Q: I am 36 years old with 12 years? experience in the field of sales and marketing. I am a graduate in sociology with a degree in business administration and a PG diploma in advertising and public relations. How can I switch from marketing to PR and communications? How should I go about finding PR agencies and other corporate houses? What is the salary prospect of a corporate PR executive?

Diptojyoti Basu, Calcutta

A: You have not mentioned why you want to switch from sales and marketing to PR especially after 12 years of experience in the field. Given that the PR job market is extremely wide and also that it is still quite nascent in India, entering into the industry at such an advanced stage of your career may not bring the best returns in terms of career prospects or compensation. For details on PR agencies in India, visit www.agencyfaqs.com for complete listings on PR agencies, etc.

Given the diversity of the industry and the number of players, the prospects and compensation for a PR executive would depend on whether you join the in-house PR department of a large MNC or a large independent PR firm or one of the many smaller PR firms.

It would also depend on the skills and experience you bring to the table and your performance on the job. Indicative compensation for entry-level positions could vary from about Rs 3,000 per month in small agencies to Rs 15,000+ in large corporates. However, for a lateral entrant like you, this would not be applicable. It will depend on the agency you join.

Q: I come from a non-engineering background and have completed a regular degree course in management. I had a short stint as a management trainee in an MNC. Due to unavoidable circumstances on the domestic front I had to leave my job. Soon after that I went through severe depression for two years. After I had recovered, I joined a medium-level technological institute as a faculty member in the department of management where I have been working for the last two years. But I have very limited scope here. I would like to join the IT sector, specially in ERP. I have specialised in finance and I am 30 years old. Which course should I pursue to find a suitable job?

Name Withheld

A: You have mentioned that you are a non-engineer with a management degree in finance. I am assuming you have an accounting background that could be helpful if you would like to pursue a career in ERP. You could opt for SAP or Oracle applications and take a certification course. You could browse the India domain of the SAP (www.sap.com) and ORACLE (www.oracle.com) websites for information on where to take these courses. Whilst it could be beneficial for you to take an ERP course and try to build a career in IT, you should be aware that an ERP course is expensive and does not guarantee a job, although such a course could enhance the possibility of your finding a job.

Q: I am 27 years old. I completed a diploma in electronics engineering with honours and got apprenticeship training at the Indian Telephone Industries Limited, Mankapur from December 1996 to December 1997. Between 1998 and 2002, I sat for the written tests of VSNL, AAI, UCIL but could not clear the interview stage. In 2003, I got the chance to complete the project work of AMIE (electronics). Last year, I appeared for the AMIE Section B but there is a huge gap in my employment record. What should I do now? Should I opt for to a hardware, software or a management course?

Priyanka, Patna

A: With a background in electronics engineering and telecommunications you could opt for a hardware course. One of the most reputed institutes in India is IIHT where you could study computer hardware and networking. The institute assures placement after you complete the course. There are numerous job opportunities in IT, telecom, banking, BPOs etc. Visit their website www.iiht.com for details.

Alternatively, you could also opt for a management course in any discipline. Go for a regular course for which you would have to take the necessary entrance exams. You will have the option of campus placement at the end of your course. Online and correspondence courses are also available ? visit www.indianmba.com for details.