The effort is aimed to help students, who have appeared for the Common Entrance Test and the test conducted by the Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka, make an intelligent decision with regard to their career. The ‘Career Guide 2008’, a compendium of various career options, was released on the occasion.

The programme was held in Bangalore on May 7 at the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Bhavan and in Mangalore, it was held at the Town Hall on May 9. The programme was sponsored by the State Bank of Mysore and P.A. College of Engineering. The programmes, both at Bangalore and Mangalore, were attended by over 250 students, some of whom were accompanied by their parents.

In Bangalore, the guests who spoke to the students about various career options included Sabyasachi Chatterjee from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics; Srini Rajam, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ittiam Systems; Jatinder Mohan, founder-director of People Skills Learning Pvt. Ltd.; S. Kumar, executive secretary, Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka and Principal of M.S. Ramaiah Medical College; and Syed Jamal, administrative officer of the Karnataka Examinations Authority.

Mr. Jamal said that the KEA may not be able to release the results of the Common Entrance Test (CET) on May 14, as was scheduled in the CET brochure released earlier this year.

He said that the announcement of the CET results may have to be postponed due to the delay in the CBSE and ISC boards declaring the results of the 12th Standard. “However, we will start the counselling sessions, as scheduled, on June 2,” he said.

A student raises a point at the session in Mangalore.

He spoke about the various certificates that the students had to bring with them to attend the counselling session and the seat matrix that had been agreed upon for the 2008-09 academic year. “The seat sharing problem began in 2004. It was more-or-less settled in 2007. The current batch is a lucky batch, as all the problems have now been sorted out.”

Dr. Kumar said that higher education has never been the priority of the Union Government over the past five decades. For the 110 crore population, there were only 342 universities. “According to the Knowledge Commission, India needs at least 5,000 universities.”

He also spoke about the seat matrix and fee structure. He called upon students to not chase money at the beginning of their career. He referred to the career options available in healthcare.

“Candidates should opt for courses that are best suited for their potential. Also, look for the right institution. A mediocre institution will not help you in any way. The profiles and information about the various institutions are available online,” he said.

Mr. Sabyasachi Chatterjee spoke about the various career opportunities available in the field of science and technology. There is immense scope in the basic sciences.

“Science is all pervasive. Science and technology aids the development of society. However, it is the social barriers that we have placed that will hold back this development,” he said.

Mr. Srini Rajam spoke about how Information Technology touches us in our everyday lives. “It has come to a point where we do not realise how dependent on IT we are. Whatever be your profession, you cannot ignore IT,” he told students.

He also spoke about the different career options available in the sector. He said that for a successful career, students needed to possess the best of ability and attitude.

Mr. Mohan, while speaking about the importance of soft skills, said that our education system is geared to teach us the technical skills, but does not teach us how to get along with each other. “We are too busy and involved in ourselves. Education institutions should build team members,” he said.

Soft skills was as important to any profession, as salt is to our food. It is integral and with the right kind of skills, the students will be able to excel in their chosen area of specialisation/work.

Eminent personalities who have carved a niche for themselves in their chosen area of work were invited to talk to the aspiring candidates about the opportunities available in the areas of medicine, engineering and dental care.

The guests who were present for the programme were Aloysius Henry Sequeira, former Registrar of National Institute of Technology-Karnataka, Surathkal; M. Chakrapani, professor and unit head, Department of General Medicine, Kasturba Medical College; and Ganesh Shenoy Panchmal, professor and head, Department of Community Dentistry, Yenepoya Dental College.

Dr. Chakrapani called upon students to not shy away from taking up the medical profession. “There is a perception that doctors cannot enjoy personal life due to their busy schedule. The profession is also glamourised to a large extent. Students who take up the profession can excel on their own terms,” he said.

He also said that by taking up group practice, one may be able to strike a balance between personal and professional lives. Many medical practitioners in the Western countries set up group practice. “The concept is yet to pick up in our country.”

Dr. Chakrapani said that under group practice, if one doctor wants to take a break, the other doctor in the group can attend to the former’s patients. This way, the medical practitioner has enough leisure time.

He said that the State Government has increased the monthly salary of doctors who are working on contract at primary health centres (PHCs) from Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 50,000. Hence it is attractive to work in urban and semi-urban areas. The Government is also looking for doctors to work at its PHCs.

He advised students not to pursue the medical profession to make quick money.

“If your intention is to accumulate money, then choose other professions. If you have the passion to help others then go for the medical profession. Money will follow automatically,” he said.

Dr. Ganesh said that there were 43 dental colleges in the State with 2,580 seats. “A dentist can practice anywhere in the world,” he pointed out.

He called upon students to choose colleges with good infrastructure and faculty. He also gave students the various options available within dentistry, including maxillo-facial surgery.

Prof. Sequeira said that the State had 147 engineering colleges offering 27 courses. These colleges had 52,319 seats.

He gave a brief account of the different engineering courses and job prospects.

Kumble Narasimha Prabhu, president, Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that students need not lose hope if they failed to get into medical and engineering courses. There are many other courses which they can choose from such as law, animation, commerce and the like.

“It is important to be a good human being in life.”

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