We benefit most from what we ‘know’ and ‘learn’. It is not just education that can make our lives richer, but applying skills that can enhance the chances of getting a coveted job
Talk to any student and he will tell you what he is pursuing and why. While in many cases being a doctor or engineer was either a hereditary ambition or one that was born of the need to change the economical set up of a family. We all get that.
So, what are our kids or professionals up to these days? What are the courses that draw them? What are the promises and what are the outcomes of those dreams and ambitions? We have for you a list of popular courses taking India by storm.
Most popular career choices that are in trend now are:
Digital Marketing: The digital marketing engineer executes or advises on the execution of, the company's digital strategy. He or she may be either part of the senior marketing management team or operating as a consultant. The digital marketing engineer is responsible for the final architecture, implementation, and management of the digital marketing plan, including advising on using digital technology to improve marketing and business results. As a digital marketing Engineer, he or she has to have a deep knowledge of marketing, social media and the deep knowledge of internet technology and its use.
Skill/Vocational Graduation degrees:A plain graduation degree offers student nothing more than just theoretical knowledge upon chosen subject where major stumbling block becomes lack of practical knowledge of working in an industry and the skill gap. At the end of tenure of vocational degree, it not only offers a valid graduation degree but also offers in depth practical knowledge of working on machines and practical working experience of an industry as the courses are designed in such a way that students spend equal amount of time in theoretical learning and practical learning.
There are so many trades where vocational courses are offered, some of them are namely: Electrical skills, Carpentry Skills, Construction skills, AI and networking Skills, IoT and embedded skills, manufacturing skills, automotive skills, HVAC skills, etc. Obviously courses related to computers are going to need computers big time but the courses such as carpentry or manufacturing are highly dependent upon technology as quality carpentry nowadays is performed on highly precise machines, even manufacturing skills for that matter involves machines that offer high level of precision such as Emco MAT 17D from Austria for conventional precision milling machines for industrial training while performing grinding, milling, turning on metal, CNC programming etc.
Ethical Hacking: Ethical hacking is the gaining of unauthorised access to data in one or more computers, performed by a company or individual to help identify potential threats on a computer or network.An ethical hacker attempts to bypass the security of system and search for any weak points that could be prone to exploitation by malicious hackers. This information is then used by the person or organization that hired the ethical hacker, to improve the system security, in an effort to minimize or eliminate any potential attacks.
Internet security and networking are the two fastest-growing industries where ethical hackers can find employment. Ethical hackers are hired to find any vulnerability that might exist in a network and to fix them. They can join the government as well as private organisations as cyber-security experts.
IT firms are the main recruiters of ethical hackers. They can also be required by financial service providers, airlines, retail chains and hotels.
In addition, government agencies such as various wings of the military and law enforcement, defenseorganisations, forensic laboratories, detective companies and investigative services offer challenging roles for ethical hackers.
Entrepreneurship: There is a common myth about skill courses that it is meant for those who want to join jobs in their chosen skill sets whereas they ignore the bigger picture of enterprise development which academia, universities and government is trying to address by introducing courses like B.Voc. inEntrepreneurship.A good number of National Institutions like National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBD), Bhartiya Skill Development University, Jaipur (BSDU), National Institute for Micro Small Medium Enterprises (ni-msme), Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) and institutes of national repute like Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) and many private institutes namely Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED), Institute of Entrepreneurship development (IED) have been conducting short duration and long duration Entrepreneurship Development Programs (EDP).
IoT and AI Skills: IoTand AI skills will enable students to gain expertise in smart connected devices, including end-device development, Cloud Computing, Network Design & Management, Application Interface Design and Data Management & Analytics on one hand and a comprehensive coverage of essential embedded technologies, current tools and trends on the other.It is structured to provide students with a broad, versatile skillset, coupled with hands-on industry exposure. Students having skills in networking are being placed in all industries, big or small, including the Automobile industry, Electrical industry, banking industry, Software companies and everywhere where computer networks are being deployed. In addition to excellent job opportunities in companies like IBM, Cisco, HCL, Wipro, Forsk etc. The B.Voc/M.Voc degree holder will also be eligible for Govt. jobs such as IAS, IPS, Defense Officers and other Central and State Services.
Informatics, Phonetics &Robotics: We are surrounded by smart devices that need better platforms and network architectures to support usage of these devices to our advantage. The top five IT firms contribute over 25% of the total industry revenue indicating that the market is fairly competitive. Considering this aspect, the scope of IT (Networking) Skills is quite wide. The B.Voc program in the discipline of IT (Networking) has been designed to introduce students to the operations of today’s complex networking infrastructure by giving them a comprehensive understanding, basic to advanced, of various networking setups, troubleshooting, repair of specific hardware and software products and of course setting secure networking connections facilitating ease of network usage. The Skill Component essentially covers the skills needed in a given area and is almost entirely hands on work on the state of the art machines and equipment sourced from the best brands worldwide.”
Communication management: A Master of Communication Management program focuses on effective communication strategies used by professionals in public relations, advocacy and negotiation. Students learn ways to better utilize new and existing communication technology, such as websites, e-mail and social media.
Communication Jobs:
Chief Marketing Officer.
Marketing Director.
Social Media Communication Manager.
Advertising Manager.
Communications Planner.
Media Planner.
Public Relations Specialist.
Technical Writer.
Education nowadays is no longer limited to streams like science, commerce and humanities but a lot more. People are focused towards what they want to become and its path. Despite the many options that professionals and youth of today have, there still lies a skill gap that only time and awareness can help fill.
By Dr (Brig.) Surjit Singh Pabla, President, Bhartiya Skill Development University, Jaipur
