I’m an engineering graduate working in an IT company for the past year. To improve my career prospects, should I do an MBA or Masters in engineering?
Sridhar Swamy, Chennai
An added technical qualification is a better option but finally the choice between M.Tech/ME and an MBA is personal. If you enjoy your current work and want to develop additional technical expertise, a Masters in mechanical or industrial engineering is the right choice. But if you aspire to assume senior managerial and business responsibilities, you should enroll in an MBA programme.
I’m a teacher keen on qualifying as a special educator. Please suggest institutes offering courses in special education.
Joan Fernandes, Bangalore
Study programmes in special education are offered by universities and institutes across the country. Please visit the Rehabilitation Council of India’s website (www.rehabcouncil. nic.in) for a list of universities/institutes. You should, however, carefully select the type of course you want to pursue — degree/certificate, regular/part-time, distance education — and the special-isation — visual impairment, mental retardation, learning disabilities, etc.
I complete class XII (commerce) this year. I am undecided whether to enroll in a bachelor of accounts and finance (BAF), bachelor in banking and insurance (BBI), bachelor in business administration (BBA) or bachelor in management studies (BMS) progr-amme. Which of these qualifications offer best career prospects?
Ajay Pandit, Mumbai
All are three-year bachelor degree programmes. Neither of them is a professional qualification though they qualify you for employment in junior executive/management positions in the corporate sector. Choose the programme which interests you most and target a reputed college for admission. Most commerce colleges in Mumbai offer BAF, BBI and BMS, and BBA is offered by NMIMS University. If you wish to pursue chartered accountancy (CA), cost works accountancy (CWA) or company secretaryship (CS) courses in the future, you should opt for the regular B.Com programme as the schedules of the other degree programmes will not allow you to do justice to CA/CWA/CS studies.
After I finish class XII in 2013 I want to sign up for a biotechnology degree programme. Please provide information about prominent biotechnology engineering colleges.
Satish Shah, Ahmedabad
The IITs at Roorkee, Madras, Kharagpur and Guwahati; Anna University, Chennai; Manipal University, Manipal; VIT University, Vellore and Thadomal Shahani Engineering College, Mumbai are some of the reputed coll-eges offering B.Tech in biotechnology.
I will graduate in commerce in 2013 and want to enroll in either an MBA or CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) programme. Please advise which is the better choice.
Reema Chatterjee, Kolkata
CFA is a professional course requiring clearing of examinations. It qualifies you for investment, auditing, and financial analysis, whereas an MBA qualifies you for entry into the managerial cadre of corporate enterprises in various departments such as finance, human resources, marketing, etc (depending upon your special-isation). Your choice should be driven by consideration of your subject preferences, aptitude and overall personality. Job opportunities are plentiful for CFAs as well as MBAs.
I’m a mechanical engineering student interested in a career in the merchant navy. I need information regarding the one-year pre-sail training programme.
Nikhil Patil, Pune
Many shipping companies offer the one-year preparatory marine engineering training programme, including the Institute of Maritime Studies, Goa and Barber Ship Management (www.imsgoa.org); Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineering (GRSE), Kolkata (www.grec.nic.in); Great Eastern Shipping Co Ltd, Mumbai (www.greatship.com), among others. The Shipping Corporation of India also in Mumbai (www.shipindia.com) recruits trainee marine engineers. In general, applicants for these progra-mmes should be less than 24 years old on the date specified in the admission notification and have normal colour vision, although spectacles (plus or minus 2.5) are acceptable. The training offered in India allows you to apply for positions in Indian as well as foreign shipping companies. For more infor-mation, log on to www.dgshipping.com.
I’m keen on pursuing financial engineering after completing my engineering degree in 2013. Which US universities offer this subject?
Avinash Puri, New Delhi
A financial engineering curriculum is designed to provide skills in several subjects, including finance, mathematics, economics, stat-istics, marketing and risk management. Candidates need to have a solid background in mathematical analysis, statistics and probability theory. Science and engineering graduates of reputable universities are eligible to apply for the Masters programme in financial engineering. Top schools for financial engineering in the US are UCLA, New York University, Georgia Tech, Columbia and UC Berkeley. Each university has its own admission criteria but all insist on study of quantitative subjects in the undergraduate programme.
I’m a fine arts graduate contemplating a postgraduate course in design management at MIT Design Institute, Pune. What are my prospects in the design and advertising industry after completion of this course? I’ve been working as a visualiser for a year.
Rajiv Naik, Mumbai
Why don’t you enroll in a postgrad diploma in strategic design management offered by the National Institute of Design after another year or more of work experience? Visit www.nid.edu to assess its relevance to your career plans. As this vocation becomes globalised and professi-onalised, the need for managers in design and allied industries such as advertising, media and other communi-cation/creative businesses will increase manifold.