Learn as you earn

• Q: I am a third year BTech (computer engineering) student. What should I keep in mind while going for in-house training in a company? Is it a gruelling affair?

Shivani Manchanda

• A: The pattern of in-house training varies considerably from organisation to organisation. While some firms rely on on-the-job techniques that involve learning while performing under the guidance of fellow employees, others prefer to take in qualified and experienced personnel.

In most medium and large software firms, the typical pattern of training involves an organisational orientation followed by short intensive modules in specific areas. Fresh programmers are generally taught programming languages and procedures for a few months. This is followed by the application of such skills to an internal project, usually as part of a closely supervised programming team.

Further training for software professionals is largely on-the-job, combined with periods of more formal study when you will work towards specified objectives, writing procedures, testing them and liaising closely with other members of the team under the guidance of the project leader or manager. Your progress will be closely monitored through a process of regular and detailed appraisals, often linked to salary progression. The length of the training can extend from six months to two years, depending on the functional area and your role in the organisation.

After the initial training, career development is fairly rapid in most IT companies and end-users. In fact, some organisations have developed accelerated promotion and career development schemes to ensure the retention of their key people.

The training may be rigorous but it will also be a great learning experience (many say, the real learning starts here). Look at it as an opportunity to put your theoretical knowledge to practical use.

Take pride in your mother tongue

• Q: I have cleared the Civil Services preliminary exam in the second attempt. I am now quite confident about my subject matter but I have difficulty communicating in English. Can I speak in Bengali during the interview?

K.M. Bandhopadhyay

• A:Why not? Candidates are increasingly opting to write the Civil Services examination and be interviewed in their mother tongue, rather than in English.

The percentage of candidates opting to speak in an Indian language during the interview went up from 16 per cent in 1998 to 24 per cent in 2004.

An overwhelming majority — 85 per cent — spoke in Hindi during interviews held between 1998 and 2004, making it the language of choice for one out of every five
candidates. Marathi (4 per cent), Telugu (3.5 per cent) and Tamil (3 per cent) are the other popular choices of Civil Services aspirants at the interview.