After completing my graduation, I want to pursue a career in events management. Please advise.
Anita Sawant, Mumbai
With the entertainment industry booming, events management is a good career choice. The best option is to sign up for a postgrad course at the National Academy of Event Management and Development, Apeejay Institute, among others. Another option is to sign up for an MBA degree programme and to do your summer project in an events management company. Once you are sure you want to make a career in this field, you could apply for jobs in events management companies such as Wizcraft, Percept or work in the marketing department of any other company.
I’m a class XI student keen on a career in chemical engineering. What are my prospects in this industry?
Shekhar Iyer, Chennai
Chemical engineering graduates usually work in the pharmaceuticals, healthcare, pulp and paper, food processing, polymers, biotechnology, electronics, environmental health and safety industries, as also in technical and research jobs in the chemical and petrochemical industries. Specialisation in chemical engineering could be in plastics and polymers, food technology, ceramics, bioprocess technology, pharmaceutical technology, perfumes and flavours, petroleum engineering etc.
After my graduation, I want to enroll for a Masters degree in Spanish. What are my career prospects?
Neela Fernandes, Panjim
With the emergence of the global economy, opportunities for professionals with fluency in one or more foreign languages have grown exponentially. Besides being the second language of the US, Spanish is the official language of 21 countries including Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Panama, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Cuba, etc. Over 400 million people around the world speak Spanish, making it the fourthmost popular language worldwide. Spanish is also one of five official languages of the United Nations.
Learning Spanish has become popular in India because of booming trade ties with Latin American countries and the flourishing business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. Moreover, MNCs, international banks, airlines, customs offices, export houses, telecom majors, NGOs, travel companies and Indian embassies in Spanish-speaking countries require foreign language experts. Translation work also offers growing opportunities.
After graduating in microbiology, I want to continue my studies abroad. Which universities abroad offer Masters programmes in microbiology? What are my employment prospects after graduation?
Vikram Rao, Bangalore
The postgrad programmes of Harvard, Stanford, Wisconsin-Madison, Washington (St. Louis) and U Cal, Berkeley universities are rated among the best in the US. Microbiologists work as technicians in pathology labs, research assistants (in genetics and biochemistry), or chemical/food and beverage companies. Clinical research is another good option. Also joining the Indian Academy of Sciences (www.ias.ac.in) is a great career choice.
I’m a third year B.Sc (statistics) student interested in a banking career. I want to sign up for an MBA in banking offered by IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University). Please advise.
Navin Bhatia, Mumbai
With this degree, you won’t be eligible to sign up for the MBA (banking and finance) programme of IGNOU. This programme is open to graduates who have cleared the CAIIB exam of the Indian Institute of Bankers, Mumbai, and have been working in the banking or financial services sector for at least two years. You can get a list of study centres on www.ignou.ac.in.
Other entry routes into banking are through an MBA, the probationary officers examination or courses such as the postgraduate programme in banking and finance offered by the National Institute of Bank Management, Pune or the postgrad programme in finance offered by the Centre for Advanced Financial Studies, Institute for Financial Management and Research, Chennai.
After completing my Plus Two in 2017, I want to pursue medical studies in the US. What is the selection and admission process?
Suraj Kohli, New Delhi
You have to complete four years of undergrad study (an undergraduate degree) with the prescribed number of courses in biological sciences, chemistry, mathematics, behavioural and social sciences and humanities to qualify for admission into an American medical school. Eligibility requirements include an undergraduate degree with excellent academic record, fluency in English (TOEFL), and a satisfactory score in the US Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). The duration of the study programme is four years and students graduate with a doctor of medicine (MD) degree.
Reputed medical schools in the US include Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Duke, Yale, Pennsylvania, and Washington universities, and the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Admission into US medical schools is very competitive — less than three percent of overseas applicants are accepted — and some state-supported medical schools admit only US citizens and permanent US residents.