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Education
One degree to success
THE ENTRANCE exams to the professional courses are almost all over, and young people who have passed their Intermediate or twelfth class are now anxiously awaiting that magic number which will indicate whether or not they will enter the course of their choice. Some will make it, many will get by with a second or third choice, and many more will have to look for something else to do. A large number would not have seriously considered any other course of action— or study — and therefore find themselves at a complete loss. A well-planned degree course can in fact open a lot of pathways to an exciting career, often also giving you the time to explore educational avenues in a more relaxed fashion that would be possible in the highly structured and streamlined environment of a professional course. These days Universities offer many different types of combinations, with subjects and specialisations that were unheard of maybe 10 or 15 years ago. Too many students treat a general purpose degree as a second rate choice, something to do only if all else fails. While the commerce degree is considered an essential stepping stone to careers in management, finance and accounting, other degrees receive a less than favourable consideration.
A basic degree is a must if you are interested in aiming for a post-graduate professional degree like MBA, mass communication, social work, library science, education, and a host of others. Even emerging fields like biotechnology and genomics can be entered with a basic degree in science followed by advanced studies in either the technology or the science, depending on whether one is interested in laboratory work or computer-based analysis. Many such professionally oriented courses are available only to people who have a good basic degree — in this sense, the BA or BSc is seen as a space for all-round academic development, where you can develop your intellectual capabilities a little further, and acquire all the trimmings that are needed in the job market.
In addition, of course, it is a place where you can further explore your interests in a given subject area and decide whether you want to go on to specialise in it at the post-graduate level, perhaps going into research and teaching. Among other attractive options for those pursuing general degrees are the civil services. Even if you are not particularly interested in any subject, and have no burning desire to follow a certain kind of career, time spent doing a basic degree course (for those who can afford three more years of education) will not be time wasted. College life offers many opportunities for self-improvement and learning even beyond the classroom. Often students in degree college have more time and energy for extra curricular pursuits than those in professional colleges.
If you have an interest in a broad academic area, and are not quite sure about how to take that interest further, a broad based degree at a good institution is your best bet. Select an institution that has a good combination of a strong academic programme, a good relationship with other institutions in the town or city where you live, and some level of extra-curricular activity. Of course, here too you should insulate yourself against too much disappointment by applying to at least two or three such colleges. Many students take up a foreign language, or a computer course, or even something fun (and perhaps lucrative in the long run) like fashion design or jewelry making on the side. The important thing is that you look at the next three or four years of your life as a time to learn and grow. The exciting thing about a general degree programme is its open-endedness.
At the end of a BA with sociology, history and political science, for instance, you could end up being a social worker, a survey researcher, a teacher, an archaeologist, an archivist, a librarian, a journalist, an international relations specialist...as you can see, the possibilities are many. You do not have to put yourself into a pigeonhole the moment you finish your Plus two; you can continue to explore, think, and give yourself the space to truly discover yourself. That's what education is supposed to be about. So go ahead, get educated!
USHA RAMAN
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