From tips to cracking the professional entrance examinations to making it to the Civil Services to treading a different path by studying gerontology, sessions at a career guidance programme organised jointly by The Hindu Edge and Hindustan University here on Thursday had it all.
The programme, held at Girideepam Convention Centre, Mar Ivanios Vidya Nagar, Nalanchira, saw speakers stress the need for students to understand their aptitude and pursue whatever career option they chose with passion.
Path to Civil Services
Former State Police Chief T.P. Senkumar in his session spoke on Civil Services, the various opportunities it presented, and how to study for the examinations. He told the students that the Civil Services enabled one to become part of policy-making and give inputs for government programmes in every sector. One needed determination, empathy for the people, and ability to withstand pressure to become a good civil servant. And to get through, one needed to start preparing early, through extensive reading and making notes, he said. He also walked the students through the Civil Services preliminaries and mains examinations, their syllabi, and optional subjects.
Fee or scholarship
S. Rajoo Krishnan, former Joint Commissioner for Entrance Examinations, in an overview of engineering and medical courses said students had to keep many factors in mind before deciding on their career choices.
Besides their aptitude, students should go through the syllabus and content of the course, ensure that it was recognised by the regulatory bodies, ascertain if it offered opportunities for higher education and employment, and whether one could afford the fee or go for the scholarship route.
He urged students to introspect whether they possessed the qualities to become an engineer or doctor. He took the students through various engineering and medical and paramedical courses, institutions offering them, fee and course duration, besides the NEET and JEE examinations. He also spoke about architecture and planning courses and institutions offering them.
Dilip Shah, Dean, Hindustan University, spoke about aeronautical and aerospace engineering. The aeronautical sector, he said, offered a lot of business and employment opportunities, and Asia would have one-third of the global business. The forecast was $4.5 trillion by 2031.
India, he said, was just entering the maintenance, repair and overhaul sector. The MRO business was bigger than the aircraft business, and the government was starting to realise it. The MRO sector too would employ a number of aeronautical engineers, he said.
He spoke about the qualities of aeronautical engineers and what they could look forward to in such a career.
Career consultant Sobitha Thomas asked students not to limit themselves to conventional career choices. She briefed them on the diversity of programmes offered by institutions abroad, tpart-time work options which paid handsomely, shorter semester durations, and unlimited work time during vacations. Scholarships, she said, made it possible to bring down the fee by half. Germany and Norway did not charge students any fee, though they insisted on good scores, portfolio, and proficiency in the local language, she said.
As many as 1,350 students from various schools and nearly a 100 teachers and parents took part. Two students walked away with Kindle and two others with gifts in a lucky dip.
Fr. Wilson, Bursar, Mar Ivanios Group of Institutions; C. Gouridasan Nair, Resident Editor, The Hindu; and K.K. Joshy, Senior General Manager, Advertising, Kerala, were present.
Hindustan University was the presenting sponsor of the event, which was powered by iLearn IAS. Mar Ivanios Vidya Nagar was the venue partner. Santa Monica Study Abroad Pvt. Ltd. was the associate sponsor and IT@School Victers was the channel partner. Oxygen Digital was the technology partner and Brilliant Study Centre, Pala, the knowledge partner of the programme.