Dont Keep Science As A Last Option For Career

Bombarded with questions about which Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) he would zero in on to pursue an engineering degree, 14- year- old Sahal Kaushik, the youngest boy to make it to the IIT- JEE toppers list, left everyone stunned when he announced that it was pure science, not engineering, that was his area of primary interest. Keen to arm himself with an M. Sc. in Physics, Kaushik stuck to his ground despite being grilled about his decision. Joining him, another Delhi boy, Satyender Yadav, who stood 50th in the national merit list, also made it clear that he wanted to be a scientist and enroll for research programme.

Despite cut-throat competition and students looking for 'safer options', pure science courses cannot be written off. Pure science has a lot of future. Our nation needs good scientists and there is a lot of research work going on. Plus, how many engineers go into the engineering sector after completing their courses. They mainly go for an MBA after their engineering programme. First of all, pure science is meant for those who want to facilitate scientists, industrialists and the government in bettering their understanding about the laws of nature.

For the growth of a country's industry people who excel in fundamental or pure sciences are required. A cursory glance on the nations where industrial growth happened, whether England, Germany or USA, revealed that work in pure science was promoted there in a big way. The modern pure science is very technical and the research work in this field has a deep impact on the public.

There are many prestigious colleges in india that are promoting students to pursue summer projects in science streams. St Stephen's is one such college.

Who says pure science courses or Online Science Degree are out of fashion? We are going all out to arrange for projects and funds for our students so that they can get ample experience of the field they are interested in. Also interacting and working with researchers increase one's knowledge base.

At the same time, aware about a decline in the number of quality scientists and researchers, country's leading institutes are promoting pure sciences in a big way.

Although the thrust is on theory, institutes are giving emphasis on practical knowledge too. "The Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore; Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore; and National Initiative on Undergraduate Science ( NIUS) are backing pure sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Department of Science and Technology (DST) are encouraging research work. Students, who aren't clear about which line to specialise in, doing a course in pure science will facilitate them to discover their area of interest. College students will get a chance to rub shoulders with people from other fields like humanities and commerce.

The gap between courses and employment opportunities is compressing too, with a number of areas offering ample job offers to graduates. From the pharma industry to petrochemicals, biotechnology, polymers and plastic industry to civil services, students can expect job proposals from several areas.

Though it may take more time for people who are pursuing pure sciences to settle down, the options available to them are numerous. From the banking and insurance sectors to academics, research and the civil services, there are a plenty of options to choose from.