On top with Civil Services

• Q: I am an engineering graduate. I have always dreamt of joining the Civil Services but all my friends are dissuading me. They say that it is no longer a hot field and since I am academically bright, I should look at other fields like IT or management. I am very confused. Please advise.

Leena Das

• A: Regardless of what your well-meaning friends may say, and despite complaints of falling standards and relatively low salaries, the Indian Administrative Services continue to be the preferred option for the majority of Indian youth. They provide visible as well as invisible perks, social status and benefits with 100 per cent job security, something that is lacking in the private sector, according to a study conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

Eighty per cent of 300 young corporate executives who responded to the survey agreed, “IAS, IFS, IPS go on drawing the best available talent, contrary to surfacing impressions that the flight of talent has shifted towards the private sector with fast advancing liberalisation.”

Over 70 per cent agreed that the private sector does offer handsome packages to bright young executives but minus job security whereas civil servants do not encounter any uncertainty.

Fifty-five per cent of the respondents blamed the oft-reported interventions of politicians in the day-to-day working of bureaucrats for discouraging bright people from joining the services.

If the Civil Services is where your heart is set, go for it by all means. And give it your best shot.

Our country needs bright and motivated civil servants as much as it needs IT engineers and managers.

For more information, write to the Union Public Service Commission, Dholpur House, New Delhi-110069.

Painting for a living

• Q: I am a schoolteacher in Shillong. I pursue painting as a hobby. I would like to take it up as a profession. Where should I begin?

Namita Gohain

• A: If you want to turn your hobby into a profession, go where the market is. In India, the major markets for art are Mumbai and Delhi (Calcutta and Chennai are catching up). The art galleries in these cities are more proactive. That is why, in India, consultants to international auctioneers are mostly located in these two cities. That is partly the reason why young Indian contemporary artists from other places find poor representation in auctions, especially those staged abroad.

You can also try posting your work on online art galleries like saffronart. com and indiaart.com. Art investors and collectors are currently looking for superior quality work at realistic prices.

Work to get into your dream business school

• Q: I am in the final year of BCom. Is work experience really necessary for doing an MBA? How much and of what kind?

Neera Bajoria

• A: While work experience is not mandatory before you go for an MBA at many business schools in India, it is increasingly turning into an advantage during the selection process. Although a good academic record was considered enough to secure admission to a reputed institute until a few years ago, today, one finds an increasing number of institutes jumping onto the work experience bandwagon.

Prospective students with a solid work record are preferred over fresh graduates by many institutes. People with work experience tend to have more practical knowledge, and thus, absorb new information more quickly than their academic counterparts.

For instance, those without experience have often been found to be less receptive to management and people-related subjects such as organisational behaviour than their experienced counterparts.

Also, companies prefer people with work experience in their functional areas because they have a lot more to offer and build a better talent pool in the organisation.

But too much experience can also go against you — particularly if it’s in an industry other than that of the recruiting company. At times, some companies prefer freshers for their energy, enthusiasm and trainability.

Putting in a stint at work will help you to face the interview panel with a convincing answer to the question, “Why an MBA?” While participating in case studies, you can relate better to managerial and professional problems if you have come across similar situations in real life.

Work experience also bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical experience. It gives you clarity of goals and a sharper overview and perspective of what’s happening in the marketplace. All said, it will help you extract greater value from your course.

Take the CAT by all means this year, but don’t compromise on the business school you join. If you think you can do much better next time, treat it as a trial run and give it another shot next year.