Entrepreneurship is no easy road

Experts Speak is an exclusive forum for youth to get advice from industry experts. If you have questions concerning internships, careers, entrepreneurship and start-ups, this is where you can get your answers

November 10, 2013 02:21 pm | Updated 02:21 pm IST - chennai:

I am currently interning at my friend’s start-up, which is just six months old. He has given me an offer to join the business. However, I have also received a job offer from a top IT company. Both options seem lucrative. What should I take up?

Varun

It depends on whether you define yourself as an entrepreneur or as an employee. If you consider yourself an employee, then join the top IT firm and be safe. However, if you consider yourself an entrepreneur, then you can think about joining your friend. Remember that the path of entrepreneurship is challenging and requires immense hard work for success. However, if the business concept is exciting, has a high market potential and if you are eligible to a substantial shareholding or stock option, then go ahead and share the passion.

HelloIntern.com’s Global Internship Programme pairs up one Indian intern and one foreign intern. How does a programme like this help both the students?

Vasu

It is not easy to work with a person who does not share the same culture, the same way of thinking and who potentially does not understand well the way you speak.

If you wish to work outside your country, you will soon face this issue and you will be glad to have been, in a way, already prepared through the Global Internship Programme. By embracing the differences and learning from each other, you get ready for the business world out there. GIP is a platform which ensures that both, the interns and the company get to network beyond boundaries.

I am in my final year in the commerce field. I am in a dilemma whether to do an MBA or join the family business.

Bala Kerthi

If your short absence does not hurt the family business, don’t hesitate to pursue an MBA. You will then put all the knowledge that you have acquired to improve your business and build a strong network that will benefit your business in the long run.

I am doing MSc (cyber forensic and information security) at Madras University. I wish to know about job opportunities abroad. Is it essential to learn a foreign language for the same?

D. Vivek Ananth

Your field is in demand at present, so I do not see problems in getting a job. In countries like the U.S., there are great opportunities in cyber security. With the growth of Internet usage, cyber security has become of utmost importance across the globe.

Understand that it is absolutely necessary to learn and master foreign languages, as communication at work is essential. And the more languages you speak, the bigger opportunities you will have. Apart from English, you can learn Spanish and Chinese Mandarin, which are spoken worldwide.

I am currently pursuing Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE). I would like to enhance my knowledge for a better career. Please suggest what I can study apart from my regular curriculum.

Natarajan

You can pursue your MTech in VLSI, Computer Programming, Embedded Systems or any other related subjects. Also, I would suggest business studies and/or marketing and/or communication.

Business studies will teach you how to think about your job in terms of the impact on the market, and pursuing MBA might help you in the future to transit from a pure technical role to a managerial one.

Roberto Mariani is a serial technology entrepreneur and a former computer scientist.

Questions can be directed to malavika@hellointern.com or posted at www.hellointern.com/qna

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