Educational Questions & Answers

Importance of Selection of Courses and Colleges - Higher Education and Careers

Importance of Selection of Courses and Colleges

Education is the process of developing human ability and behaviour. It is a social process in which one achieves social competence. India, China and Greece were the most notable knowledge societies in ancient times. Knowledge through education, training and research occupied an important place in the life of the Indian elite. Education in ancient India had a comprehensive and inclusive connotation and it extended to arts, sciences, skills, humanities and a ceaseless enquiry into the meaning of existence.

Education is the key for the furtherance of the policies and objectives of a country. It is through education that concepts are propagated and disseminated. Educational institutions play a vital role in creating the sense of belonging; cultural as well as linguistic identity apart from providing opportunities for skill development and academic excellence. Educational institutions and the education imparted by them are perhaps the most potent tools in shaping of the human being as they mould the body, heart, mind and intellect.

In today?s global environment, an accessible and high quality higher education system is imperative for a nation?s economic progress. A sound higher education system supports and enhances the process of economic and social development for a better future. India has one of the largest higher education systems in the world with 350 universities and 17, 500 colleges.

Today the education systems has become highly competitive and demanding. Students evaluate different courses based on the quality of placement they are likely to get after the completion of their studies. That is why one finds that the students aspire to join those courses which ensure gainful employment. In universities, for example courses like business management dominate social science stream and computer applications attract the students of physical science stream. Those courses which do not promise good placement draw students who cannot make it to the placement oriented prestigious courses. Knowledge, understanding and appropriate planning are essential in making right career options as well as the choice of right institutions.

The number of career options available today is so bewilderingly large and varied that students, parents and teachers are finding it hard to keep abreast of the possibilities. The contours of the complex scene in terms of careers and courses are fundamental in terms of career guidance to students.

Medical and Engineering Fields:

Admission to professional degree courses, such as those in Engineering and Medicine, is mostly confined to students in the respective States where the colleges offering these programmes function. However, there are certain institutions that make selection through All-India entrance tests. Career options in Engineering span a range of specialization from Aeronautical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Ceramic Technology, Environmental Engineering, Genetic Engineering, Marine Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Space Technology, etc. Apart from the medical specialization, courses in Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Naturopathy, Occupational Therapy, Radiology, Psychiatry, Speech Therapy, Veterinary Sciences etc are career options in the medical fields.

Some of the institutes that are open to candidates from all over the country are Indian Institutes of Technology; Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani; Naval College of Engineering, Lonavala; National Diary Research Institute, Karnal; School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi; Manipal Institute of Technology; the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi; Christian Medical Colleges, Vellore and Ludhiana; Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry; Armed Forces Medical College, Pune; Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, NIMHANS, Bangalore etc.

Biotechnology and Nanotechnology:

Biotechnology is a research oriented science, a combination of Biology and Technology. It covers a wide variety of subjects like Genetics, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Immunology, Virology, Chemistry and Engineering and is also concerned with many other subjects like Health and Medicine. Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Cropping system and Crop Management, Ecology, Cell Biology, Soil Science and Soil Conservation, Biostatistics, Plant Physiology, Seed Technology etc. There is a great scope in this field as the demand for biotechnologists are growing in India as well abroad. Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi; National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi and various other University departments offer courses in Biotechnology.

Nanotechnology is a discipline that is growing rapidly. It is the science of the small, the science of understanding the structure and behaviour of materials at atomic or molecular level. Nanotechnology is expected to usher in the next industrial revolution. There are immense possibilities in this discipline.

Computers and Information Technology:

Computers have opened up a wide range of career options. Apart from conventional programmes like Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Aided Designing have their own roles in the profession. Even Short-term courses for specific purposes, such as web design, animation and multimedia, may come in handy for those who desire to enter the modest level and gradually rise in the field, on the strength of practical experience.

Commerce and Finance Professions:

Finance professions such as Chartered Accountancy, Agronomics, Banking, Economics, Stock Broking Cost and Works Accountancy and Company Secretaryship offer excellent career opportunities for the right persons. Training for these professions can commence after Plus Two in any stream, without the hassles of the entrance hurdle.

Management:

Skilled managers are in high demand. Consequently management professionals with the right experience and credentials are some of the highest paid people in the world. An excellent option after graduation in any discipline is management. In management education, a vital factor is that the institution where the candidate undergoes training is of great significance.

To be a successful manager, you need skills in decision-making, financial analysis and interpersonal relationships, as well as the ability to apply those skills in the context of constraints, opportunities and alternatives. Getting a seat in top-class B-Schools such as the Indian Institute of Management, will require intensive training for facing the stiff competition in the written test, group discussion and interview. Management careers offer specialization in marketing, finance, operations, human resources development and computer systems. Some of the institutes that conduct programmes exclusively in hotel or hospital management.

There are certain centres of excellence such as the Indian Institute of Management; Institute of Rural Management, Anand; Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi; and Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal; Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University etc which specialize in any one discipline.

Travel and Tourism:

With the booming growth in the variety of tourism, travel and tourism has emerges as probably the world?s largest service industry. Careers in this field include adventure guide plans, organizing and conducting of various kinds of adventure trips for individuals and groups, planning the itinerary, arranging for transport, equipment and supplies, coordinating camping and food, and administering emergency first aid. Effective communication skills including fluency in foreign languages and time management skills are important. With the growing professionalism and resultant competitiveness, formal training in the profession has become imperative. The Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management, New Delhi; The Ministry of Tourism and various University departments offer courses in travel and tourism.

Designing:

Fashion Designing, Gemology, Interior Designing and Jewellery Designing are blooming career options for aspiring youths. Indian fashion designers beginning to make a mark on the international fashion scene is an indication that the Indian fashion industry has finally come of age. With the book in the fashion and accessories arena, especially with the influx of well-known foreign jewellery into the Indian market, the field of Gemology and Jewellery designing in slowly holding out promise for a designers who are creative, imaginative and artistic are regarded as the shapers of soil as they possess the ability to dwell a piece of land into a dreamland. Specializations in doing interiors for theatres, art galleries, sets for various events, exhibition and window displays, landscaping are other emerging fields an interior designer can explore. The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Centers, National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad; Indian Institute of Gemology, New Delhi? Gemological Institute of In dia, Mumbai; Jewellery Design and Technology Institute (JDTI), Noida; School of Architecture, Ahmedabad; Manipal Institute of Technology are the institutions offering courses in designing careers.

Armed Forces / Defence Services:

Career as officers in the National Defence Academy, Entry into the Indian Air Force or Navy, Paramilitary services etc. are opportunities in the defense services. For selection to Indian Air Force and Navy, candidates should be qualified in the Mathematics and Physics stream. Graduates in any discipline can appear for the Combined Defence Services Examination conducted by the UPSC. There are several other modes of entry as commissioned officers in the Defence forces, including women?s entry schemes.

Other Diversity of Careers:

Among the other diversity of career options are agriculture, forestry, fisheries, nursing, pharmacy, law, fine arts, acting, music, modeling, airline pilot training, mass communication and journalism, advertising public relations, foreign languages, merchant navy, sports and physical education, food Technology, physiotherapy, special education, spatial design and television, photography, anthropology, archaeology, geography, library science, psychology, sociology, social work, teaching etc.

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Importance of Selection of Courses and Colleges - Higher Education and Careers