Dated 07th May 2003

What are the career prospects for a forensic scientist?

ANITA

Chennai

Forensic scientists analyse all physical evidence found on a victim at the scene of crime and compare it to evidence found on a suspect and provide expert testimony in a court of law. They work closely with the police to provide scientific evidence that is admissible in the court.

Forensic scientists find employment with law enforcement agencies, police, and in the investigative services of the government and private agencies. They essentially work for forensic labs and sometimes private detective agencies to establish the link between the criminal and the crime.

They can also teach. Opportunities for forensic scientists exist with government organisations such as the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and as investigative officers in the crime departments of state police forces.

I am planning to take up photography. What are my career options?

KALPANA

Hyderabad

Photography is a field, which is gradually becoming a viable profession in India. The demand for photographers lies inthose areas of work where additional technical expertise is required, particularly in industrial, scientific and medical fields.Opportunities for creative photography are also growing.

Advertising, fashion and press photography are popular areas of employment. Advertising agencies often employ freelance photographers. On the other hand, television and film companies and newspaper publishers employ staff photographers. Most photographers find that their prospects depend very heavily on their personal reputation. A very significantnumber of these, who start out as employees of large organisations doing specialised work eventually break away to becomeself-employed.

I have heard a lot about call centres. Whatkind of opportunities exists with call centres?

SRIDHAR

Bangalore

The call centre business is a relatively new field and still growing. The career opportunities presented by call centres is exciting for graduates who are freshers. As a business process outsourcing unit, call centres exist in all sectors of business including banking, utilities, manufacturing, security, market research, pharmaceuticals, catalogue sales, order desk, customer service, technical queries (help desk), emergency dispatch, credit collections, food service, airline/hotel reservations etc. The wide area of services provided by call centres makes it a lucrative career with a range of opportunities mainly as call centre operators,customer care executives, call centre supervisors and managers.

I wish to know more about prospects in nursing.

NEHA

Kolkata

Nursing covers abroad range of responsibilities and functions, depending on the level of qualifications and working environment. Initially, nurses are required for the bedside care of patients, while ata higher level they are required to manage special groups of patients like psychiatric, paediatric, intensive care patients etc., which require specialised skills. Specialisations include Hospital Nursing,Community Health Nursing, Military Nursing,Psychiatric Nursing, Public Health Nursing, Industrial Nursing, and Occupational Health Nursing.

Apart from hospitals and nursing homes, they can also find employment with military establishments, schools, industrial houses and factories, the Railways and public sector medical departments, clinics and heath departments, orphanages and old age homes, and at training institutes as educators.

I would like to know the future prospects in the field of dairy technology.

RAJESH

Surat

Responsibilities of dairy technologists/engineersincludes setting up and maintenance of dairy plants and related activities;managing marketing and sales of milk anddairy products and dealing withthe industry's requirements,developing methods for processing, packaging, storage, transport and physical distribution, and improvingproduction of milk and other dairy products.

Openings for dairy technologists existswith co-operatives and federations in the public sector, in equipment design and fabrication and plant designor in privatesector companies that manufacture and market milk products.A large number of dairy technologists also consider establishing their own production or processing units or work as consultants inresearch and developmentin the dairy industry.

What are the jobs available for graduates in public administration?

SHEETAL

Noida

Graduates in public administration find employment with a wide variety of sectors such as government, service, media, education, trading, manufacturing and public utilities. They also find employment as liaison officers, management services officers, housing officers, inspectors of disciplinary services and other operational positions in the public sector. They can also be employed by voluntary and private sectors as administrative assistants, personnel officers, marketing executives, researchers, project co-ordinators and other junior executive positions.

The FAQ column deals with career concerns addressed to The C&K Management Ltd, PO Box 2178, Secunderabad 500003, or emailed to faqs@cnkonline.com

ANITA

Chennai