Serving the society the new career option

Serving the society   the new career option
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With the increase in number of developmental organisations in our country, there is a vast scope for a career in social work, say NGO experts....

With the increase in number of developmental organisations in our country, there is a vast scope for a career in social work, say NGO experts. Interestingly, there is a huge demand for women professionals as they can relate and deal effectively with women and children sector Purnima Sriram ServingWe all want to serve the society. At the same time, we are greedy about earning a great salary. When something goes wrong at some place, be it a rape, disaster or any negligence by the government, we can find our Facebook walls flooded with posts expressing anger, frustration and sympathy. Is it just a post on the Facebook wall or are we really concerned about the society? If we really care, how about studying social welfare and work for an NGO? There is scope for students who think beyond sitting in a luxurious air-conditioned office, earning impressive salary and perks of going abroad on deputations. It also an employment option to the unemployed. "Social work has plenty of opportunities with corporate social responsibilities coming up in the line," says Newton Isaac, Director of Child Health, World Vision India. "Social work has two advantages. It adds meaning to life and at the same time gives recognition. The second is it that it gives one the opportunity to help the underprivileged and the needy. NGOs look for subject matter specialists in supply chain management, information technology, business management and entrepreneurship development. We don't just focus on helping people but also on multi sector approach to poverty. There is a huge demand for women professionals as they can relate and deal effectively with women and children sector," he adds. "Recently, the government of India came up with a deal on Corporate Social responsibility (CSR). The bill says that the profit-making organisations and companies should allocate two per cent of their profits to CSRs. Perhaps, the corporate and multinational companies will work on social works directly which means they are in dire need of social workers. I would suggest the students to take it up as a course as there is bright future towards it. A social worker typically begins with salary of around Rs 15,000. Those with the right skills can earn up to Rs 1 lakh depending upon the NGO, skills, responsibilities and seniority. For example, a senior communications specialist with expertise in a population or poverty stories can land a job with UNICEF, he/she can earn around 2000 to 3000 $ a month," he says. Dr P L Vishveshwar Rao, Former Principal of Arts College and Dean of Osmania University, says that in a country like India which is hugely populated with numerous problems, there is a bigger demand for social workers than engineers and management graduates. "Osmania University offers Master's degree in social work which is in demand too as there are many developmental government and non-governmental organisations. I strongly believe that they should start up with social work as a course at the under graduation level itself. I want under graduation colleges to establish BA in social work as a regular course," he opines. As we all know, villages are the backbone of the country. Like in human body, spine is the most sensitive part, if something goes wrong with it; we suffer. Likewise, villages are to be taken care of like our spine. Dr T Nagender Swami, Executive Director of the NGO ' Village in Partnership,' says, that NGO is a service-oriented work than profit-oriented. This is why not many opt for it. "Social work is now a profession. In the earlier generations, youngsters looked for three things - security, less work and more pay and also additional income in a job. The perspective has changed. Now, youngsters are keen on earning and creating urban life everywhere. They are neglecting villages and deserting them," he says. "I want to bring back the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi who had vision for this country. When I take in people for my NGO, I look for three things while hiring them for an NGO - the candidate's love and concern for the society; creativity and honesty. There are many universities offering courses in social work. I want the youngster to come forward and take up this course and serve the society," he adds.
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