This era is of those who take on challenges and grab opportunities: Sudhakar

The Hindu EducationPlus Career Counselling event sees participation from over 1,000 eager students and parents

In the present day, a person can become a billionaire with neither a rupee in the bank nor an inch of land, but only on the back of a brilliant idea. Venture capitalists are waiting for the next big idea that will change lives. This is the new world, a global village, where sitting in Bengaluru one can do business in the United States of America, said K. Sudhakar, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education.

He was speaking after inaugurating the Bengaluru South event of The Hindu Education Plus Career Counselling, 2022, at Mangala Mantapa, NMKRV College, in the city on Saturday. Nearly 1,000 students and parents participated in the event that saw experts from various fields, including engineering and medical, guide students on their career choices. 

The process of selecting a career path is a challenging and complex process, said the Minister, and advised students to widen their horizons and follow their heart, which will stand them in good stead. “With innovations and cutting edge research, almost every sector has become exciting today. This era is going to be for those who take on challenges and grab opportunities,” he said. 

Describing Karnataka as a “destination” for higher education in the country, he said the State had a good education and health ecosystem. We have Indian Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Management, Indian Institute of Science besides top ranking private institutions in medicine, management and several other cutting edge sectors. New fields like animation, artificial intelligence and machine learning have ample opportunities in the state, where Bengaluru is the startup capital of the country, he said. The robust health facilities are evident in how thriving a medical tourism destination the State is, he said.  

Career counsellor Jayaprakash Gandhi said Distributed Ledger Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Extended Reality and Quantum Computing (DARQ) Technology was the future technology and new vistas would open in these sectors. “New technologies are estimated to create 95 million jobs in the next five years. Youngsters must ready themselves acquiring multiple skillsets to acquire these jobs. With technology making its way into all fields including arts, commerce - the world will soon be cashless - graduates from all streams will find job opportunities,” he said, also advising students to learn at least one foreign language. 

H.R. Sudarshan Reddy, regional director of the Visvesvaraya Technological University, said students should not be swayed by trends in placement and colleges in choosing courses and their subjects. “First you need to decide what you want to become, what excites you and then choose the course accordingly. A branch of engineering or a college will never make your career, but your interest and passion for the subject will,” he said.

S. Kumar, executive secretary of COMED-K, and S. Ravi, principal at Government Girls PU College and former public relations officer of Karnataka Examinations Authority, briefed the students in detail about COMED-K and CET exams, its modalities, counselling and selection of courses and seats during the process. They answered several queries raised by students.