 | Shiv Agrawal Chief executive officer, ABC Consultants |
Q: I am 27 years old and working as a dealer of capital market in the branch office of a sharebroking company.I am an MCom in accountancy and have an NCFM (capital and derivatives marketing) diploma. I am appearing for the chartered accountancy (CA) exam.I want to be a research analyst of shares. How do I go about it? Should I do a chartered financial analyst (CFA) course?
Jayanta Saha
A: Chartered financial accountancy course is definitely a good option but to become an analyst, you have to be prepared to sacrifice a bit of your existing career and start afresh.
Q: I have 17 years of experience in marketing and sales in the pharmaceutical industry. I have also launched two small Calcutta-based pharmaceutical companies with a presence in Eastern India and am presently working with the second company as their regional sales executive. I am a BSc graduate from CU. I understand that I probably messed up my career by not switching over to bigger companies. Now I am looking for a better opportunity in an all-India-based company but am not getting any interview calls. What do I do?
Name withheld
A: If you have an entrepreneurial bent of mind, why not gather some like-minded individuals and opt for your own venture. To capitalise on your skills, it could be in the area of pharmaceuticals or medical distribution. This will put you in touch with larger companies and you may end up being more successful than an employee of a multinational pharmaceutical company.
Q : I am a 28-year-old BCom graduate. I am also acquainted with computer software and hardware (mainly office packages). I am working with an MNC in Durgapur on a construction project. Is there any course I can do alongside for better prospects?
Manas Kumar Paul
A : You need to sit down with a career counsellor and determine the best option to pursue. There are several avenues open to someone with your qualifications and it is difficult for me to comment on any one without knowing your preference in terms of a career option.
Q: I am 24 years old and have completed an MBA in marketing. For the last one year, I have been working for an MNC with a good pay package. Will doing a PhD from a reputed institute abroad help in career advancement?
Arijit Roychoudhury
A : You have not specified in what domain you want to pursue a doctorate. Talk to your supervisors and others in the industry and figure out if that is what you want to do for the next five to seven years. A PhD is a major commitment.
Q: I have more than 19 years’ experience in consumer durable marketing and have mainly looked after dealer-based sale. For the past seven years, I am looking after the export business of the company. Will it be better if I did a diploma in export management by correspondence?
S.K. Ghosh
A : Keeping oneself updated in one’s area of work is always a good thing to do. Please go ahead.
Q: I am a mechanical engineer with over 20 years’ experience in design, production and marketing with top auto ancillary, precision engineering and machine building industries in India.Since there aren’t too many rewarding jobs in the engineering industry these days, will it be wise to opt for a SAP-ERP training in order to switch over to the IT sector? Is there a demand for people like me in the IT industry?
B.K. Chatterjee
A: Engineering design and outsourcing is the next big frontier for Indian companies as globally it is a $225 billion business.Many of India’s large auto companies already have a technology team or a subsidiary that does this kind of work. You can always try and seek a job with them.Alternatively, additional training in the areas of computer-aided design tools (CAD) and supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA), etc, can lead to interesting career options.
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