Career Talk with DR VIBHA GUPTA

Dr Vibha Gupta, a feature writer, is a Ph.D. in Mathematics from IIT Roorkee. Her book, Careers: A Pathfinder, and articles in various publications are an attempt to guide students in choosing a career according to their natural strengths, talents and skills.

- DR VIBHA GUPTA

I am a student of Class 11 (Science, PCB) and I am very interested in Zoology. I want to pursue Zoology further and become a zoologist. Please suggest courses that I could do after my 12th. Do I need to appear for NEET? Does this career have a good scope in India? Also, physics is not my strong point.

Ishika Barad (16) / Gujarat

NEET is an exam for the admission in dental, medical, nursing and AYUSH courses in India. But in order to become a zoologist, you need to go for B.Sc. (Hons) in Zoology, followed by postgraduation and Ph.D. 

B.Sc. is a three-year programme for which admission is usually done on the basis of marks in 10+2. Some universities conduct national-level UG entrance exams for admission in zoology courses. M.Sc. in Zoology is a 2-year full-time postgraduate course that focuses on the genetics, evolution, classification, etc., of animals.

You may work in public and private sectors as an animal behaviourist, conservationist, wildlife biologist, zoo curator, wildlife educator, zoology faculty and forensic expert.

What is the scope for doing an MBA in the U.S.A.?

Palak (17) / MIT, Pune

Studying abroad will give you an opportunity to experience a multicultural environment, tradition and lifestyle. But there is a lot of money involved as the fees and cost of living are both high. Apart from that, there are the hassles of sponsorship, visa, etc.

Still, it’s easier to do an MBA abroad as GMAT is easier than CAT. So if getting a 99+ percentile on CAT is not your cup of tea, then take the GMAT. But keep in mind that it’s not worth spending so much money unless you are getting an MBA from one of the top 10 to 15 MBA universities.