Look ahead, the future is yours

Updated on: Monday, May 25, 2009

Ever heard of a shy and reticent young boy who kept to himself and barely spoke through his childhood, but later went on to win two Nobel Prizes in Physics, not to mention create a social revolution with his invention? John Bardeen, who co-invented the transistor in 1947, developed into a giant of science by “inventing a product that is at the crux of your computer and IT revolution and modern life,” said C.N.R. Rao, scientist and Linus Pauling Research Professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research. He was delivering the keynote address at “Looking Ahead,” the annual career guidance programme conducted by The Hindu EducationPlus on Saturday.

“Such are the possibilities of taking up a career in pure sciences. If you do the right things, you can do work that will make the world stand up and take note of you,” said Prof. Rao, exhorting young students to take up basic sciences. As sweepingly dismissive as he is about the business-oriented careers, Prof. Raosays that investment in scientific education and research has almost tripled. “So, there is no shortage of money, the shortage is going to be of talent, because the value system here has changed.” He presents facts before his young audience that are both dismal and alarming: less than one per cent of the global scientific research, which is a true indicator of overall development, comes from India.
Exciting career

An old Bangalorean, the professor expresses anxiety over the fact that very few of the students who do opt for pure sciences and research are from Karnataka. “What is preventing bright young minds from taking up such an exciting career? Please use your ability, and disagree with those who dissuade you and tell you it is not profitable.” Remembering naturalist Charles Darwin, whose 200th birth anniversary year is being celebrated, and scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose, who in Prof. Rao’s words was cheated out of his right to go down in history as being the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize, he tried to make out a strong case for pure sciences.

While Prof. Rao spoke with passion and eloquence about a career in pure sciences, brand expert Harish Bijoor put forth a case for a marketing career, which was “recession-proof.” He entertained students with anecdotes and examples from daily life. “Every Indian is touched by 47 brands in a day, while in the U.S. you are touched by 157. So, marketing is a horizontal — it is found in every vertical of business across sectors.” The prognosis is that, Mr. Bijoor claimed, 4.2 million jobs will be available in the marketing sector over the next five years.

This inspiring lecture was followed by an interactive session with S.G. Hegde, Executive Director of the Karnataka Examinations Authority, and S. Kumar, COMED-K Executive Secretary. Students, not to mention their anxious parents, flooded officials with their queries ranging from admission process to quality control in private colleges.

Mr. Hegde explained various modalities about the casual vacancy round, and also briefed the audience on the newly-introduced concept of parallel counselling in three cities. Mr. Kumar spoke about professional education in general, and about various career options and their scope in medicine-related professions.

The hindu

Look ahead, the future is yours

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