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There was a time when engineering was THE most sought after career choice and a success in the entrance examination to gain admission for pursuing a career in engineering was itself a sure shot case for success in professional life. While in recent times, opening of economy and availability of other career choices has led to some erosion in the value and importance of this important branch of study, it has also opened new opportunities for graduates in the field especially in new economy jobs and sectors.

Branches of Engineering
Engineering is a vast field that offers a number of streams and specialization options. The three traditional branches of engineering are civil, mechanical and electrical. Apart form these, there are various other branches such as computer engineering, aeronautical engineering, chemical engineering, automobile engineering, industrial engineering, environmental engineering, marine engineering, textile engineering, ceramic engineering, electronics engineering etc.

Educational qualifications
B.E. (Bachelor of Engineering) or B.Tech (Bachelor of technology) is the course which one has to pursue to carve out a career in engineering. The minimum educational qualifications to pursue the course is 10 + 2 Science with high percentage of marks in Science subjects such as Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. The Joint Entrance Examination conducted to gain admission to Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) is one of the toughest and most sought after examination. Every year several lakhs of students appear in the test and only a few thousand manage to scrape through.

Job Prospects
Job prospects for engineering graduates has always been good. With liberalization of the economy and opening of new companies and sectors, an engineering graduate can start his career on good footing immediately after graduation. Campus interviews are also common in good institutes and companies vie with each other to capture the best talent. Opportunities exist in sectors such as electrical equipments companies, automobiles companies, manufacturing sectors and process industries, computer and information technology companies, shipping industry, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, research institutes and academics. In short all sectors of the economy require engineers to drive the growth and take companies forward. In Government sector, engineering graduates can opt for a career in civil services, forest services, railways, telecom, and other arms of central as well as state governments.

Higher Education
A lot of engineering graduates opt to pursue a career in management or go for advanced Ph.D to further specialize in respective careers. While a management degree allows candidates to take responsibilities of higher management cadre and see things from that perspective, Ph.D allows candidates to pursue career in cutting edge research initiatives and academics.

Compensation
There is strong difference between starting salary drawn by engineering graduates passing out from different colleges. While a typical IITian has at least 3 to 4 good offers and can demand and get excellent pay and perks, candidates passing out of private colleges and second and third rung institutes have to make efforts to get their first job. The starting salary drawn by engineering graduates range from Rs. 40000/- to Rs. 8000/- per month depending upon the institute from where they have passed out.

The Indian Administrative Services (IAS), which was previously known as the elite Indian Civil Services still attract one of the best talents competing with each other every year. These services constitute the top echelons of the entire machinery of the government and together with Judiciary and Legislature constitute the third pillar of the democracy. Today the sheen of these services has reduced to some extent due to availability of various other career options such as MBA and so on. Still there are candidates who dream to have these three little letters after their names- IAS or IPS.

Constitutions of Indian Civil Services

There are around 27 services for which a common examination is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) every year. Out of these services, IAS, Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Revenue Services (IRS) are the top of candidates choice and hence the competition is stiff. Apart from that, you can join other group A services such as Indian Railways Accounts Services, Indian Railways Traffic Service, Customs and Central Excise Services, Indian Defense Accounts Services, Indian Audit and Accounts Services among others. Certain group B services such as Central Secretariat Services etc. are also a part of the same examination and candidates who are lower on the merit lists generally join these services.

Educational Qualifications

Though the minimum educational qualification for taking the UPSC test is a bachelor degree, it is found that a post graduate degree is generally useful for writing the examination. Engineering graduates and medical graduates are also eligible to take the test and constitute a good portion of candidates selected to these jobs.

Entrance to the services

Entrance to services is through passing a three stage test conducted by UPSC. The first stage is the preliminary stage where you have to choose one optional subject such as history, commerce, geology etc. A general studies paper is common for all candidates. The test is objective and those who qualify have to appear in Mains examination, where you have to choose two optional subjects (two papers of 300 marks each subject), two papers in General Studies of 300 marks each and an Essay paper of 200 marks. Those who qualify in Mains have to appear in the personal interview, which carries a maximum mark of 300. Thus your overall merit is determined based on your performance in a total of 2300 marks and determines which service you are entitled to join.

Work Profile

These services provide bureaucrats for top posts. Generally an IAS joins as Additional District Magistrate of a district and rises to become a DM within 8 years. Thereafter he may become a Commissioner and can also join the Union Government as Director. They can rise to become Joint Secretary, Additional Secretary and Secretary to the Government of India or State Government and rise further such as Governors of a state, Chief Election Commissioner etc. Similar is the career graph in police services and revenue services, where one joins as Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax and can rise to become Deputy Commissioner, Joint Commissioner, Additional, Commissioner and Chief Commissioner. He can rise further to become member of Central Board of Tax or its Chairman.

Remuneration

While salaries in Governments are not that high compared to private sectors, these services contain an aura of prestige, power and authority which attract the best talent to compete. The starting salary for a bureaucrat may be Rs. 20000/- per month. But the very sight of a lavish and magnificent DM bungalow or an SSP bungalow at a district head quarters in itself is a motivational factor for many a candidate to put in long hours preparing for the toughest examination of the country where lakhs appear but only a few hundred finally make it.
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The increase in disposable income of middle and upper middle classes and growing tendency to spare no expenses to make one’s house a home is coming as a boon to the new and exciting career of interior designing and decoration. This is perhaps one career choice where women far outnumber their male counterparts. The career offers tremendous opportunities to give direction to one’s creative instincts based on clients’ requirements and sky is the limit for those who establish themselves in the field. The career is not limited to designing the interiors of homes only now a days as offices and business houses are also devoting considerable time and resources to make a difference to their office environment.

Education Qualification

The minimum educational qualification to enter the profession is by completing a diploma course in interior design and decoration conducted by various government polytechnics and institutions. The duration of the course is generally 3 years and minimum qualification to enter the course is a pass in matric or equivalent exam.

Entrance Test

Admission is generally granted on the basis of Joint Entrance Test (JET) as conducted by State Board of Technical Education & Industrial Training of various states. Generally these boards bring out advertisements in various state publications as well as Employment News, which may be referred to for gathering further details in terms of qualifications, duration of the course, fee structure, time limit for making an application to the course etc.

Areas of Training

Training imparted in the course is on topics such as basic knowledge of building materials, construction techniques, furnishing and fittings, interior designing and model making, interior services, workshop and fabrication practice, art and basic design & graphic presentation, computer application, computer aided drafting and design, estimation of projects, entrepreneurship development, business management, design and display systems, educational visits to exhibitions, related fairs and shows, museums, emporiums, tourism & hotels etc.

Employment Opportunities

Interior Designers are required in hotels, tourism departments, museums and exhibitions emporiums & with builders & contractors. They can also work as display artists in commercial establishments. They are also much in demand as professionals for organizing large scale exhibitions and fairs. Furniture Designing is another area where they can work. With experience one can also establish his own practice in the field or first join an established firm and then decide to branch out on one’s own.

Compensation Package

The starting salaries for a fresh diploma holder would be in the range of 8000/- to 10000/- per month which can rise very rapidly based on experience, skills and ability to cater to clients requirements in a time bound manner. Well established interior designers make huge money but you will need to make huge efforts to reach that level. A keen eye and ability to visualize are the key requirements for success in the field.