Your Counsellor Replies

Your Counsellor RepliesI‚m a class XI student. I want to pursue a career in communications. Please advise. Nalini Sawant, PuneYou could enroll for a bachelors‚ degree in mass media and later for a Masters in communication studies/ mass communications. Or you could complete your graduation in any subject of your choice and sign up for a postgraduate programme in mass communication or communication studies. The University of Pune (www.unipune.e.met.in/dept/emrc) and AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi 110 025 are among the most well reputed institutions for study programmes in communications.I‚ll be graduating (BA economics) in 2005. What are the career options available to me other than MBA and IAS? Please provide information about the company secretary‚s course as well.Ashok Patel, AhmedabadYour economics degree qualifies you for a career in journalism, mass communications, advertising, chartered accountancy, company secretaryship, insurance and cost accountancy among others. A Masters in economics will qualify you to enter the Indian Economic Service after clearing the Economic Service Examination conducted by the Union Public Services Commission. A Masters will also facilitate entry as a management trainee into the corporate sector or into financial institutions which usually employ economists in research positions. Vis-ƒ -vis the company secretary‚s study programme, contact the Western India Regional Office of ICSI, No.13, Jolly Maker Chambers, II Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021.I‚ll be completing my B.Com in 2004 after which I propose to write the UPSC exam. Please provide information about the exam and coaching classes too.Ravi Kolhatkar, NasikThe minimum eligibility criterion for writing the UPSC civil services exam is a bachelor‚s degree. Success in the UPSC examination is the prerequisite of entry into the IAS, IPS, among other all-India services. UPSC also conducts other examinations such as the Combined Defence Services Examination for entry into the army, navy and air force. For more information visit www.upsc.gov.in. Numerous study options are available to prepare for UPSC examinations. These include guides, correspondence courses, classroom coaching, etc. In Mumbai, coaching classes are conducted by the University of Mumbai and the State Institute of Administrative Careers.Can you suggest some reputed institutes where I could pursue a programme in mass media with specialisation in advertising? I graduate next year.Rekha Rao, BangaloreYou are eligible to enroll for a two-year Masters programme in advertising and communication management after graduation. Among the institutions offering this programme are: the Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA), Shela, Ahmedabad 380 058 (www.mica.India.net); Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, V.L. Mehta Road, Vile Parle (W), Mumbai 400 056 (www.nmims.edu) and the Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communi-cation, Senapati Bapat Marg, Pune 411 004 (www.simc.edu) which offers a two-year postgrad diploma in communication management with specialisation in advertising/ public relations. Applicants to the highly rated MICA are shortlisted on the basis of CAT scores and are required to write an entrance test which assesses their analytical, divergent thinking and written communication skills. You could also consider applying for the postgrad advertising and public relations programme of the Indian Institute of Mass Communications, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067 (www.iimc.ac.in).I want to acquire a diploma/ degree in export management from a well-recognised institute. Currently I‚m in my final year B.Com. Satish Jain, MumbaiThe best option is to opt for anMBA in international trade, foreign trade or export-import management. If all these facets of business interest you, focus on MBA programmes offering international business as a specialisation or MBA (international business) offered by specialised institutions like the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (www.iift.edu); Symbiosis Institute of Foreign Trade, Pune; University Business School, Punjab University, Chandigarh; and NMIMS, Mumbai. The Institute for Technology and Management, Navi Mumbai (www.itm.edu) offers an 18-month international business management programme with one term in Europe. Admission into most of these programmes is through a written test followed by group discussion and interviews. Alternative study options could be the one-year professional diploma offered by All India Management Association in international business through distance learning (www.aima.ind.org) or the six months diploma in foreign trade offered by the World Trade Institute, World Trade Centre, Mumbai, Centre 1, 31st floor, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai 400 005 (e mail: [email protected]). Which institutes offer degree programmes in materials management and logistics through correspondence? Please advise.Siddharth Kaul, New Delhi You could enquire about study courses in materials management and logistics offered by the Indian Institute of Materials Management (www.iimm.org). If you have acquired a bachelor‚s degree or a three-year diploma in engineering and have no work experience, you could apply for the graduate diploma in materials management (GDMM) ‚ a three-year correspondence programme. Alternatively if you have a degree with 50 percent marks or have completed GDMM, and have two years supervisory-level work experience, you could sign up for IIMM‚s three-year distance education programme leading to a postgraduate diploma in materials management (PGDMM). With the same qualification and experience as required for PGDMM, you could enroll for the institute‚s diploma one-year diploma in logistics management. Be prepared for an aptitude test prior to admission. After completing my B.Com (banking and insurance) I would like to find employment in a reputed bank. Please advise.Neena Wadhwa, Mumbai.Lookout for bank advertisements for officer trainees in private banks and as probationary officers in public sector banks, after B.Com. You could also join financial institutions like the Reserve Bank of India, NABARD, SIDBI, etc, through a competitive selection process involving a written test and interview. After completing B.Com, you could also pursue an MBA at a premier business school and qualify for entry into private and foreign banks, through campus recruitment. Specialised programmes in banking and finance are offered by the National Institute of Bank Management, Pune (www. nibmindia.org) and the Institute for Financial Management & Research, (www.ifmr.com).