Q: I am a BCom graduate, working as a development officer. I am 43 years old. I had a decent pay package with attractive incentives. Recently, there has been a change in the policy regarding incentives and this has made me sceptical. Should I go for any professional course at this age to get better jobs? I have also posted my resume on a professional job site, but it has yielded no result. Please advise.

Sanjay Kumar Mohanty
Jamshedpur

A: I do appreciate your eagerness to pursue further studies even at this age, but unfortunately age is not on your side. If you feel that you need a professional course to expand your knowledge base, then you should go for it. But it is difficult to change your career track at this point of time. Also, I am not sure why you are sceptical about this new policy. You haven?t mentioned whether you are getting fewer incentives because of the new policy. So it?s difficult for me to comment on this issue. The new policy will certainly take into account good performances. If you are confident of your performance, then you need not worry. I?d suggest that you just work hard at your job.

Q: I have completed my BTech in food technology and biochemical engineering from JU. I have also done a BSc in chemistry from CU. Could you please recommend some job consultancies that would help me get good jobs?

Soumi Ray
Calcutta

A: Food technology and biochemical engineering are lucrative now. So you shouldn?t find it difficult to get a job. You can enroll in leading recruitment agencies and look for organisations that need your skills.

Q:I am studying hardware engineering. Phoenixs HRD Services in the US has offered me a job as a front office staff member. They have offered a salary of Rs 70,000 per month. They are charging me Rs 1, 75,000 for visa and air tickets. Is it safe to go ahead?

Ujjal Dutta
Durgapur

A: I won?t be able to comment on this particular organisation. You are pursuing hardware engineering. So do you think that accepting a job as a front office worker will do justice to your qualification? I guess the starting salary you have mentioned in your letter is an amount to be paid in US dollars and you have converted it into INR. It might appear as a huge sum in INR, but you have to remember that your expenses will be in dollars too.

Q:I have done BSc in physics. I have a diploma in electronics and telecommunication too. I have also done an e-commerce course. I am employed as a process associate in a BPO company for the past nine months. I am also doing an AMIE in computer science. I have a three-year work experience in the BPO sector. Prior to this, I was working as a part time developer. How do I upgrade my work profile? Please advise.

Name withheld

A:Your qualification will provide a good launching pad for a career in information technology. IT is such a vast field that you can keep on adding to your qualifications as you progress in your career. However, at this stage, I think you can go ahead and start searching for a job. Here?s a word of caution though. Do not get distracted by the vastness of the IT field. Keep your career aspirations in mind and then go ahead. It is easy to get diverted by the lure of better opportunities.

Q: I am 25 years old. I have done a postgraduate course in commerce. I am currently working with IA and AD (commercial) as a Group-B officer (Govt of India) for the last one-and-a-half years. I have worked for four-and-a-half years. I am interested in doing an MBA from a reputed institute. Should I take up the course at this stage, considering my background? Also, please let me know how a computer course like SAP or Oracle Financial could help me in getting a break in the corporate sector.

Biswanath Das
Calcutta

A: Increasingly, people with work experience are enrolling in MBA courses. So I think it will be prudent on your part to do an MBA. It would be still better if you do a full time course, rather than a part time or a correspondence course. A computer course in SAP or Oracle Financial will definitely help you in getting a break in the IT sector or in consulting organisations. You should weigh your strengths and weaknesses and then make an informed choice.