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Time to earn or learn?

A majority of
students want some

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work experience before pursuing

higher studies
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large chunk of students' lives is spent looking ahead, contemplating their next move. Do you work immediately after graduation or would a postgraduate qualification improve your chances of landing a better job? This dilemma has now become a very common phenomenon and is the subject of many squabbles between students and their parents. The. latter are unequivocally and firmly in favour of their child adding more educational qualifications to their portfolio. More specifically, parents want them to go abroad for their Master's. But what do the students really want? The Hindu EducationPlus spoke to a cross-section of students to find out whether they'd prefer to work after their graduation 6r study further and work later. Shruthi Joshua (second year Integrated Communication Studies (B.A.), Mount Carmel College): Yes;-I'm going to work for a couple of years after graduation. I plan to do my MA abroad because studying in a global classroom will give me an international exposure that will be highly gratifying. But most good courses abroad require some work experience, so I will have to work first. Also I'm studying Communications, a subject that is so vast that I'm having some difficulty in choosing what exactly to specialise in.

WHERE IS SHE HEADED?: As graduation day nears, it is time to think of the path ahead By working first, I'm hoping hopefully get a scholarship. nipal's Primary Health Cento explore various fields and Ideally I wouldn't want my tres after completing MEBS. find that one.subject I can be parents to pay for it, but I After those five long years of don't want to lose the mo- study, you become a doctor passionate about. mentum I've got going now only in name. Even the comAnandita Bose (second either. I did an internship in pulsory internship will not year B.B- Telecommunication, R.V. College of Engi- Robotics after my first year give you much experience in neering): No, I don't want to and the experience was great, applying all your knowledge stop with a B.B. degree. I but work has to wait for a few practically. By working for a year, you gain confidence and want to conduct research in years after graduation. Niranjana S_ (second learn how really to be a docthe field of Robotics. Since tor. I will be studying for the year MBBS, Kasturba the mentors for MS in India are not as good, I'm going to Medica! College, Manga- MD entrances as I work It do it in the U.S. I will write lore): I will most probably will be tough but with the GRE in my fourth year and work for a year at one of Ma- right kind of management, I him and earn a sizable think I can do it Nandan Bhat (third year monthly stipend. So I think B.E. Biotechnology, PES' that a degree will be suffiInstitute of Technology): I cient qualification for me to will join my father's business enjoy a successful and satisin nutritional wellness after I fying career. Priya S. (second year Infinish my degree. I have clearly laid .out plans regard- tegrated M.Sc; Mathemating my. future and further ics, lIT. Roorkee): In the education does not play any field of Mathematics, an role in it. The job requires a M.Sc. is not or"much value; lot of hands-on experience you have to study further for and an MS from abroad will the knowledge to become not help. I have already start- useful. There are not many ed working part-time with jobs available for such a qualification. So I will do a Ph.D. either abroad or in lISc. and then work as a lecturer or a researcher. I will work as I study further so that I can pay for my education and not give my parents too much trouble. I would actually like to study for the rest of my life, student life is a lot of fun, but one has to be practical, I suppose. Dhanush Hanga! (second year Integrated M.Sc. Physics, lIT Roorkee): No.

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I've wanted to studyCosmology since the eighth grade and so I want to pursue either an MS or a Ph.D. in it abroad. With an M.Sc in Physics, the only career option is to teach and that is not my area of interest, To become a physicist, I have to study further. My current course is fiveyears long and it will be a long time before I complete my education, but that is not a problem because the more I study Physics, the more passionate I get about it.