How to Make the Right Choice of Institute

What to study, where to study and how to study is always a challenging question.
Education industry is growing by leaps and bounds bringing multitudes of options to us.
This is a boon to the students of today as it offers a choice and option for the best. However the competition among the Educational institutes means huge amount of marketing activity. The target of this marketing activity is us, the students and parents of these students.

Unfortunately the scope of the marketing stretches to glamorizing the individual products that are sold. These products are the courses that are offered by these institutes. Since the options for the students are vast, the individual institutes have to go out of their way to impress about what they have to offer. In the process, lots of facts are covered up by layers of glamour. For example- Many institutes resort to highlighting their air-conditioned study halls and provision of laptops to their students. Factors like these hold tremendous attraction for students at that tender age.

In my counseling centre parents approach me with a stubborn child who insists on joining a particular institute for reasons of glamour. Often when I ask these students about what is so good about this institute, they are not able to quote anything more than the glamorous ads they had read. To my surprise when I talk about the courses offered, these students are naively ignorant and yet not interested in the details of the course curriculum.

To my dismay many institutes that boast of state of the art infrastructure do not believe in investing in human resources and severely lack trained and experienced staff. I would like the leave the institutes to their fate as they are mostly in the fray of the business. However that leaves a tremendous responsibility on the students and the parents to choose an institute that caters to their requirement of learning and developing a satisfactory career for themselves and their children.

How to choose the correct institute:

To shortlist the suitability of the institute for your-self, ask the following questions:

1. Are the combinations of subjects offered right for you?
2. What type of degree is it?
3. Does it improve your chances of following your chosen career?
4. Will it be recognized by employers or educational organizations in the country
where you plan to take employment or higher education?
5. What are the options within the subject? 
6. What are the teaching methods? Will it solve your purpose?
7. What kind of teaching staff does the institute have at the time of your admission?
8. Are the classes conducted regularly with regular assessments?
9. How is the degree program assessed? Who is the assessing /verifying body?
10. Does the institute offer any scholarship?
11. Do they have hostel/ boarding facilities?
12. What is the placement strategy?

To get the current and authentic answers to your questions the following steps can be most helpful:

1. Refer to at least 3-4 authentic sources that compare college and institutes on the basis of various factors. There are many website on the internet. One has to remember that there is always a personal bias and many a times these comparisons are not complete.  

2. Talk to the current students of the concerned institutes- None but the students who are currently studying in the institute can give you the correct information about the quality of faculty and efficacy of education in that institute. Past students may give some details but remember that education is a dynamic phenomenon and faculty and administrators keep changing which may change the key essentials.

3. Study the prospectus of each institute in your list in depth. There are many important points about placement and scholarships etc that are mentioned in fine print and need to be questioned in time.

Most of all try to remove all influence from friends and marketing agencies to work on the selection process with as minimal bias as possible. All said and done you cannot be over careful about this selection process. Howsoever time consuming and tedious this may sound remember that this is going to ensure that the place you take your education is worth your time, money and investment of dreams.

Choosing A Career in Indian Air Force

It is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict.

As an officer in the Indian Air Force, you lead a challenging, adventurous and rewarding life. As you grow in the organisation, you get many opportunities along your way, like a chance for specialized training in India and abroad, option to study further, possibility to get posted in Indian missions abroad, amongst others. You become an integral part of the adventurous and challenging life Air Force offers you.

Commands

The Indian Air Force is divided into five operational and two functional commands. Each Command is headed by an Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief with the rank of Air Marshal.

The commands are:

Operational Commands

1. Central Air Command (CAC), headquartered at Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
2. Eastern Air Command (EAC), headquartered at Shillong, Meghalaya
3. Southern Air Command (SAC), headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
4. South Western Air Command (SWAC), headquartered at Gandhinagar, Gujarat
5. Western Air Command (WAC), headquartered at Subroto Park, New Delhi

Functional Commands

1. Training Command (TC), headquartered at Bangalore, Karnataka
2. Maintenance Command (MC), headquartered at Nagpur, Maharashtra

Career Options in Indian Air Force

Broadly the Air Force has three branches with further sub-streams which give an opportunity to choose a career of one’s own choice:

(a) Flying Branch
      · Fighters
      · Transports
      · Helicopters
(b) Technical Branch
      · Mechanical
      · Electronics
(c) Ground Duty Branch
      · Administration
      · Accounts
      · Logistics
      · Education
      · Meteorology
Entry to Indian Air Force

There are different ways of entry to Air Force:

STEP I
1. For NDA and CDSE:

NDA

Eligibility Criteria

    · Age - 16 ½ to 19 years(at the time of commencement of course)
    · Nationality - Indian
    · Gender - Men only
   · Educational Qualifications - 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics. Appearing final year students can also eligible to apply.

CDSE (COMBINED DEFENCE SERVICES EXAMINATION) (FOR MEN ONLY)

Men can enter through this mode of entry and will get a Permanent Commission.

Eligibility criteria:

    · Age - 19 to 23 years (at the time of commencement of course)
    · Nationality – Indian
    · Marital Status - Single
    · Gender - Men only.

Educational Qualifications
    · Graduate (Three Year Course) in any discipline from a recognised University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) / BE / B Tech (Four Year Course).
   · Final Year/semester students are also eligible to apply, provided they produce Degree certificate issued by the University as per the date stipulated in the advertisement.
    · No Percentage Bar for CDSE entry.

Written tests are conducted by UPSC only. For details visit www.upsc.gov.in

2. Technical Branch: Entry into the Technical Branch is through two schemes, both via AFCAT

UNIVERSITY ENTRY SCHEME(UES)

    · For candidates studying in Pre-Final year of B-tech/BE degree course
    · For men only. Grant of Permanent Commission.
    · Educational Qualifications: The candidate must be currently studying in Pre-final year of BE / BTech degree course with choice of subject as mentioned above. There must be No backlog / arrears of papers of previous semesters at the time of SSB Testing.
     · On completion of degree, minimum 60% of marks in aggregate in all papers put together are mandatory.

AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING COURSE

    · After completion of Engineering degree or while in your final year/semester of Engineering
    · For both Men and Women. Permanent Commission (for men) / Short Service Commission (For men and women)
    · Marks - Must have scored a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate in all the papers put together in any one of the qualifications listed
     · Final year students are eligible to apply provided they do not have any present backlog at the time of SSB testing and they produce provisional/ original degree issued by the University as per the date stipulated in the advertisement.

AFCAT – Air Force Common Admission Test.
For all entries other than NDA and CDSE and for all branches, candidates have to undergo the AFCAT.
The test is conducted twice a year in February and September. The test is conducted all across India by the Indian Air Force

3. NCC entry

Air Sqn NCC Senior division ‘C’ certificate holders are to apply through DG NCC/ respective NCC Air Squadron. They would then appear for AFCAT

4. GROUND DUTY

General Eligibility Criteria for Ground Duty Branches

    · Age - 20 to 23 Years for Graduates and 20 to 25 years for Post Graduates (at the time of commencement of course). Upper age limit relaxed upto 26 years for Law Graduates (3 Years Course), upto 27 years for CA / ICWA / M Ed / Ph D.
   · Marital Status - Candidates below the age of 25 years must be Unmarried.
   · Nationality - Indian
   · Gender - Both men and women.

As a Graduate/ Post Graduate you can join as an officer in any of the following Ground Duty Branches

ADMINISTRATION BRANCH

Permanent Commission (for Men) / Short Service Commission (for Men & Women)
Responsible for the efficient management of both human and material resources. Some of the officers of the Administration Branch are selected and trained to carry out the following duties also:
    · Air Traffic Controller – Involves maintaining an orderly flow of traffic and airspace management.
    · Fighter Controller – Involves close contact and supervision between the air and radar for effective airspace management.

Educational Qualifications

Graduation degree in any discipline with a minimum 60% marks in aggregate in all papers put together
OR
Post Graduation degree / equivalent diploma in any discipline with a minimum 50% marks in aggregate in all papers put together.

ACCOUNTS BRANCH

    · Permanent Commission (for Men) / Short Service Commission (for Men & Women)
   · Responsible for efficient financial management of funds. You will also act as internal auditor to ensure a zero-defect audit from outside agencies.

Educational Qualifications

Graduate Degree in Commerce (B Com) with a minimum 60% marks in aggregate in all papers put together
OR
Post Graduate Degree in Commerce (M Com) / CA / ICWA with a minimum 50% marks in aggregate in all papers put together.

LOGISTICS BRANCH

     · Permanent Commission (for Men) / Short Service Commission (for Men & Women)
    · Responsible for materials management of all Air Force resources. You would ensure efficient supervision of inventories, and involve in procurement processes of various ranges of equipment.

Educational Qualifications

Graduation degree in any discipline with a minimum 60% marks in aggregate in all papers put together
OR
Post Graduation Degree/ equivalent diploma in any discipline with a minimum 50% marks in aggregate in all papers put together.

As a Postgraduate you can join in the following Ground Duty Branches.

EDUCATION BRANCH

Educational Qualifications - Post Graduate Degree in any discipline with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate in all papers put together.

METEOROLOGY BRANCH

As a Meteorology Branch Officer you would be involved handling the latest satellite imagery and state- of-the-art monitoring equipment, you would render specific advice to the operators on all aspects of weather.

Educational Qualifications

Post Graduate Degree in any Science Stream / Mathematics / Statistics / Geography / Computer
Applications / Environmental Science / Applied Physics / Oceanography / Agricultural Meteorology / Ecology & Environment / Geo- physics / Environmental Biology. All candidates should have scored a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate in all papers of Post Graduation put together and should have studied Maths and Physics in Graduation with minimum of 55% marks in both subjects.

STEP 2 - SSB (Services Selection Board) TESTING

For those who have successfully cleared Step 1, you will receive a Call letter to report to any one of the Air Force Selection Boards located at Dehradun, Varanasi, Gandhinagar and Mysore.

At the Air Force Selection Board (AFSB), you undergo following tests in order to ascertain your suitability and gauge your potential as an Officer in the Indian Air Force.

    · Officer Intelligence rating Test
    · Picture perception and Discussion Test
    · Psychological Tests are written tests that are conducted by a Psychologist.
  · Group Tests are interactive indoor and outdoor activities that are a combination of mental and physical work.
    · Interview involves a personal conversation with an Interviewing Officer.

Career Advancement

Once recruited the candidates grow through the following stages with excellent perks and an adventurous, fulfilling, disciplined lifestyle.

Commissioned Officers

    · Flying Officer
    · Flight Lieutenant
    · Squadron Leader
    · Wing Commander
    · Group Captain
    · Air Commodore
    · Air Vice Marshal
    · Air Marshal
    · Air Chief Marshal
    · Marshal of the Air Force- honorary rank
    · Junior Commissioned Officers
    · Junior Warrant Officer
    · Master Warrant Officer
    · Warrant Officer

Non-Commissioned Officers

    · Airman
    · Leading
    · Aircraftman
    · Corporal
    · Sergeant

WHICH CAREER IS BEST FOR ME?

Career Guidance by Counselor Dr. Sapna Sharma. Image Source -  http://www.seaindia.in/blog/india/job-oriented-sound-enginering-course-in-india/

In India the choices of careers begin with Engineering, Medicine, Chartered Accountancy & Law. For many, it ends with one of these four. Undoubtedly these are good career options but the problem starts when we believe that these are the only ones. Of course parents wish for a progressive and ‘safe’ career for their children. Unfortunately these definitions of what is progressive and safe is based on a few successful examples in the society. Young students are influenced by the glamour around the career mostly based on the JEE Coaching classes hoardings and the tag of being called an Engineer.

No doubt that the above-mentioned careers are good, but so are any other carefully planned and executed careers. But there is a difference between a career that is ‘good’ and a career that is ‘good for that particular person’. This is simply based on the observation that not all engineers are successful, not all doctors well known, not all Chartered Accountants mint money, but some do. Then again, there are highly successful, famous Journalists, Chefs, Artists, Designers, Entrepreneurs, Trainers, Therapists and so on.

If we really are looking for a career that will give us what we want in life then we would look for a career that matches our personality and aptitude rather than blindly follow the masses that say only certain careers are good.

Students can start with observing themselves and parents can look into what their children really are without any bias or prejudice. If you are considering a career in Engineering then do analyze whether tinkering with mechanical things, household repairs, going into the technical aspect of computers or scooters and cars at home come naturally to the student? A person who is very good at drawing and is basically creative by nature would rarely make a good Engineer even if they manage to secure admission in an Engineering college. Most of these students are unhappy and not able to cope with the studies. Even after they pass out they are basically degree holders and not Engineers and hence have problems growing in the career.

If the students or the parents are not able to understand the basic personality and trait of the child, taking an aptitude test with an experienced counselor would help you understand the student and take the right career decision.

We do much research in selecting our clothes and deciding where to eat then how can we simply decide to take up a career just because everyone else says is good?