National Research Professor and former Vice-Chancellor of Manipal University M.S. Valiathan said on Wednesday that students should be careful while making their career choice.
He was delivering the keynote address on “Choosing the right career” at the Career Guidance Session for students conducted by The Hindu EducationPlus for the second consecutive year, at Nutana Ravindra Mantapa on the MGM College campus here.
Prof. Valiathan also released the handbook “Charting Your Course” brought out by The Hindu EducationPlus on the occasion.
He said that students should listen to everybody before making a career choice. They should then think over it and ask themselves if they would be happy by the choice they had made. The final decision of a career should be taken by the students themselves, he said.
‘Difficult to rectify'
Proper contemplation was essential, as a wrong choice would be difficult to rectify. After a choice was made, some students fared well in their career and some remained mediocre. The reason for some persons doing well in their chosen career was that they constantly updated their knowledge, Prof. Valiathan said.
Good students did not wait for others to set goals for them. They set their own goals and dedicated themselves to achieving them. Besides, these students always believed that they were part of society and contributed to its progress. They gave importance to societal good, he added.
About three decades ago, there were few career options and no career guidance. But things had changed since then.
India, with 1.3 billion people, was now being seen as an emerging market . The pharmaceutical industry in the country was growing at a rapid pace. There was a great demand for Ph.Ds in the field of pharmaceuticals, Prof. Valiathan said.
At present, India was importing hi-tech instruments and devices worth Rs. 15,000 crore. The industry had sensed this demand and there would be more opportunities for youngsters in the field of instrumentation. Space technology, “frugal innovations” and defence research were some other areas where students could develop a career, he said.
The second session focussed on the admission process in professional colleges. Coordinator of Mangalore branch of the Karnataka Examinations Authority Shruthakirthiraja gave an overview on CET admissions, while Assistant Professor at R.V. College of Engineering D. Ranganath spoke on COMED-K admissions. Later, both of them answered queries of students regarding CET and COMED-K admission process.
In his presentation on “After PU, what next?”, Founder and Director of Cigma Foundation Ameen-e-Mudassar said that aptitude, personality and interest were key points in making a career choice. There were 15,000-plus careers waiting for students. There were many less popular but more rewarding options, including agriculture, mining, plastics technology, road transport, petroleum and textiles. Students could also opt for careers in pure and applied sciences, he said.
Branch Manager at the NRI Branch of the State Bank of India Nagaraj Tantry spoke on educational loans.
Interactive session
This was followed by an interactive session with an expert panel. The panellists, Dean of Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, P. Sripathi Rao; Associate Dean of Manipal College of Dental Sciences Keerthilatha M. Pai; Associate Director of Manipal Institute of Technology Vinod V. Thomas; Dean (Academics) of NMAM Institute of Technology, Nitte, B.S. Samaga; Professor in Marketing Management at T.A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal, R.C. Natarajan, Mr. Mudassar, Prof. Ranganath and Mr. Tantry answered various questions posed by the students.
Soft skills
The session ended with a brief talk on soft skills.
Prof. Natarajan spoke on the importance of self-skills such as self control, emotional leadership and communicative abilities; team skills such as choosing right persons in a team and art of negotiation; and diplomatic skills.
The sponsors of the event were the State Bank of India, Cigma Foundation, Gokula Education Foundation, Sambhram Institutions and The Oxford Educational Institutes of Bangalore.
Regional Manager of The Hindu G.R. Venkatesh welcomed the gathering.
