Just out of college and have no job that you’d want? You may choose some other options:-
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Life after college is not very easy. Suddenly, you are no longer watching movies or going out with friends and eating out — all that you did in between classes. The party comes to an end at the stroke of three years and you are suddenly faced with some harsh realities.

So what do you want to do now? These are dismal times — for the global meltdown has led to austerity measures across sectors. Your future looks bleak, for there are thousands of graduates eyeing the same slot in one of the tightest job markets in recent years.

But don’t fret. This is the time, experts maintain, when you should go in for higher studies. Let the bad times pass — meanwhile, get yourself another degree, thus enhancing your qualifications. “Taking up any job that comes your way during these hard times might be a bit foolhardy,” says Hakeem Mohammad, education consultant at the Bangalore-based Rayalaseema Education Consultancy. “It’s better to invest in postgraduation as it will help you bag a good job once the market is stable.”

The additional knowledge that postgraduates have can translate into higher salaries or more rapid career progression. Ask Pritha Ghosh, an MA in comparative literature from Jadavpur University, Calcutta. “As I entered the professional world, I realised the importance of a masters degree. I feel my CV is always considered for an interview because of the additional degree,” says Ghosh, a copywriter at a Delhi-based advertisement agency.

Asmita Chitnis, an associate professor at the Symbiosis Institute of International Business, Pune, says an advanced degree always helps a student. “Often, when students finish their graduation, they try to get a job as soon as possible, primarily for financial independence. But a few years down the line, what matters most is the educational qualification combined with the work experience. At this juncture, if you do not possess the required qualification, your competitor with better qualifications will have an advantage over you.”

Most companies have put hiring on hold and you might not get the job that you have your eye on. But Varsha Andrew Rebello, career counsellor at the Mumbai-based Career Launcher, feels that there is a silver lining to the dark cloud of recession. “If a person knows what job role he wants, he can further develop related skills that will prove beneficial once the going gets back to normal.”

You can’t go wrong with an MBA degree. If you do not want to invest two years in a full-time postgraduate programme in management, there are several institutes such as the Chennai-based Loyola Institute of Business Administration (Liba) that offer one-year, part-time executive programmes. Liba has courses in financial management, human resources management, marketing management and international business.

You can also opt for distance learning programmes offered by various institutes. For instance the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (Icfai) offers one-year distance postgraduate diploma programmes in management in accounting, finance, law, general management, marketing management, HR management, operation management, banking and insurance.

If the media is what you have set your heart on, you can use this one year to gain a degree that will help you bag a job when the going gets back to normal. There are many institutes that offer one-year courses in journalism, mass communication and media studies. You can go for the PG diploma course in mass communication from Calcutta University.

Graduates from any discipline are eligible to apply after appearing for an admission test, a group discussion and a personal interview. The course fee is approximately Rs 12,000. Says Tapati Basu, head, department of mass communication, “We introduced the course about 15 years ago but had to close it down owing to administrative problems. We revived it sometime ago and now we have 60 students in the current batch. The number is expected to go up this year.”

You can also opt for the one-year postgraduate diploma programme in journalism from the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai. College or university graduates in any discipline and students awaiting their degree examination results are eligible to apply for admission to ACJ. The academic year ends with a two-week internship at a print, broadcast or online news organisation. The faculty assists in arranging these internships, which give students first-hand experience.

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The Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) is another option. Anand Pradhan, associate professor, feature communication, IIMC, points out that the institute offers one-year postgraduate diploma courses in journalism in English, Hindi and Oriya. It also has one-year programmes in broadcast journalism, advertising and public relations.

If you want to pursue a higher degree and at the same time gain work experience, you can follow the example of Simrana Fatima who after graduation is doing her masters from the Indira Gandhi National Open University (Ignou) while teaching part-time at the Saifee Hall School, Calcutta.

Make hay while you wait
Despite talk of the information technology industry going into a slump, the fact remains that computers are an integral part of our life and computer dependency shows no signs of decline. This period of economic slump might just be the ideal time to upgrade one’s computer knowledge. NIIT, with numerous centres across the country, offers a one-year diploma in computers. The fees are approximately Rs 35,000. “We saw an increase of 22 per cent in student enrolment during our second quarter ending September 2008 and this upward swing continues till date,” says Prateek Chatterjee, spokesperson, NIIT.

Aptech, another computer education institute, offers a one-year Aptech Certified Computer professional course where candidates learn to build dynamic websites, programming logic, data management, fundamentals of accounting, advanced Java, XML and other nitty-gritty of software programming. After a year at the institute students can look forward to an exit profile of a website designer, database programmer, desktop application developer or MIS (management information systems) professional.

Most of what goes on as business in an organisation is, in fact, communication. Communication and soft skills are essential ingredients in one’s path to success. And while you are waiting for the gloom of recession to disappear, you can work on both. The service industry especially thrives on this power of communication. You can join an educational institute that will help you improve your communication skills, or perhaps learn a new language.

“Keeping the recession factor in mind, we have launched a new course in corporate English called Business English A2Z, and though the course was launched this month, the response has been pretty good,” says Sirsha Bose, senior executive, counselling and co-ordination, Calcutta-based George ITeS, an educational trust body.

Of course, it goes without saying that even now, there are job opportunities for graduates. The retail industry is a place which embraces fresh graduates. With malls, departmental stores, music stores and food marts mushrooming all over the country, you can start working as a retail professional. But with just a bachelors degree in your kitty and the global economic recession, you might have to slog it at the bottom rung.

But hard work and determination pay off. Shirsendu Biswas, a graduate in English from Asutosh College, Calcutta, did not opt for a higher degree but chose to work as a sales executive in MusicWorld, C3 and various other places. “I don’t think not going for higher studies has affected my career till now though I would like to go for an MBA sometime in the future,” says Biswas, at present a departmental manager at Home Town, the home solutions division of the Future Group.

So even if the going is tough, there is light at the end of the tunnel. There are a number of things you can do while people all over the world keep their fingers crossed, hoping for a swift end to the bad times. Life after college can get difficult, but you do have options to choose from and build up your cherished career.

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

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