Ask 
                  Murali
          Last 
            week's Q & A
             
                 
                  Q:  
                  Qualifications 
                  : BE Electronics
                  Query Background : Career future
                  I 
                  have been working on Powerbuilder, Unix and oracle for the last 
                  3 years. I am learning Java now. I am just wondering as to how 
                  I can get an assignment on Java. My company does not do Java 
                  development. I want to get into Java area as powerbuilder is 
                  not sought after tool anymore in India. Will post graduation 
                  be helpful. Thanks
                 
                  A : Dear Mr. Ramesh,
                  The following are the options available to you:
                  1. You could take up a job in another company engaged in Java 
                  Projects: Since there is an acute shortage of IT professionals, 
                  most companies these days take freshers and train them in Java. 
                  You have an edge over the others here as you are already learning 
                  Java. Companies such as Wipro, Infosys, Satyam take in a lot 
                  of freshers. But they do not usually recruit through advertisements 
                  in the newspapers, or magazines. Most of the companies recruit 
                  either through headhunters, employee-referrals or through advertising 
                  online. What you need do is to network with people working in 
                  companies engaged in Java programming and keep in constant touch 
                  with them, submit your resume with placement agencies and simultaneously 
                  register with jobsites such winjobs.com, careermosaicindia.com 
                  and other IT jobsites.
                2. 
                  You could talk to the Project leader in your company and try 
                  to persuade him to also take up Java Projects, as you have already 
                  mentioned that Powerbuilder is on its way out. You can emphasize 
                  on the fact that it will ultimately prove beneficial to the 
                  company. 
                3. 
                  In order to gain further experience or knowledge about Java 
                  projects, you could register with sites like eworks.com and 
                  also visit forums such as java.sun.com, Internet.com, developers.com. 
                  Apart from the above-mentioned, you could also register with 
                  international technical sites such as dice.com, hightechcareers.com, 
                  techies.com etc.
                Post 
                  graduation although not mandatory, will definitely help you 
                  gain an entry into IT majors. An M.Tech or an MCA is advisable. 
                  You could also take JCP (Java Certified Professional) tests 
                  in order to gain an added advantage over other Java Professionals.You 
                  could also try doing an MS course from a University in the US 
                  on-line or off-line.
                 
                  Q:  
                  Query 
                  Background : CISCO / ORACLE DBA
                  Qualifications 
                  : B.E. (Computer Science)
                  I'm having 10 years of IT experience of which 6 years in teaching 
                  (In a Engg. college) and 4 years as a system administrator. 
                  I like to switch my job and I'm interested in doing new courses.My 
                  current skill set : MCSE NT 4.0, ERP (Tetra Implenetation) ,MCDBA. 
                  I would like to do :
                  1. CCNA (cisco)
                  2. Sun Solaris 8.0 Admin.
                  or shall I do ORACLE 8.0 DBA. Pls. advice. Since NT is loosing 
                  it's ground to Solaris and Linux. I'm interested to learn Solaris 
                  8.0 admin. What is your opinion. Pls. advice any good institute 
                  to learn Solaris 8.0 in Bangalore.
                
                 
                  A : Dear Mr. Zulfikhar Ahmed,
                  You could take a Certification in Sun Solaris from RCS Systems, 
                  Bangalore. This Sun-endorsed training institute is at Brigade 
                  Road, Bangalore. Their web address is www.rcsedu.com.
                For 
                  CCNA, the best information source is the Cisco site (http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/10/wwtraining/listAllTP.html). 
                  Oracle is available from SQL Star in Bangalore.
                We 
                  feel that NT is losing ground alright; but not just to Solaris 
                  and Linux. Looming on the horizon is Windows 2000. This uses 
                  a different API and we see a need for experienced administrators 
                  in the next 2 years.
                Regards.
                
                
                 
                  Q:  
                  Qualifications 
                  : MTech
                  Query Background : IT Project Management
                  I 
                  am planning to return to India shortly and my IT background 
                  is in IBM Mainframes with an INSURANCE domain. How can I get 
                  into Project Management Positions with Indian IT Companies & 
                  what could be the expectations & salary range being offered 
                  for my kind of Qualifications,Skills & Experience(10Years)? 
                  Can you name few IT companies who would be interested in hiring 
                  me.? Thanks in advance.
                    Indian Admirer
                
                 
                  A : Dear Mr. Mani,
                  I think you have very valuable qualifications and experience 
                  which should be in demand in India. You are aware that the Government 
                  of India has opened up the insurance sector in a big way. A 
                  lot of private insurance companies are being formed and these 
                  companies will require technical teams, so the first thing is 
                  to do is to apply to an Insurance major as a CTO or GM (Technical). 
                  The second option is to join companies which are developing 
                  software for exclusive companies for insurance like PMSI (Policy 
                  Management Services Inc.) based in Indore. They do exclusive 
                  work on Insurance software. 
                In 
                  summary I think your skills are good, and I need a detailed 
                  CV to send it forward. In the CV highlight your skills and the 
                  role you would like to play as a Team Leader/Project Leader. 
                  You could mention the area in which your competency lies whether 
                  it is Business Development or Customer Relationship Management. 
                  Mail me your CV at murali.hyd@cxknetworks.com. I will 
                  be able to give you a feedback on the salary only after we receive 
                  your CV and talk to the prospective customers.
                Regards.
                
                  
                  Q:  
                  Qualifications 
                  : B.E. IT - Final Year
                  Query Background : nternship
                  Hello 
                  Sir,I am a final year student of B.E. information technology 
                  with a top class academics and good project experience.I am 
                  looking for my final semester internship (6 months - full time). 
                  While hunting for internship opportunities, I am unable to find 
                  a single opportunity even after applying to about 200 places 
                  all over the world. I am totally nervous of this and don't see 
                  any way out of this...please suggest some concrete ways for 
                  getting success.
                 
                  A : Dear Ms. Gunjan,
                  It appears from your mail that you have applied to all and sundry 
                  companies, instead of focussing on a few. You don't necessarily 
                  have to do your project from MNCs or in companies that are located 
                  abroad. There are plenty of companies in and around Gujarat 
                  where you could apply for doing your internship. The following 
                  tips should be kept in mind when applying for internship:
                1. 
                  Identify 10 Indian companies primarily Manufacturing firms that 
                  are located around or in Gujarat E.g. Fertiliser companies. 
                  Ensure that atleast 2-3 out of these 10 are Public Sector Companies.
                2. 
                  Find the e-mail i.ds of the Head of the HR departments in these 
                  companies(you must address your mails only to the HR heads).
                3. 
                  Use your Professors' contacts and also seek their help in writing 
                  mails to these people. The letter should establish that 
                (a) 
                  at the end of the 6 months of your internship you would have 
                  benefited them by choosing a project that is mutually beneficial 
                  to you and the company (Most companies consider taking interns 
                  as an investment you will have to convince them that you are 
                  a good investment).
                (b) 
                  Commit yourself to the company if they find you appropriate 
                  for their IT departments. (No company would like to invest in 
                  a person for just for 6 months). If you can assure them that 
                  you will take up employment with them if it is offered to you 
                  then they would definitely consider you seriously.
                Before 
                  you write to these companies visit their websites to know more 
                  about them, and include a few lines from them. This will indicate 
                  that you have done your groundwork before applying for internship. 
                  You could visit www.themanagementor.com to know about different 
                  companies and Industries in the reports provided on the site. 
                  
                Good 
                  Luck.
                 
                  Q:  
                  Qualifications 
                  : IInd Yr. B.Sc. Comp Sc.
                  Query 
                  Background : Course of Action
                  Hi there, I'm in my IInd Yr. of B.Sc. Comp Sc. at Loyola College, 
                  Chennai. I'm interested in a career in S/W Development. I have 
                  over 5 yrs. programming experience, including Java. I've also 
                  published a couple of technical articles on Java. Going thru 
                  the Opportunities supplement of The Hindu ... I get disheartened 
                  seeing that all these IT companies aren't even willing to consider 
                  a competent B.Sc. graduate while welcoming any BE from a god-knows-where 
                  college. I'd like your advice as to what course of action I 
                  may take ... is it worth it (still) to prepare for IIT and write 
                  the exam next year (and waste 2 yrs) ? What course can I pursue 
                  after B.Sc ? I'm interested in working part-time in the IT field 
                  ... how should I go about this ? I'd appreciate your advice.
                 
                  A : Dear Ms. Sonal,
                  What you need to understand is that any qualification is just 
                  a mode of entry for a candidate into a company, it is only the 
                  persons' competence in her/his subject that eventually helps 
                  the person get a job, especially so in case of a career in S/W 
                  development. There are plenty of companies that do take in BSc.(Computer 
                  Science) freshers and then train them. Wipro conducts an entrance 
                  exam for B.Sc. graduates. This is basically is an aptitude test 
                  with the usual logical reasoning, language, GK sections followed 
                  by a group discussion. Sometimes some basic knowledge of computers 
                  is also tested. There is no reason for you to get disheartened.
                 
                  Regarding your question on whether you should try for IIT again, 
                  there is no harm. But since the IIT entrance calls for a good 
                  amount of preparation, you might find it difficult to work part-time, 
                  continue your graduation and also prepare for the entrance at 
                  the same time. So you will either have to drop the part-time 
                  job, or the IIT preparations. I wouldn't recommend leaving college, 
                  as you will need something to fall back on.
                For 
                  a part-time job in the IT industry, you could either work as 
                  a lab-assistant, or even a faculty (if you can convince them 
                  of your competence)in a computer-training institute.
                Best 
                  of Luck.
                 
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