Showing the way to a shining career

RARELY DO youth, otherwise fed on a diet of movies, have an opportunity to attend a meeting where they get to hear from the horse's mouth about the pros and cons of pursuing a particular career.

But, in the age of competition, it is good to learn to swim. Get to know the winning strokes at Valluvar Kottam, which is hosting the first such ambitious project, to provide career guidance to youth.

As the show had a fair share of bureaucrats and a senior police officer on a common platform, the ``civil services as a career'' received pride of place.

In the process, several of the speakers also donned a new role - that of hardselling the civil services, which was once the most sought after and respected career in the country. For the students, it was an eye- opener of sorts as many of the speakers said that the civil services is not altogether a bed of roses. Hailed as the first attempt of its kind by any State Government, the seminar on `The Relevance and Role of Civil Services' was organised by the Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department and it was inaugurated by the Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi.

Adding colour to the career guidance seminar are an exhibition in which several leading computer education institutes such NIIT, SSI, Aptech, book publishers and a few dot.coms had set up stalls. A few institutes had also announced contests.

From the students point of view, it was the more sober stalls put up by the department that proved to be a hit as they had details of job opportunities available in the Government, including the defence services.

Journalist and Union Minister, Mr. Arun Shourie, felt that promotions in the civil services should be merit-based and not time- bound.

Will the fair be a one-time affair? Mr. K. Ashok Vardhan Shetty, engineer and bureaucrat with a feel for academics, said, ``This is just the beginning.'' It will be replicated in all district headquarters.

By N. Ravi Kumar

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Section  : Southern States
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