CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN

There are host of new Opportunities at the work-place. Obsolescence and change have a significant effect on both decline of some professions and emergence of others.
We live in a knowledge society. Arriving at our best career option is possible, only if we gather as much information as possible on diverse professions and educational opportunities. We should break the shackles of prejudices such as attaching unqualified superiority for professions like medicine, engineering, and the civil services. There is tremendous diversity in the matter of careers covering conventional as well as emerging fields.
Economic liberalization and the new freedom mantra has thrown open a new world of market opportunities for women. There is virtually no field of enterprise that women cannot enter, and fewer restrictions and pressures.
This roller-coaster environment in the job market makes it both exciting and confusing for young women, many of whom are the first generation of working women. Never before have there been as many career options as there are today, nor as much information as there is available today. In this dynamic work scene, you need to get a clear focus on the direction of your career, figure out the skills you need to develop so as to be ready for the jobs - areas that are in demand today, and will hold good for the future.
Changing scenario for women workforce in India
At IBM “The idea is to create an environment that is more welcoming to women.” The results are starting to show: the percentage of women in IBM’s 43,000 strong India workforce has steadily climbed up to 26%.
Contrast this with the figures revealed by a recent Cll survey: in large companies, the ratio of women is barely 4% of the total workforce, whereas in medium-scale companies, the figure stands at 18%.
Top 10 States with the Highest Number of Women Job Seekers
States In ‘000 (2003)
1. Kerala 20,75.7
2. Tamil Nadu 18,54.8
3. West Bengal 17,37.8
4. Maharashtra 8,97.8
5. Andhra Pradesh 6,50.9
6. Karnataka 4,35.7
7. Madhya Pradesh 3,62.3
8. Assam 3,24.6
9. Delhi 3,07.9
10. Himachal Pradesh 2,86.3
India 1,07,52.3
The career path of any individual has to be Chosen, taking into account factors such as aptitude and learning ability of the student, financial position of the family, opportunities for higher studies, duration of the course, the gender factor, proximity of the educational institution from home, and prospects for early employment.
1. Animation & Multimedia: Courses in animation and multimedia offer opportunities to those who are blessed with artistic talents and imagination, and have a passion for computer-based studies. The programs are of short duration. Anyone with a ‘plus two’ qualification can go in for this kind of training.
Multimedia may involve a fine mixture of text, graphics, photographs, animation, video, sound, and interactivity, offering boundless possibilities in effectively conveying a message.
Job opportunities are in the fields of video production, publishing, fashion designing, textile designing, interior design, and criminal investigation as well. Freelancing is a posibility in big industrial cities - jobs in CD writing, graphic design, and web design.
2. Architecture: Architecture is a happy union of art and technology. It merges gift of imagination, sense of aesthetics, and sharp precision.
In universities conducting the 5-year B.Arch, (Bachelor of Architecture) courses, -selection is usually made through an aptitude test. Acquiring membership of the Indian Institute of Architects, Mumbai is another path of entry to the profession.
3. Biotechnology: Biotechnology may be considered as any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use. It makes tremendous strides perhaps faster than electronics or computer technology. It is sure to play a vital role in our life in the coming years.
There are many universities that conduct programs at different levels. Public as well as private sector organizations offer facilities for research.
As India has made a name for itself in the IT sector, so it will be in biotechnology. This is a sector that already has a woman breaking all records of success. Kiran Majumdar Shaw started Biocon, a small biotechnology unit in her garage in Bangalore about ten years ago. Today she is the richest and most successful woman in India.
4. Bioinformatics: The nascent field of bioinformatics represents the marriage of biotechnology and information technology. It deals with computational management of all kinds of biological information. Sometimes it is referred to as in-silico biology indicating that it is performed on computer.
Proficiency in IT, biology, and mathematics is necessary for work in biotechnology. Those who come from anyone of these disciplines can enter the field and master the other areas as required.
5. Civil Services: Entry into services such as the IFS, lAS, and IPS offers remarkable -opportunities for ‘crucial decision-making and other forms of significant service to society. This career path takes you to positions of authority and prestige. The Union Service Commission conducts the Civil Services Examination to select candidates for appointment to nearly 23 services.
Those who hold a University degree or equivalent can apply for admission. Age 21-30 years, with usual relaxation.
6. Defence Services: Although women have been traditionally recruited in the armed forces only in the medical and nursing corps, today the Army offers a satisfying career for women in most non-combatant areas including the Army Service Corps, Ordinance Corps, Education Corps, Signals, Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, the Judge Advocate General’s branch and the Army Intelligence Corps. Women are selected after graduation and through the SSB and medical tests. The recent announcement of raising the short service commission for women to 14 years, and allowing them to rise upto the rank of Lt Col. has been introduced to encourage more women into the defence services. The Navy recruits women in the logistics, air traffic and law branches, while the Air Force has openings for women even in the flying branch. Another ‘high-flying’ career for women is as a commercial pilot with a civil airline. In recent years, with the so many new private airlines taking to the skies, there is a crying need for trained pilots, and cabin crew, both men and women.
7. Disaster Environment Management: The following organizations play important role in training and imple-menting programs in this area.
 National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), New Delhi.
 The Disaster Management Institute, Bhopal.
 National Civil Defence College, Nagpur;
 Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi.
 Pune University
 Indian Institute of Ecology and Environment, New Delhi;
 Disaster Mitigation Institute, Ahmedabad
 The Centre for Disaster Management, Yashada, Pune
 Environment Protection Training and Research Institute, Hyderabad
 National Information Center of Earthquake Engineering, IIT Kanpur
8. Finance Professions
Chartered Accountant: The training programs of the three disciplines are similar. After ‘plus two’, you pass a foundation test, and then intermediate and final examinations. The institute of chartered accountants has renamed the foundation and the intermediate as professional education (PE) I & II. If you are a graduate, you can skip the foundation.
After PE I & PE II and the prescribed 250-hour computer training, you should work for three years as an articled clerk with a practicing chartered accountant.
Can work as an accredited accountant, authorized auditor, corporate caretaker, financial consultant, or tax specialist, or go for corporate jobs. Details: HYPERLINK ‘’http://www.icai. org’’ www.ical.org (Enterprising youngsters may go for “CPA” ¬Certified Public Accountant - popular in many countries including the US or “ACCA” - ¬Association of Chartered Certified Accountants - prevalent in the UK and other countries).
Cost & Works Accountant: Cost reduction is vital in any manufacturing industry. Computation of costs and identifying methods of cost reduction are done by cost and works accountants. They give the right prescriptions enabling the best possible management decisions.
Their functions include statutory maintenance of cost accounting records, evaluation of worth in investments, critical analysis of financial performance of organizations, internal co-ordination in industrial or commercial undertakings, budgeting, monitoring and analysis of data, and auditing. Details: http://myicwai.com
Company Secretary: She/he is not a secretary to the CEO or MD, but a top-notch professional in the corporate sector. If you are endowed with legal aptitude, analytical skills, tact, ability to keep official secrets, and sheer will to win through hard work, this is your line.
Apart from passing the Final Examination, a candidate has to undergo practical training for 15 months in a company / under a practicing CS.
Details: www.icsi.edu
9. Humanities: Economists have openings in business journals, banking industry, planning cells, etc. where economic analysis is required. The Indian Economic Service recruits competent economists through UPSC examination.
Those who take up Psychology have wide options as experimental/educational / industrial/clinical psychologists, counselors, psychometrists (experts in determining aptitude, intelligence, etc.).
Learning languages has its own charms. Proficiency in foreign languages will open opportunities to work as specialists in the diplomatic service, interpreters, translators, and tourist guides.
Graduates in any discipline after a course in journalism and communication join the challenging career covering print and electronic media. Advertising and Public Relations are two disciplines close to journalism.
Law, fashion design, film and TV, management, teaching, special education, library & information science, and sports coaching, are some of the areas open to university graduates in any subject, but gifted with the appropriate aptitude. Graduates with poise and skills can contemplate the job of an airhostess / flight
purser.