The multitude of opportunities available in the field of science, both in India and in institutions abroad, were highlighted as part of ‘Current and Emerging Career Opportunities in the Sciences’, The Hindu Education Plus Career Counselling webinar series, presented by the SRM Institute of Science and Technology.
S.P. Thyagarajan, dean (research) at Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai, spoke about the myriad streams available for higher education and emphasised on the importance of research in selecting a course and college. “Information about various programmes is available on the websites of various institutions, but how do you zero in on the perfect university? For a foreign university, you can get authentic information from embassies or advisory bodies, as well as from university websites. Also look for country-level and world-level ranks of universities. For Indian universities, look into NAAC scores or NIRF rankings, apart from college websites, to make an informed choice,” he said.
Employment opportunities are ripe in new markets such as biostatistics, he pointed out. “Documenting of pandemics, the natural history of diseases, pattern of clinical symptoms, management of diseases, cannot be anecdotal. It has to be through properly processed data. This is where biostatistics help. Professionals will be needed in research institutions, R&D labs, and more,” Mr. Thyagarajan said.
Sanjay Molur, executive director, Zoo Outreach Organisation, concurred. “Basic sciences like zoology or botany didn’t have many career options a few decades ago but this is changing now,” he said and cited the example of environmental sciences. “There are various aspects within environmental studies related to ecology, biotechnology, environmental chemistry, data analysis, environmental geology, environmental engineering.... Then, there’s pollution studies, conservation of national resources, social aspects of environmental studies and environmental impact assistance. These can all be pursued as a career,” Mr. Molur said.
D. John Thiruvadigal, professor, dean (sciences), SRMIST, stressed the importance of following one’s interests while choosing a career. “In India, the most popular B.Sc. courses are B.Sc mathematics, physics, chemistry, biotechnology, computer science and agriculture. Unlike a decade or two ago, the curriculum is entirely different,” he said.
“Knowing the impact of science education in India, The Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, has introduced an innovative a programme called INSPIRE for students from Classes VI onward. There is also a Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE), where students pursuing science get up to ₹80,000 a year,” Dr. Thiruvadigal said.
The speakers also answered questions from the audience on the scope of specific courses within the sciences.