Q: I am a MBA graduate with four years? of workexperience in sales and I have also worked for two years in website development. Currently, I am working with SIFY Ltd in the marketing division. I am interested in joining an ERP (CRM) course for training as a functional consultant. Because of the cost of the course, I am not sure whether this would be the right choice for me. Please advise me.

Saikat Basu

A: Currently, you are in a good organisation and you have reasonably good work experience. I would like to say that the course you mention has a lot of value in the job market and will increase your prospects. You should go for such a course if you think the fees are affordable.

Q: I am 25 years old and have done a postgraduate course in applied mathematics. I am currently doing a course in MS Office, SQL and C++. I am also appearing for MAT as I?d like to do a BA (finance). I have no work experience. I would like to know if getting a job would be difficult at 27.

Bidhan Chandra Roy

A: You have been very clear about how you want to take your career forward. But I think that since you are 27 years old, it is slightly late for you to start afresh. It would not be too late though if you are confident. See that your qualifications match your future plans. You can also do an MBA by correspondence.

Q: I was working with a private bank till November 2005. I have a three-year work experience in sales. I did BA (Hons) in political science and am pursuing a PG diploma in export-import from ICFAI at present. What kind of jobs can I apply for?

Name withheld

A: With your work experience and the course you are planning to pursue, you would be suitable for jobs in the banking sector and financial services. You can also seek jobs in big manufacturing outfits.

Q: I?m a 33-year-old diploma holder in mechanical engineering and have the proficiency certificate of boiler operation engineering. I am working as a senior engineer in a private company and have a 12-year work experience in a thermal power plant. I am reasonably satisfied with the job. But I feel bad when I see other graduate engineers getting higher posts and better salaries. Please suggest a suitable management course that will add value to my CV.

Apurba Sarkar

A: I can understand how you feel in such a situation. But you need to understand that in an organisation there is a ?job banding? aspect, wherein positions are placed according to their relative worth and prospective candidates are chosen on the basis of their qualifications. Even if you have done a diploma, you could get a similar or a better job and pay package than a graduate engineer if you have covered your lack of qualification with adequate experience. If that?s not followed, then I would say that there is a lack of proper system in your company. After 12 years of experience, it will not be fruitful to go for a full-time MBA. Also, short-term courses would not enhance the value of your curriculum vitae. So at this point, I think you should opt for short-term management courses for some real value addition to your r?sum?.

Q: I have completed my graduation with computer science as my honours subject and maths and physics as my elective subjects from North Eastern Hill University. I have secured 74 per cent in my exams. During my BSc course, I did C, C++ and visual basic. Now I am doing A+ and N+ certification courses from Brainware. This is a one-year course. Are these enough to start me off in the IT sector or do I need an MCA? Please help.

Debarati Dey

A: I don?t know your age, but I am happy with the way you have chosen your career path and the fact that it is going as per plan.

If age is on your side, I think you are embarking on the right path and you will get a job in the IT sector. You can also complete your MCA before entering the job market, or you can do an MCA in the distance mode while pursuing your job.