[sachinj12]

It would be helpful if I could get some info

I am graduating as a mechanical engineer this June. I am keen on pursuing Operational Research/Operational Management as major for my MS.


My primary consideration is Germany.

Which universities offer these course?
Which are the best universities for these course?

From what I gather, US of A is the best place to go for these courses. But, I can't afford to study there. Not when the $ has eroded all our wealth

How about UK? Any thoughts?

Also, it would be helpful if some one provided a jist on what Enterprise resource planning is?

Thanks a lot, much appreciated!

[voodoochild]

Originally Posted by sachinj12

It would be helpful if I could get some info

I am graduating as a mechanical engineer this June. I am keen on pursuing Operational Research/Operational Management as major for my MS.


My primary consideration is Germany.

Which universities offer these course?
Which are the best universities for these course?

From what I gather, US of A is the best place to go for these courses. But, I can't afford to study there. Not when the $ has eroded all our wealth

How about UK? Any thoughts?

Also, it would be helpful if some one provided a jist on what Enterprise resource planning is?

Thanks a lot, much appreciated!

Sachin,

A good idea would be to gain some industrial experience in India before heading for a post-graduate degree, especially abroad. There are a lot of organisations in the automotive industry where you can gain useful experience in OR/OM. German univs nowadays seem to put emphasis on work experience (Eg: Kaiserslautern Univ in Germany has introduced 2 years work-ex as a criterion for admission to their CVT course). After a year or two in the industry you can apply for a Masters in Production Technology, Manufacturing Technology etc in Germany. Look through the DAAD website for a list of univs, gather the course curriculum of each of them and select the one you think is appropriate for you.

The university application process is a topic for another day.

Hope this helps somewhat.

Cheers,
Rahul

[ksakotai]

Originally Posted by Saanil

Year 2011 is ending. It is that time again – making New Year resolutions. One thing on my mind is setting my career path straight. Let me explain what I mean to say. I am a civil engineering graduate who passed out this year. Now I am working in an investment bank in the Equity Research division (Yeah I know I am stupid). It was not that I hate Civil engineering but then I did not get a good profile in civil engineering in all the companies that come to our campus for placements. So I am six months into my finance job. Equity research is one thing where it is – either you progress or you move out. You either become a good analyst or you do not. As for now because of my engineering back ground I am a little slow in understanding the financial jargon. I am trying my best to understand all I can about this field – I even gave Level 1 CFA exam which has the basics of Equity Research.

Now the dilemma – Should I stick in Finance or should I move over to Civil (a thing I studied for 5 years).

Saanil

I am seeing this thread only now, so I dont know what your situation is. I am a Quant Analyst by training and experience of 14 years in the US, so I think I can comment on your situation.

If you are mathematically inclined and have a flair for numbers then by all means continue in the quant field. It is different from technical analysis. While in India there is not much activity in pure quant driven investments, even fundamental research requires some amount of model building and quant analysis. I would suggest you stick to your job and learn something new every day. Excel is your best tool for analytical finance - no need for fancy software.

Your CFA degree is from ICFAI? I think better is the "real" CFA certification from AIMR. That carries more weight outside India. Quant analysts are in great demand from hedge funds and others. Fixed Income is not so well follwed as Equity but Fixed Income Analytics is the next big thing. At present India does not have a robus Fixed Income bond market (other than government and some corporate) but in the coming years I see this market exploding.

Good Luck

- Krishnan

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by ksakotai

Saanil

I am seeing this thread only now, so I dont know what your situation is. I am a Quant Analyst by training and experience of 14 years in the US, so I think I can comment on your situation.
- Krishnan

Hi Krishnan - Nice to meet you. I am from an engineering background and getting into finance was tough initially. However I am now somewhat comfortable because I gave my CFA exams – I am pursuing international CFA (AIMR one) and not the Hyderabad one. I have given L2 this June and am awaiting results. My current dilemma is whether to stick with this job or move into something else. It is not that I hate my job but I do not love it either. The model which my organization follows is that my boss (Senior Analyst) sits in London and I am here in Mumbai supporting him – I suppose you know how things work. So most of the communication happens via email and we do sometimes talk on the phone. Now the thing is when your boss is not in the same office you cannot get your doubts/queries cleared. My boss sends me work and I do it – If I do not understand something I just mail him asking for clarifications – but I do not get time to discuss things in detail. The Senior Analysts are very busy people and they do not have time to respond to your queries. Plus currently I am not getting any client interaction which is where the real action happens.

So most of my work is just clerical “Excelgiri”. I am not saying it’s pathetic – this job has given me enough money to live a happy life and I respect that. But when you work like this you kind of feel empty – at some point in your life you want to do some meaningful work. People tell me that everyone has to do this kind of work initially in their career – I will turn 24 this October btw. I think I am not learning more and have stagnated – Either My boss and I find something that makes us both happy or it might become difficult for me to work happily.

[ritz3645]

Why is it so difficult to get into Sap jobs post certification, but no Sap experience.
Will some one guide on the future of Sap jobs.
There are plenty of opportunity in Sap security etc but I do not know the road map to get there. By the way I just got myself Sap sd certified.

[ritz3645]

Dear members,
Seek guidance on my above query regarding Sap Sd jobs, post certification please.
Will appreciate response please.

[WindRide]

Planning to attempt VMware Certified Professional exam.
If someone has got thru this successfully, can you please help me out with the specifics?
Which is the best institute for this exam in Bangalore? and what is the fee?

[avi550m]

Bumping up this thread because I am under a lot of pressure and don't know what to do.

Would just sum up the background and the crossroads I am at now:

I am a B.Com + MBA (Marketing) from one of the so-called more reputed B-Schools in India. After campus placement, I got into an MNC in 2008 which wasn't my first choice, but then, you take what you get in placements. As I was young (22 then), I did not know much about office politics, or indeed, what was expected of me at the workplace (the profile wasn't to my liking either), and got laid off after 1 year. Since the recession was going on then (2009), my parents (who are in the civil services), persuaded me to give it a shot. I spent 1.5 years of my life in that process, but missed out in the Mains Exam. That really depressed me.

In the meantime, as a backup plan, I also wrote the Bank PO exams and got through. This was before my Civils results came out, so I joined in end 2010. After the results came, I have been with this bank, and I am wondering what is so great and coveted about these PSU Jobs.

A. The people around you are complete ignoramuses. They got impressed in the branch when I did a Ctrl + C in excel.
B. The working conditions are horrid. Most of the staff does not do any work, and are rude to customers.
C. All the pressure comes on the only guys who work (mostly the younger staff who recently joined).
D. You can get transferred to any damn place and a new profile which has no relation to your expertise (For e.g. If someone did a Forex Role, they were shifted to a rural branch).


Luckily, I was selected from my batch for a specialised role in Risk Management. This role was supposed to be for at least 3 years, to get the Bank to migrate to new RBI Basel Norms. Now, however, thanks to the unions and bank policy, they want us (the team which was selected for this 1.2 years ago) to be transferred as per the annual transfer policy. Keep in mind, this is after the Bank has spend Rs. Rs. Rs. on specialized training for us.

I am really frustrated and depressed at where my life has turned out. I just turned 27 and have not, I feel achieved anything. The main problem is, I have just drifted from job to entrance exam to job in my career so far. I feel it is going nowhere, mainly because I do now know what I want. (Even though I have read many career books, self-help and success manuals, I am still confused).

The confusion is further exacerbated when my old classmates tell me, 'You're working in the Public Sector. Thanks great!'. To which I want to reply that if it was so damn good why didn't they try and join it. They are certainly smart enough to do so.

In my heart, I studied Marketing and not finance as I loved the concept of Consumer Behaviour, Advertising, Social Media, Market Research. But I realized later that such jobs are not available for freshers. And now with my pathetic experience, I do not know if anyone will even hire me.

Added to this is my bone-headed father, who thinks that the Private Sector is Draconian, and that the PSU job is a gift from heaven. Pressure from him is making me not leave this job, but also making me more miserable.

As part of my depression and anxieties over the past few years, I tried my hand in writing and did a lot of research into yoga, pranayam and other life coaching material. This has interested me a lot, but then, how can I so something when my own life is a mess.

I am at a crossroads. I want to quit in the next 1-2 months. (I have enough savings to manage for another year, money is not the problem). The problem is, I do not know exactly what to do with my life, whether or not I can survive the private sector, or whether I should try my hand at alternative therapies and writing.

I know this has been a really long post, but I do now know who else to ask for an honest, un-opinionated advice.

[Bomi]

Avi550M
I suggest the following:
1. Never quit a job and then look for another one. The new prospective employer will take advantage of your unemployed status.
2. You have acquired a special skill of Basel II norms. Not many have that. You could try searching for jobs in private banks.
3. Or you could go back to marketing. Its easier said than done because everyone will want to know why you want to switch back to marketing from banking.
4. Always remember, that there is sh@t in every job; its a question of is it well below your nose or is it choking you.

[null]

Avi,
I could suggest, continue in the current job and look out for a hobby which can possibly translate into something which can be turned into a profession. Being in a govt job, I would assume, is giving you some luxury to pursue your interests from a time factor. I understand that you are not able to focus on anything because of this pressure, but attempting to do something which you always liked / wanted to, will divert your mind and will keep you focused on that.

Just remember that work is just a part of your life. Explore how to utilize your day better for your personal ambitions than just work.

[Flying Djinn]

avi550m, don't take drastic decisions. You need to ask yourself what interests you, then do a lot of background work in that area (read up on it, talk to people in that area, build a network if possible, upskill) and then quit. If you're convinced you need to invest time in acquiring the skills required, you can go ahead and quit. Take an informed decision.

One option i can recommend is that of Business Analysis/SME positions in IT companies. I work (on the IT side) for the Credit Risk unit of a major bank. We have a few Business Analysts on our team with an MBA background who work on Basel. My company also has a solutions practice which is developing a Basel 2 solution as well. You have SMEs here who define the scope of the solution and work with the developers. This is obviously a much more challenging position and you might even have a lot of freedom in conceptualizing the solution/product given your background over time. I've tried to put it in very simple terms but this is definitely a direction you can consider. I've also seen openings within private banks in this area (recently got an opening from an australian bank). Please delve a bit more and try to talk to people who work in these areas.

Personally, spend time on something that you enjoy and gives you a sense of accomplishment. Music instruments for example. Or may be physical fitness. How secure you are mentally will have a huge positive rub off effect on your professional life as well. Identify professional and personal goals and work at them patiently. Good luck.

[Ananthang]

Hi T BHPians,

Need some inputs on a important career decision, I am planning to make.

I am working for a large IT MNC and with them for the past 9 years. Recently moved to Onsite and in haste moved out of Dev Insurance domain to Healthcare QA testing Staff Aug role.

Problems started when my company manager started targeting me (in front of others and in person) for no reasons.

Even apart from work, he tries to demean me. I once composed a mail to HR, but pulled it off because I just came to US after comprising a lot of things and just want to be in a place for sometime for better Financial stability

But the sense disappointment and lack of motivation is taking a toll. My mind started wandering what next and where I want to be in IT by 2015.

Things are definitely slowing down, so will be the pay, promotion and incentives.

My mind is thinking about SAP. Can I get into SAP. If yes, long time back I heard getting trained and appearing for certification is better from India.

I do not have interest to continue here and getting released to a new project is ok, but how long?

I want to be in a slightly better side, while the golden period of IT is on the down side.

Can I plan a career change. Will this be a good move. Will SAP be a good alternative. If yes where to start from?

[infotech58]

Originally Posted by Ananthang

Hi T BHPians,

Need some inputs on a important career decision, I am planning to make.

My mind is thinking about SAP. Can I get into SAP. If yes, long time back I heard getting trained and appearing for certification is better from India.

Can I plan a career change. Will this be a good move. Will SAP be a good alternative. If yes where to start from?

Why SAP? and what in SAP? At 9 years of experience even after getting certification, getting into a project will be tough because of lack of hands on experience (no manager wants an expensive resource who is only as good as a fresher in that new technology). I have, in last few years, seen people making similar shifts. In most cases, you would end up working your way up from almost scratch. My opinion is that you move into a more suitable role where your you could utilize the skills you have acquired in last 9 years.

[Wheeliej]

If choosing to get certification in SAP, please choose a certified training institute, I think there is still the siemens training institute. They have the authorised training software. The rest of the institutes use demo software but charge high fees.....

[Ananthang]

Originally Posted by infotech58

Why SAP? and what in SAP? At 9 years of experience even after getting certification, getting into a project will be tough because of lack of hands on experience (no manager wants an expensive resource who is only as good as a fresher in that new technology). I have, in last few years, seen people making similar shifts. In most cases, you would end up working your way up from almost scratch. My opinion is that you move into a more suitable role where your you could utilize the skills you have acquired in last 9 years.

Yes, know this issue. But want to be on a slightly niche area. I am into Mainframe and not much legacy Developments are happening.

Even inside our company, getting into a new project is getting very difficult. This is the status from Oct 2011 and it has only worsened further.

Basically one has to hold onto current projects even if there is no growth because no openings inside and outside the company

As you might be aware, none of the project team wants Managers, they have enough already or they have in pipeline waiting. I am not sure how long we can hang on to this thread.

So thought of some change. Since I already have a job in hand, I may have a slight edge as I can try and move in my same company or also try outside.

Dont want to be in a mess, in 2/3 years down the line.