Choosing the right career

Sir I've finished my Bachelor of Arts, now I am pursing MBA. So, please suggest which specialisation I should choose, as I'm not interested in finance or accounts. - Madhupriya

While choosing your specialisation, be very careful to take subjects based on your interest and aptitude, and those that are aligned to your long-term career goals. It is best to go through the first year, as a brief introduction of all fields is given, before finalising on the specialisations. It is generally accepted that people who are more outgoing are preferred for marketing jobs, as marketing requires meeting prospective customers, understanding their requirements, chalking out new strategies vis-a-vis consumers’ expectations, etc.

Many organisations tend to offer lesser packages to professionals, as it is considered as a cost function, as opposed to their counterparts in marketing and finance, which are considered as revenue functions. However, this perception is slowly changing around the world, and HR is also being given its due. Having good communication skills, lots of self-confidence, and a passion towards the job will always make for a successful career in HR.

If you have an inclination towards production or shop-floor management, you can go in for operations management. You need to have good analytical and team skills to be successful as an operations manager. Manufacturing firms, other engineering industries hire operations people to take care of the operations in different domains.

Systems have recently emerged as an important MBA specialisation, generally taken up by software engineers who have worked in IT firms earlier. An MBA in Systems opens up a plethora of options for you to advance your career in the same industry, with subjects like systems analysis & design, it project management, enterprise resource management, e-Commerce, etc. adding to your existing technical expertise.

I did my MCA in 2011 from JNTU with 70 per cent. Earlier, I worked in healthcare company as claims associate (part time) during my MCA. So I've 4 years Non IT expereince, now I'm looking for a change into IT. I have 4 years of experience in healthcare as claims associate (Not IT RELATED). Now, I want to move into IT. I do not have first class marks in my intermediate, will that matter? Could you please suggest me the ways to get into software field as a fresher? - Sreelatha, Warangal

You should not lose your interest just because you don’t have programming skills. The marks matters for MNCs or for the first job mainly. So you can think of starting your career in smaller companies where skill matters and not the marks. However, you need to know the basics of SDLC process as you would like to work in IT field. There are other areas which you can try like Testing. Many freshers start their career as a Tester/Quality Analyst and later move to programming.

For this you need to improve your aptitude skills coupled with knowledge of testing methodologies and tools. You can join any training institutes to get basics, but you must practice them. Otherwise there is no point in going to an institute. Additionally, do internships to explore career opportunities and test your skills. This is how you can enter into the IT field.

Sir, I have completed B Tech, EEE in 2011. I have been working as a Junior Research Fellow in DRDO. I am working on Hardware in loop simulation there. I found that this experience may not be useful for my career. Can you please your provide your suggestions? - Ranga

Ranga, you did not mention where your interest lies. Every experience in some or the other way helps in your career. Though Hardware-in-Loop-simulation (HIL) started with the Aviation industry, HIL process is becoming more prevalent in all industries and is driven by two major factors: time to market and complexity. It is a form of real-time simulation used in the development and test of complex process systems.

HIL simulation is widely used in developing embedded control systems, such as: medical devices, industrial machines, power generation systems, white goods, aerospace, automotive, process control. So embedded systems plays a major role in HIL simulation. Check your interest and you can find opportunities in embedded systems also.

I would like to pursue BFA in Osmania University. As of now, I do not know anything about Fine Arts. Could you please tell me what would be the career opportunities after finishing this course? - Pravallika

Osmania University conducts Bachelor of Fine Arts (Photography) 3 years course - for Intermediate passed students; Bachelor of Fine Arts (Applied Arts) 5 years course - for SSC passed students; Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting) 5 years course - for SSC passed students.

This course is well suited for those with Creative Artistic Visual skills. Arts graduates can join various fields such as art studios, advertising companies and publishing houses. Many people are self-employed in this field, which enables them to work on various projects. Other associated fields are product design, manufacturers, online services, publishing houses, software companies and magazines where art graduates can work as art critics or arts specialists.

Artists and craftsmen at times work as freelancers and make their living by selling artwork created by them. Mostly in a freelancing job, acquiring a steady income is not possible. However, people with outstanding talent at times receive outstanding commissions for their exquisite work.

Within the fine arts field, success prospects depends on an individual interest level, exposure, experience, creativity, market awareness, motivation and definitely talent. A fresher can opt for various job openings like: Visualising professional; illustrator; art critic; artists; art professionals; design trainer.

The career opportunities for the professionals are huge. They can find employment in various areas like: Animation; advertising companies; art studios; clothing industry; dance studios; digital media; fashion houses; magazines; manufacturers; on-line services; print making; publishing houses; sculpture; television; publishing industry; graphic arts; teaching; films and theater productions; textile industry.

By:kamal pabba