the obvious one after class 12th, for which he must gear up during plus two for handling the engineering entrance exams. The rigour, discipline and determination that he must bring to his studies in plus two and alongside for the entrance exams will set the pace.

E-COMMERCE
E-commerce seems to be surrounding us. What are the job/ career opportunities in this field for graduates? – Karan

ANSWER
The range of jobs in e-commerce covers digital marketing, marketing and business development, web app development, content writing, graphic designing and retail marketing. Opportunities would be based on your skills and personality traits. You could look for sales, marketing, retail, content writing, and so on. If you have work experience and expertise in areas like fashion, publishing, technology, electronics, business management, etc. you can easily transfer their skillset to related areas of e-commerce. There are opportunities for graphic designers, app developers, and managing the technology platforms. Examples are indicative of possibilities, not exhaustive.

PREPARING MY RESUME
I am in Grade 8 and plan to give a good shot at applying for undergraduate programmes abroad, primarily targeting the US. What should be my approach during my school years? – Alysha

ANSWER
The focus of the application has to be you, your further education and life goals. Academics matter, but colleges look for a balanced personality with involvement and engagement in extracurricular and community activities. Colleges are looking for somebody with substance, someone who is comfortable and free enough to be real. Engage in those activities and initiatives for which you feel a personal interest or for which you can learn to care, which may be sports, community activities, dramatics, music, photography, etc. There is no ‘ideal’ candidate or application, so introspect and pick out what and how much you can handle successfully and effectively, because if you spread yourself too thin, it will show.

SPECIALISATION
I would like to apply for MBA abroad, but am not sure what specialization to choose. I would prefer that I get a placement, so does my choice of specialization affect that? – Poppy

ANSWER
You would have at least three years of work experience after graduation when you are applying for MBA abroad. The nature of your experience, sectoral/ industry related or functional, and your long-term career plans would have a bearing on your choice of specialization. In fact, your choice of b-schools would be determined accordingly, I presume. However, job markets being dynamic and easily changeable, you need to remain adaptable to opting for a specialization that your b-school considers the best foil for your resume in the context of placement prospects as an international candidate.

 

Volume 5 Issue 7