Careers in Hardware

Introduction

The term hardware in the field of computers refers to the physical parts of a computer system like monitor, keyboard, printer etc. As the number of computer system is rising in the world there is a huge demand for professionals who can repair and troubleshoot hardware problems. Therefore a career in hardware is a very rewarding one provided that you have sounds skills in this domain. The professionals associated with the discipline of research of computer hardware are known as hardware engineers. They also design and supervise the process of manufacturing and installation of hardware. Presence of Indian and foreign IT majors in the country has created a lot of scope for youths in this sector.

Course Details

Although there is no popular formal degree course available for hardware professionals, there are many courses and qualifications available from informal sector. It will be better to complete at least a graduation degree (science/electronics preferred) along with a course in hardware. A diploma in hardware will definitely give you practical knowledge in the field which is very much required.  

Institutes

There are many colleges and institutes that offer courses on hardware technology. You can search for an institute by making a small search on the internet. You should keep in mind that learning hardware is different from learning ‘assembling’ of computers. Many so called hardware training institutes teach computer assembling and very basic hardware skills like refilling an ink cartridge that isn’t exactly a job of hardware professionals. Before joining an institute, have a good look at their course contents, check whether it contains knowedege of mother boards,circuit boards, RAM, hard disks, printers etc. You should not learn how to replace the faulty component but also how to repair it. Remember that this is more of a practical subject so join a course that gives you more and more practice time on actual hardware rather than focusing on the theoretical part.

Career Prospects

This is no news that the use of computer is rising in the whole world and will continue to rise. The speed at which computers and related peripherals are being bought by the users also suggest that at some time these products will require some kind of repair or servicing also. This makes choosing the field of hardware a very decent option. Hardware developing companies are the favoured place for most of the Hardware engineers. They can seek to be employed in corporate houses, industries, public sector undertakings. All public and private sector banks, financial institutions, school and collages also require the service of Hardware and Networking experts. Besides they can be self-employed by starting their own Hardware assembling firm. He can also run consultancy to develop hardware according to the requirements of the clients. Teaching in technical educational institutions is also a very good option.

Institutes Offering
Centre for Development of Advanced Computing is one of the leading institutes of the country followed by some private players including, Aptech Hardware and Networking Academy, JetKing, IIHT etc.

Hardware Courses

• N+
• Network Security
• MNA
• Cisco
• Security+
• Red Hat Certification
• Diploma In Computer Hardware
• Diploma In Networking
• Certification in Hardware and Networking
• Linux

Job roles in Hardware and Networking:

• System administrator
• Network administrator
• System Engineer
• Technical Engineer/Computer Hardware Engineer
• Network Engineer
• Technical support
• Help desk technician/Network support technician
• IT technician
• IT administrator
• Field service technician
• Security Database development and administration
• Intranet Specialist

Remuneration

To start with a hardware professional can easily earn anything between 8000 to 10000 per month. As the experience and qualification of a person increases he/she can expect an income of 20000 to 30000 per month. Having said that do remember that a person having an expertise in this field can certainly cross these limits and earn more than 50000 per month.

Exam Alert 2012

 EXAM ALERT 2012

Name of the Institute	Course/Discipline	Entrance Exam	Month	Website
Key Exams
CBSE Boards (X & XII)	Board Exams		March 1 (Class X, XII)	www.cbse.nic.in
IITs & Indian School of Mines	Engineering & Others	IIT-Jt. Entrance Exam	April 8, 2012	www.iitd.ernet.in
CBSE - All India Pre Medical Test	MBBS	AIPMT	April 1(P)-May 13 (Final)	www.aipmt.nic.in
UPSC	Civil Services	Civil Services Exam	May(P)/Oct.(Mains)-20/05/12 - 05/10/12	www.upsc.gov.in
Jawahar Lal Nehru University	UG & PG Courses	JNU Entrance	May(P)/Oct.(Mains)	www.jnu.ac.in
Delhi University	UG & PG Courses		June'2012	www.du.ac.in
Indian Institutes of Management & others	Management	CAT	November'2012	www.catiim.in
Medical Council of India (CBSE will conduct)	MBBS	NEET	May 13, 2012	www.mciindia.org
Admissions Abroad
US/UK/Australia/ Canada/ NZ/France/ Germany	Most of the Disciplines	Foreign	Jan-June for Aug-Sept intake
Other Admissions
Faculty of Mgt Studies, DU	MBA	FMS Entrance Test	December 4, 2011 (one month earlier)	www.fms.edu
PG seats in Medical Colleges -under AIIMS	Medical Science	All Ind PG Medical & Dental Ent. Exam	January 8th, 2012	www.aiims.edu
Faculty of Medical Science, DU	Medical Science	PG Medical Entrance Test-PGMET	February	www.du.ac.in
All India Management Association	Management	Management Aptitude Test	Feb/May/Sept /Dec.2012	www.aima-ind.org
PG courses with MHRD Scholar/ Assttship	Engi/Tech/Arcj etc.	Graduate Aptitude Test in Engi	29/01/2012 (Online) 12/02/2012 (Offline)	www.iitb.ac.in/gate
IIT (Mum/Del/ Guwahati/ Kanpur) & IISC	Design	Common Ent. Exam for Design-CEED	04/12/2011 - one month earlier	www.iitb.ac.in/gate
Indian Military/Navy/Air Force Academies	Defence	Comb. Defence Services Exam - C.D.S.	February - 12/02/2012	www.upsc.gov.in
IGNOU	Management	IGNOU OPEN MAT	February 12 & August  2012	www.ignou.ac.in
Jamia Millia Islamia	UG & PG Courses	Jamia Entrance	March-July 2012	http://jmi.ac.in
GGS IP University	UG & PG Courses	Common Entrance Test	April-June 2012	www.ipu.ac.in
National Defence & Naval Academy	Defence	NDA Exam	15th April'2012	www.upsc.gov.in
National Council for Hotel Mgt & Catering Tech	Hotel Mgt.	Jt. Entrance Exam	28th April 2012	www.nchmct.org
CBSE - Engineering & other colleges	Engg/Arch/ Pharmacy	All Ind Engg Ent. Exam (AIEEE)	UG-April 14, PG- April 15	www.icar.org.in
Veterinary Council of India	Veterinary Science	All India Pre-Veterinary Test	/12/2012	www.aipvt.com
Indian Council of Agri Research	Agriculture & Allied Sub	All India Entrance Exam	UG-April 14, PG- April 15	www.icar.org.in
Indian Instt. of Mass Communication	Mass Communication		3rd week of May'2012	www.iimc.nic.in
Dellhi College of Engg & Netaji Subash IT, DU	Engineering & Others	AIEEE	29th April, 2012	www.dce.edu  www.nsit.ac.in
Faculty of Medical Science, DU	MBBS & BDS	DU Medical & Dental Ent. Test- DUMET	May	www.du.ac.in
AIIMS	MBBS	Entrance Examination	June	www.aiims.edu
Faculty of Law, DU	Law	Entrance for LLB & LLM	May-June	www.du.ac.in
National Law University Delhi	AILET	Entrance for Law School	May 6,2012	http://nludelhi.ac.in
Forest Services - Govt. of India	Forest Services	Indian Forest Service Exam	14th July' 2012	www.upsc.gov.in
School of Planning & Architecture	Architecture		June'2012	www.spa.ac.in
IGNOU	UG & PG Courses		Jan and Aug 2012	www.ignou.ac.in
Jr. Research Fellowship & NET	Education	Jt. UGC-CSIR	December'2012	http://csirhrdg.res.in
Symbiosis Institutes	PG Prof. Courses	Symb. National Apt. PG Test - SNAP	December'2012	www.siu.edu.in
Indian Instt. Of Tourism & Travel Mgt.	Travel & Tourism	IITTM Aptitude Test	26/02/2012	www.iittm.org
IITs & Indian Insttt. Of Science	Management	Jt. Mgt Entrance Test - JMET	Jan.29th'2012 (online) & Feb. 12th'2012 (offline)	http://gate.iisc.ernet.in

Career in digital marketing

What is digital marketing : The world changes at immense speed. People are now living in the Information Age where prompt advertising and marketing decisions are needed. With the Internet’s continuous influence on various industries, major Search Engines are evolving and organizations are involving in search engine optimization (SEO). Analysts saw the advantages that the World Wide Web can offer in marketing companies and its products that paved way in searching for new strategies to utilize this online platform.  

According to Wikipedia “Digital marketing is the use of digital sources based on electronic signal like Internet, digital display advertising and other digital media such as television, radio, and mobile phones in the promotion of brands and products to consumers. Digital marketing may cover the more traditional marketing areas such as Direct Marketing by providing the same method of communicating with an audience but in a digital fashion”.

In other words, Digital Marketing is using all forms digital advertising channels to promote a brand. These channels include mobiles, television, radio and internet among others. Advertising through mobile phones, SMS / MMS / digital outdoor and banners also comes under digital advertising. Promotion is done in the same method as that used in direct marketing but in a digital fashion.

The ‘Push’ and ‘Pull’ of Digital Marketing

The digital marketing comes in two flavours – push and pull. Pull digital marketing in which the consumer must actively seek the marketing content often via web searches or the recipient has given permission to receive content that is sent to the consumer by email, text message and web feed. Websites, blogs and streaming media (audio and video) are also examples of pull digital marketing. Articles with specific target / topic are a great source to pull interested viewers. In each of these, users have to link to the website to view the content. Only current web browser technology is required to maintain static content. However, additional internet marketing technologies (search engine optimization) may be required to attract the desired consumer demographic.

Push digital marketing technologies in which the marketer sends a message without the consent of the recipients, such as display advertising on websites and news blogs. Email, text messaging and web feeds can also be classed as push digital marketing when the recipient has not given permission to receive the marketing message. (This is also known as spam). Push technologies can deliver content immediately as it becomes available and are better targeted to their consumer demographics, although audiences are often smaller, and the costs of creation and distribution are higher. Push digital marketing technologies are more proper when done with the prior permission, the concept called as permission marketing. This is also more ethical. Permission can be obtained either through subscriptions, or consent to send email etc.

Because it is digital, a reporting engine can be layered within a campaign allowing the organization see in real-time how that campaign is performing, such as what is being viewed, how often, how long, as well as other actions such as responses rates and purchases made. Please note that each digital marketing technology is different and they cannot all provide the same types of reports. Also, digital marketing is constantly evolving and new technologies are being created all of the time.

Digital Marketing in India

According to recent research, at least $100 million are being spent at present on digital marketing in India. Since digital marketing is on a growth curve, job prospects in this industry look very bright for skilled professionals. Job search portal ‘indeed.com’ in 2010 had stated that at least 5 out of top 10 job trends will focus on digital media. In the coming year too, there will be an incredible demand for Business Development Managers, Online Marketing Managers, Social & Digital Marketing Managers, Social Media Directors, Interactive Media Strategists, Web Marketing & PR Managers, Marketing Program Specialists and similar profiles. The future for digital marketing professionals is bright. The country's Internet population is predicted to reach 25% of the population, and e-commerce industry to reach 100 crores in revenues by 2015. There is a big need of skilled manpower in this industry. So, traditional marketers should acquire digital marketing skills and new marketing professionals can take up digital marketing courses and pursue a bright career here.

What do you need to do

Anyone who has an interest in marketing, technology and advertising can enter the field of digital marketing. There is no formal education degree required to enter the field of digital marketing but as in every career a graduation degree with good communication skill will be an advantage. Any education in marketing or related fields can also prove to be beneficial. It is advised that you learn the art of digital marketing by observing the different marketing strategies employed by big players like Facebook, Google and yahoo. Digital marketing career covers the basics of traditional marketing and marketing in a new internet environment. A career in digital marketing would cover internet marketing paradigm, web analytics and intelligence – a quantitative way to interpret data and create market intelligence for decision makers, market research to include internet mediums, digital marketing issues, consumer behaviour and internet laws. Understanding of the Internet technology is a must for a successful career in digital marketing along with the core traditional marketing skills. An understanding of the Internet consumer behaviour, web analytics, consumer engagement with different digital channels, applicable rules and regulations governing each digital channels and for protecting consumers, are very important for a digital marketer.

Where to learn

There are many institutes in major cities of India offering a course in digital marketing. It is better to have a formal training first and then jump in to the job field. A course in digital marketing is a must for anyone who has no or little knowledge about the field. You can search for such institutes on the web, go through their contents and credentials before taking admission.

Expected Salary 

Salary of an individual does not only depend on The salary in digital marketing can range from 2-3 lakh per annum to start with. For an experienced and expert 7-8 lakh per annum can be on offer.

Choosing a college

    Choosing a college for admission is very important decision as it plays a vital role in shaping your future. Selecting the right college is very confusing also, since each college promises to offer the very best of education and other facilities. Below is a list of some important points that must be looked into before taking admission.

• Affiliation: Education now a day is more of a business then service. Many colleges start taking admission even before getting an approval from concerned authorities. Ask for documents regarding affiliation from the college without hesitation since it is a question of your future. Check whether the college has all the necessary approval s from AICTE and other departments. If a college states that it has international tie-ups or affiliations don’t just  go by their word, check it yourself by looking at the documents, searching the websites of AICTE and other authorities, emailing the concerned person etc.  If the overall infrastructure of the college is excellent but the affiliation is still under process don’t go for it.


• Faculty : No matter how good the infrastructure of the college is, how much activities the colleges organizes, it is the faculty of the teaching staff that matters the most to a student. A student may not use all the college facilities every day but he/she will have to interact with the faculty(ies) daily as long as the course goes on. A faculty is not only a mentor or guide but also the academic representative of the college and therefore a good, qualified faculty is the one of the most crucial factor in choosing a college. While having a looking at the academic staff of the college, do have a look at the following points

a.  How many faculty members are there in the college (both academic and non-academic) ?

b.  How many of them are full time and how many are part timers?

c.  What is the qualification and experience of the faculties? Do they have a PHD degree or a M.Tech, B.Tech, ME or BE.

d.  Where did they complete their education from? Was it from any IIT, NIT or any other institute?

e.   What is the student – teacher ratio? Is there sufficient number of faculties to handle the students?

These are some of the questions that you can ask the college or probe on your own. Keep in mind, that PHD is the highest qualification in a particular field; therefore if the majority of faculty members are PHD’s then there is no issue. An MTech qualified faculty is also not a problem.  The area of concern now a days is that most college have BE’s as faculties. The issue becomes even worse when the faculty has done BE from the same college itself and is a pass out of the last batch having no experience. Faculties of small colleges are also given additional duties other than teaching, like getting admissions, student counseling, making arrangement for a college event etc. This disturbs the whole academic calendar of the college, since it diverts the faculty from performing the main which is - teaching.

• Image: When we talk about the ‘image’ of a college it is the overall word of mouth generated by the students and their parents about the institute. Check out what is the overall reputation of the college. Have a word with the existing students and their parents, look for college reviews on the internet, search for some Facebook contacts of the same college and have a chat. Mention clearly that you want to know the insides of the college so that you can decide to opt for it or not. You can ask about the faculties, fees, placements and other information from the existing students of the college that will give you a clearer picture.
  
  
•  Facilities: Although academic quality is of utmost importance other facilities are also crucial while selecting a college. For example, library is a very important place of a college. While vising a college have a look at their library. Check how many books are there, are those books written by well-known authors or are they just to make the library look huge. Make sure that they have sufficient number of syllabus recommended books also. Some good college also subscribe to international engineering journals to be in touch with the happenings at the international level. Also find out the number of books you can get issued at a time, how much time can you keep the book with you etc. One often ignored feature of a college library is newspapers. Newspaper not only gives the in-depth analysis of current affairs but they also contain job supplements which can give you an idea of what the industry is asking for from an engineering graduate. The knowledge of current affairs will also give you an edge while going for interview and GD sessions. A good library must subscribe to at least 7-10 newspapers of national level.
  
  
• Placements: Placement now a day has become a very important component while selecting a college. Check the number of placements made by the college in last 3-4 years. The type of companies visiting the campus and the package offered by them is also very important. Some colleges invite very small companies from Bangalore or Hyderabad that offer a very small package just to make it count as a ‘campus’ but such placements are just for the record nothing else. It is also very strange that some colleges ask their engineering students to sit for a marketing or call centre job interview so that the photographs can be used as a marketing tool in their annual magazine. Find out which companies visited the college for campus interviews, how many students were selected and for what type of job, what was the average package offered by the company etc.  There are many colleges that ask for a ‘placement fee’ but invite very small ‘companies’ just to justify the fees.
  
  
• Location: Location does not mean only the city or state where the institute is located but also its local address. The location of the college should be such that it can be reached easily. There should be easy accessibility to the college by common modes of transport. If the college has a bus facility it is an added advantage but even then the distance should not be too much that it makes you tired before reaching the college. For girls, it becomes even more important that the college should not be located at an isolated place and conveyance facilities are available.
  
  
• Fees: Engineering is a costly affair when it comes to learning. Parents sacrifice the saving of their lives to get their child admitted to a good college therefore it is very unfortunate that many colleges ask for different ‘types’ of fee other than the tuition fee. Bus, Hostel, Uniform, Placement, Student Fund, Caution money, library, training and other such fee are forced on a student. Some of the them, like the hostel or bus fee is justified since these facilities cannot be offered from free but it should be reasonable and within the reach of the parents pockets.  Some colleges go to the extent of first luring the students by charging them a small amount initially but then increase the fee unexpectedly when the student reaches second or third semester. Have a chat with the existing students of the college to find out if such malpractices are carried out by the college or not.
  
  
• Other factors: Apart from the above features there are certain other factors also that you can look into before choosing a college.

a.  Seminars and presentation: Syllabuses now a days are so lengthy that finishing them within the given time frame is very difficult and therefore some colleges keep their focus on teaching only as much as given in the syllabus. Engineering and technology are such fields where one must keep tab on what’s happening in the world right now. Technical seminars, paper presentations and workshops are aimed at providing the students the information about the current trends. Listening to a subject expert not only raises your level of knowledge but also clears any doubts you may have.  Ask the college staff if they conduct such activities or not. The frequency of such events can also be enquired.

b. Industry visits: Teaching now a day is not confined to the walls of a classroom. Visit to an industry or a company allows the student to actually see how the things are carried out practically in real life. Such a visit will also let you experience what the corporate culture is. If the visit is accompanied by a session with the company staff it will definitely add a value.

c.  Hostel: If you are an outstation student accommodation can be a menace. Find out if the college has hostel facility which in most cases will be there. If possible, visit the hostel yourself and check if the rooms are spacious, airy and away from noise and pollution. Most of the colleges allot a room for two students; therefore it should be large enough to contain two beds and at least one study table. Distance between the hostel and the college is also a point which should be looked into. For girls hostel, security issues should also be looked into.

What do they study?

What do they study?

Here is a list of India's best minds educational achievements. Have a look,not all of them are products of IIT's or IIM's. Some of them for example Sunil Bharti Mittal is a BA. This just proves that only a high end degree can not make you successful in life  The most important things to be a leader are passion, dedication and hardwork and on top of it,a DREAM.

Name	Company	Designation	Education	Institute
Shiv Nadar	HCL Group	Founder and Chairman	BE	PSC College of Technology, Coimbatore
Subroto Bagchi	MindTree	Chairman	BA	Utkal University, Bhubaneshwar
Vineet Nayar	HCL	Vice Chairman & CEO	MBA	XLRI, Jamshedpur
Chandrashekhar Natrajan	TCS	CEO	MCA	Coimbatore Institute Of Technology
Sunil Bharti Mittal	Bharti Airtel	Chairman and Group CEO Of Bharti Enterprises	BA	Punjab University, Chandigarh
Azim Premji	Wipro	Chairman Wipro Technologies	BE	Stanford Univerity, USA
Narayan Murthy	Infosys	Chairman Emeritus	BE/M.Tech	Mysore University/IIT Kanpur

Top 25 Employers In Engineering

Top 25 Employers In Engineering 

(As per Outlook India Survey)

1. NTPC Ltd
2. Microsoft
3. Indian Oil Corp Ltd
4. Cisco Systems
5. IBM
6. TCS
7. Tata Motors
8. L&T
9. Oracle
10. Adobe
11. Informatica
12. Intel
13. D.E. Shaw Group
14. Amazon
15. Ashok Leyland
16. Deloitte
17. Maruti Suzuki
18. Morgan Stanley
19. Infosys
20. Accenture
21. BHEL
22. Coal India Ltd
23. Google
24. McKinsey
25. Schlumberger

Based on number of visits to top campuses over the past three years

World's Top 100 Engineering Colleges

These are the list of best 100 engineering institutes all over world. 

Ranking	Name of the college	Points
1.	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) United States	100.0
2.	University of California, Berkeley United States	93.9
3.	Stanford University United States	85.3
4.	California Institute of Technology (Caltech) United States	81.6
5.	University of Cambridge United Kingdom	76.2
6.	Carnegie Mellon University United States	71.6
7.	Imperial College London United Kingdom	70.9
8.	Georgia Institute of Technology United States	68.9
9.	University of Tokyo Japan	67.4
10.	University of Toronto Canada	66.0
11.	National University of SINGAPORE(NUS) Singapore	64.5
12.	Tsinghua University China	63.4
13.	Eth Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) Switzerland	63.1
14.	University of Oxford United Kingdom	61.6
15.	Princeton University United States	61.5
16	University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) United States	61.4
17.	Delft University of Technology Netherlands	60.4
18.	Mcgill University Canada	60.1
19.	Harvard University United States	59.6
20.	University of Illinois United States	58.4
21	Tokyo Institute of Technology Japan	57.0
22	Kyoto University Japan	56.8
22	University of British Columbia Canada	56.8
24	Cornell University United States	56.4
24	Hong Kong University of Science & Technology Hong Kong	56.4
26	Nanyang Technological University Singapore	55.2
27	University of New South Wales Australia	54.7
28	The University of Melbourne Australia	54.4
29	Technion - Israel Institute of Technology Israel	54.1
30	University of Waterloo Canada	53.9
31	École Polytechnique France	52.6
32	University of Texas at Austin United States	52.0
33	Purdue University United States	50.9
34	Kaist - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology Korea, South	50.5
35	University of California, San Diego United States	50.3
36	Australian National University Australia	49.9
36	Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) India	49.9
38	Peking University China	49.2
38	University of Michigan United States	49.2
40	Technische Universität München Germany	48.7
41	The University of Sydney Australia	48.0
42	Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) India	47.7
43	Seoul National University Korea, South	46.0
44	Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Switzerland	45.2
45	University of Manchester United Kingdom	44.8
46	University of Alberta Canada	44.6
47	Monash University Australia	44.3
48	Shanghai Jiao Tong University China	43.8
49	Eindhoven University of Technology Netherlands	42.3
50	National Taiwan University Taiwan	42.3
51	Osaka University Japan	42.3
52	University of Science and Technology of China China	42.3
53	Texas A&M University United States	41.8
54	Kth, Royal Institute of Technology Sweden	41.5
55	Chalmers University of Technology Sweden	41.3
56	Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Belgium	40.8
56	The University of Auckland New Zealand	40.8
58	Yale University United States	40.7
59	Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VIRGINIA TECH) United States	40.4
60	University of Edinburgh United Kingdom	40.2
61	University of Queensland Australia	40.0
62	University of California, Santa Barbara United States	39.8
63	Columbia University United States	39.5
63	Politecnico di Milano Italy	39.5
65	Technische Universität Berlin Germany	39.3
66	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute United States	38.7
67	Johns Hopkins University United States	38.5
68	Universität Stuttgart Germany	38.0
69	University of Hong Kong Hong Kong	37.3
70	Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) India	37.1
70	Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen Germany	37.1
72	Universität Karlsruhe Germany	37.0
73	University of WISCONSIN-Madison United States	36.9
74	Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) India	36.0
74	The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong	36.0
76	Vienna University of Technology Austria	35.9
77	Technical University of Denmark Denmark	35.8
78	University of Pennsylvania United States	35.0
79	Mcmaster University Canada	34.9
79	Pennsylvania State University United States	34.9
81	Northwestern University United States	34.6
81	University of Maryland United States	34.6
83	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) India	34.5
83	University of Chicago United States	34.5
85	University of Washington United States	34.3
86	Chulalongkorn University Thailand	34.0
87	Université de Montréal Canada	33.9
87	University of Southern California United States	33.9
89	City University of Hong Kong Hong Kong	33.7
90	Bandung Institute of Technology Indonesia	33.5
90	University of Calgary Canada	33.5
92	Fudan University China	33.2
93	Brown University United States	33.1
94	Helsinki University of Technology Tkk Finland	33.0
94	Rmit University Australia	33.0
96	Ucl (University College London) United Kingdom	32.8
96	University of Southampton United Kingdom	32.8
98	Tohoku University Japan	32.7
98	University of Birmingham United Kingdom	32.7
100	École Normale Supérieure, Paris France	32.4

Architect - What, Why and How

Construction is one of the fastest growing sectors in Indian economy. In the last few decades our economy has witnessed hectic and massive construction activities, new structures have been raised, and townships have evolved. All this has importantly led to creation of avenues for those interested in making a career in architect. Architects are the licensed professionals trained in the art and science of building. They are involved in all the phases of the building construction i.e. the functional, safety, economical and have to satisfy the needs of its occupants. They are responsible person for the planning, designing and supervision of construction works for houses, office buildings, skyscrapers, landscapes, and even entire cities.

Architectural Engineering 

Architecture, the science of building, is the visualisation of building blocks. It is the area of study which deals with the designing and planning of buildings and structures and the spaces between them. Architecture is a highly competitive and multi-disciplinary profession which involves a variety of tasks at work. This is a field which covers various fields including spatial design, aesthetics, safety management, material management etc.

Architects are the licensed professionals trained in the art and science of building. They are involved in all the phases of the building construction i.e the functional, safety, economical and has to satisfy the needs of its occupants. They are responsible person for the planning, designing and supervision of construction works for houses, office buildings, skyscrapers, landscapes, and even entire cities. An Architect is a combination of artist, professional and businessperson. They ideates, sketches, makes blueprints of their designs and then sees them come to life as cottages, skyscrapers and even monuments. Apart from designing and construction, architects are trained in activities ranging from conceptual problem solving to project management.

One can rise to a successful position in the field through talent and hard work. Success in this competitive profession is measured by the size of responsibility entrusted to an individual, an invitation to partnership in a firm or, ideally, a well-established private practice.

Course Details and eligibility
A bachelor's degree in architecture (B.Arch) or Diploma in architecture is needed to become a qualified architect. Anybody who has studied Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry at the 10+2 level can apply for admission to study architecture at the graduate level in colleges offering the course. B.Arch is a 5 year course and most schools and colleges select students through a written test. Further on completion of the graduate course one can study architecture at the post graduate course which varies from 18 months to 2 years. The Council of Architecture conducts an aptitude test on an All India basis for admission to colleges of Architecture. Engineering colleges select students on the basis of the result to the appropriate engineering courses. Some other renowned institutes carry their own selection tests to identify suitable candidates.

Entrance Tests : Admission to first year of Five years full time undergraduate course in Architecture (Bachelor of Architecture) in various colleges of India is through National and State level entrance examinations. 

The CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education ) conducts a national level entrance examination- All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) on an All India basis for entry to undergraduate programmes in B. Architecture and B. Planning in government and private institutes. The paper consists of Mathematics, an Aptitude Test and a Drawing test. The National Aptitude test in Architecture (NATA), the online test with drawing exam is conducted by the National Institute of Advanced Studies and Architecture in association with the Council of Architecture (COA). NATA scores are used by admissions authorities of different unaided & Government aided schools / colleges of Architecture, to provide common measures for comparing the qualifications of applicants. NATA measures aesthetic sensitivity, critical thinking, perception, observation and architectural awareness. Entrance to architecture programmes at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT's) is through the national level Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). Private institutes conduct entrance exams of their own. Different states also hold separate entrance exams for admission to architecture and engineering colleges in the state. 

Career Prospects

With the country's current growth in industrial and economic activities, there exists wide employment opportunities for architects, both in the public and private sectors. A qualified architect can work with government organisations like central and state public work departments, housing and urban development corporation, municipalities, city development authorities, state housing boards etc. They are also employed in industrial ventures, consultancy and private architectural firms, teaching institutions, real estate development firms etc. The most privileged scope in the field of architecture is private practice. With some years of experience in an organisation, the architects can set up their own business.

Institutes Offering

Some of the Colleges and Universities offering Graduate/Post-Graduate courses in Architecture are: School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi; Chandigarh College of Architecture, Chandigarh; School of Architecture CEPT, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad; Govt. College of Architecture, Lucknow; College of Architecture, Goa; Sir J J College of Architecture, Mumbai; Indian Education Society's College of Architecture, Mumbai; Marathwada Mitra Mandal College of Architecture, Pune; Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad; College of Engineering, Thiruvananthpuram; Anna University, Chennai; Bengal Engineering College, Howrah; Sushant School of Art and Architecture, Gurgaon; School of Architecture & Interior Designing, New Delhi.

Remuneration

A fresh architectural graduate working as a trainee with established architects starts with a salary of Rs. 10000 - 12000 per month. With in a short span of time, the earnings can rise up to Rs.15000 ? 20000 per month depending upon the experience and the work involved. In the government sectors, the pay scale is not as lucrative as the private sector. Architects practicing through their own firm could earn a lot, and this could be from thousands to lakhs. Consultants charge anywhere between 4 and 10 per cent of the total cost of construction in case of apartments and multi storied buildings.

Career In Animation

Career In Animation

The word animation is derived from a Latin word anima, meaning soul i.e. when life breathes into characters. The art of animation started with the cavemen who used to draw pictures on the rocks surfaces. Then who can forget Walt Disney for the creation of his cartoons especially the Mickey Mouse! In the present sense it means linking the series of drawings and simulating their movements together. It is a rapid display of 2D or 3D images to create an illusion of motion. It is an art form in which inanimate objects are brought into life by sequencing the drawn images.

Animation is emerging a special form of media now days. Animation is growing into a multi-billion dollar industry generating a great scope of employment for those who ready to try their skills into it. From a simple flick book to the computer 3D animation of stories, animation involves a lot of hard work and long hours of meticulous planning. This field being new to the Indian sector has a lot of hidden potential and talent, which needs to be properly groomed and exploited according to the international standards. There are many companies like Walt Disney, I Max and Sony who are ready to outsource their cartoon characters and are ready to invest heavily in this sector in India.

Nature of Work

3D animation is a complete teamwork and works on the creative ideas.3D animation itself is a combination of wide variety of career combinations. The various steps included in the making of a 3D animation movie consists of:

Story → Story Boarding → Character Sketch → Concept creation → Modeling → Environments → Rigging → Character and Mechanical Animation → Storyboard Animation→ Lighting → Texturing → Dynamics → Voice Recording → Digital Editing → Vfx → Final Film

So one can work as a

·         Modeler

·         Layout artist

·         Clean-up artist

·         Scanner operator

·         Digital ink and paint artist

·         Compositor

·         Key frame animator

·         Background artist

·         In-between animator

Every role is crucial for the successful creation of the Animated project.

What you need

As the scope of animation is rising as never before, there are many things that you need to keep in mind while opting for this career. Besides being innovative, you need to be full of ideas and be willing to implement them. Besides this, a degree or a diploma in animation and advanced courses is also requisite for forging ahead and making a place for you in the industry .For a beginner, a preliminary course in 2D and 3D animation is a must. The aspirant may move ahead to any advanced course later. Besides teaching graphics, these courses also aim at pre-production skills such as sketching, storyboarding and creative visualisation.

Career Options/ Scope

There is no dearth of career options in this field. One can be a modeller, layout artist, clean-up artist, key frame animator, background artist and in-between animator in this industry.Gaming industry is fast catching pace these days. There is the excellent prospect for early movers in the industry. It has tremendous potential because of a ready market across the country. Game modellers, rigging artists, game animators, level designers, environment modellers and mobile game designers are some of the latest career options.

India has a much bigger market than Hollywood as the cost of animation related projects is 10 times cheaper than in the United States.” Varun Raja Nemani. a freelance character animation artist. “Globally too it has widened the perspective and scope as a lot of out­sourcing for international companies like Dreamworks, Pixar, Blue Sky and Sony pictures is going on these days.” Some institutes like Academy of Anima­tion and Gaming (AAG) are offering a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in gaming accredited by Karnataka State Open University

Salary

Freshers can expect a start of Rs 5000-10000 depending on their skill and creativity. With time and experience, and depending on skill sets, sky is the limit.