A young boy, who identified himself as XYZ, sent his question scribbled on a chit. “I have failed in one paper in II PUC and hope the revaluation results will save me, but will it be too late then to apply for CET courses this year?” he asked. Three other students sent in the same question. Others included questions that reflected the diverse interests that students are now exposed to, and the multiple career paths they want to pursue, all leading to confusion. One-third of the questions received were from students who confessed that though they were looking at engineering or science courses, they wanted to know how “safe” it is to opt for an arts course. Even among engineering options, there was little clarity on what stream to opt for, and questions revolved around which trade is a sure-shot path to a good job.
Students, and their anxious parents, who attended The Hindu's career guidance session in Bangalore on May 14, at the Mount Carmel College Auditorium, found that despite having access to gigabytes of information online, inspiring talks and interacting with experts is indeed valuable. Long before the programme began, we were flooded with queries. These queries only reflected the diverse nature of the audience that attended the event. The response to the eighth edition of this event, which is an off-page extension of your weekly supplement The Hindu EducationPlus , was tremendous.
Being held in nine centres over the weekend — Hubli, Hassan, Gulbarga, Mysore, Bangalore, Bidar, Shimoga, Davangere and Udupi — the sessions met with tremendous response in all cities. Reflecting a need for such interfaces, and a dearth of information on crucial admission processes and career options, students, some as young as 15, attended the events. The queries were more or less similar. While officials of the Karnataka Examinations Authority were quizzed on the procedural nitty-gritty of the professional college admission rounds, representatives from the Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka were asked about fees, preference for Karnataka candidates and the confusing seat-sharing arrangements.
Inspiring talks
In Bangalore, the event was inaugurated by a charismatic and inspiring speaker, Dileep Ranjekar. Chief Executive Officer of the Azim Premji Foundation, he spoke on ‘Aptitude or Aspiration: What makes a good career choice?' Presenting students with a well-balanced view, he laid emphasis on passion, the importance of hard work to achieve success of any kind, and most importantly, independent thinking. Describing rote learning as the bane of the Indian education system, he urged students to go beyond the surface of each subject. “Education today has become merely committing date to memory. Remember that marks are not necessarily representative of a student's depth of knowledge. I urge you to understand every subject, analyse and synthesise information. In any organisation where you aspire to work, depth of knowledge in any field is important and will take you a long way.” He repeatedly emphasised the importance of hard work. “Aptitude is only an indication, and it is true aspiration that will take you a long way. And do not be disappointed if your aptitude does not lie where your interests do. Remember that your success is mainly supported by your hard work.”
Interactions
There is considerable confusion over the professional college admission process, though much-streamlined over the last decade, when the State opted for a dual-window admissions system for government colleges/government quota seats and the COMED-K. However, students and their equally-anxious parents who had several doubts on the multiple admission rounds got them cleared.
For the non-professional course aspirants, CEO of Cigma Infotech and education consultant Ameen-e-Mudassar made a presentation on careers and courses on offer. He took questions on subjects ranging from photography and journalism to physiotheraphy and alternative medicine. Mr. Mudassar advised students to not get carried away, and focus on getting their main course or training right. “There will always be add-ons and you can always diversify into different fields,” he said.
Aptitude test
The aptitude tests met with good response in most centres. After a three-hour long session, students stayed back to take the hour-long test. The results of these tests will be e-mailed to students within a week or 10 days' time.
Sponsors
The title sponsor for the event was the State Bank of India. Associate sponsors were Gems B Schools, Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology, Gokula Education Foundation, Bangalore, and Oxford Educational Institutions, Bangalore.
