Resource persons from various fields provided detailed information and rare insights to students of various PU colleges at The Hindu EducationPlus Career Counselling 2026, organised at Shaheen Parvaz Hall in Bidar on Saturday (May 9).
There were nine speakers, but the loudest applause was reserved for Abdul Nasir Mauzam, career counsellor from CIGMA, who spoke about various career choices after PU and degree. He began his talk by saying he will not speak about medicine, engineering, IAS or IPS, but on various other, lesser-known career choices and rewarding professions.
He asked the youth to reflect deeply on their abilities, skills, aptitude, interests, and attitudes, and then attempt to make career choices. He said that the challenge before the earlier generations was scarcity of information about higher education and careers while the present generation is flooded with information that confuses them. “However, we should take information from all, but take our own decisions,’’ he said.
“Each one of you is unique, and that should be the basis for your choice of courses. Be clear about who you are and what you want. Do not imitate the choices of others who may be different from you,’’ he said.
Stating that there are literally thousands of professions and careers, he told students not to lose heart over not getting admission into a particular course or getting a dream job. “The world is bigger than any of us think it is. One can achieve great success in an unplanned field than a planned one,’’ he said. He introduced students to several allied fields in medicine, like tertiary care, physiotherapy, dentistry, AYUSH, yoga, and lifestyle therapy and nursing.
Sachin Gudge, associate professor at Bidar Institute of Medical Sciences, spoke about medicine as a career. “A deep passion for healthcare is a must for medical students as it can be very taxing. Formal education itself takes between 12-14 years and a successful career in medicine requires life-long learning. Doctors have a very busy life and less time for themselves. The doctor-patient relationship is collapsing, mostly due to lack of communication skills from the side of doctors,” he pointed out.
“People expect availability, accessibility, affordability, and communication from doctors. You should be able to develop all such skills if you want to be successful,’’ Dr. Gudge said.
He said that there are several options available to students at undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) levels in medical education. He said that the National Testing Agency had provided a single point of entry for all UG and PG courses through the NEET examination. He described medicine as a dynamic and rewarding career that demands dedication. “Take career choices very seriously and not on a whim,’’ he said.
Parvat Bijaspur, CA, spoke about careers in commerce. “For a career in commerce, you need to have an aptitude for mathematics, be good with numbers, and be hardworking. The CA course is the only national-level examination with the lowest fees. However, the lowest salary package for a CA is ₹36 lakh,” he explained.
“Many parents believe that only medicine and engineering are the trending careers. But that is not true. We should realise this. You should be open-minded and prove yourself to naysayers and never compare yourself with others for wrong reasons,’’ he said.
Vinita Balbhim Patil, principal, Lingaraj Appa College of Engineering, spoke about engineering as a career. “There is a definite threat from the growing use of AI, but fundamental engineering branches are still in demand. Such engineering courses have grown widely and have a far-reaching impact on all walks of life. You need to embrace it, but work hard on proving yourself,’’ Dr. Patil said.
Ramesh Kulkarni, chairman of Sri Mata Manikeshwari PU College, said that character development is more important than building a career. He also urged students to avoid being addicted to social media. “I have a confession to make. I have served in various colleges as a mathematics teacher for over 38 years, but in PU, I had failed in mathematics. I took it as a challenge, cleared the examination in the next attempt, and went on to complete my MSc in Mathematics. The lesson from my life is that initial setbacks should never discourage you,’’ he said. He asked students to shed the notion that Bidar is a backward region and develop positive thinking.
Dayanand J., CET nodal officer, spoke in detail about the CET counselling session. “One’s choice of college and course should be based on a practical self-evaluation of your marks and ranks, not the advice of others who do not have an idea about your rankings. You should always study cut-off ranks before choosing colleges,’’ he said.
Published – May 09, 2026 07:17 pm IST
