“Bro, have you figured out what you’re going to do in third year?”
“Not yet, there’s so much to choose from, I’m so unsure” 😫
"Same. I really like Marketing but Finance has numbers and HR seems nice. Oh, and BA is booming but ED is so apt."
Are you confused as well?
Worry not! Réveil’s got you covered to help make an informed decision about your third year specialisation.
We interviewed our seniors in each field to understand more about placements, skills, courses, what is to be expected and how to be prepared for the final year. We’ve got the scoop from our seniors and all you have to do is read on for insights like no other!
FINANCE
The most common dilemma faced while picking specialisations - the infamous Finance v/s Marketing. To help you along, here’s an excerpt from our conversation with Aryan Ajit Kurup, who picked finance for its technical course content and for the time value it offers. The massive number of internship and placement opportunities available under the umbrella of finance, was an added bonus ;)
“The best aspect about finance is the strong foundation it offers in terms of financial literacy.” ~ Aryan
Financial knowledge and jargon abundant, a knack for numbers is best suited for a finance major.
“The widespread opinion about finance is that the package associated with finance related roles is definitely a crowd-puller.” ~ Aryan
While choosing a specialisation, placement scenarios are clouded by uncertainty and it is difficult to predict what job you’ll land in. So he primarily chose finance to sharpen his skills.
One thing that he reckons to have given him great clarity about finance is management festing. Festing gives one a better outlook about all the specialisations and also helps one gauge his/her competency. Your major is more about your personal interest than proficiency, so use your first two years to explore wisely.
An inside secret is to not be anxious about what skills are needed to secure a good placement. When companies recruit freshers, they will definitely train the batch from scratch. So instead of worrying about what skills are needed to develop to get placed well, rather focus on learning something that fuels personal areas of interest. Investing time in enhancing skills like financial modelling will give you a good thrust. Strengthening communication skills is always a bonus, and another recommendation is to add value to any internship opportunity by taking up new and innovative initiatives.
One additional skill to pick up which is non-arguable, is Excel. Emphasising that finance as a specialisation requires one to gain a mastery of Excel, Udemy’s courses are the best bet. Another course to bag would be ‘Financial Markets’ by Yale School of Management which equips one with sound financial know-how.
An insider tip is that courses may or may not give you an edge when it comes to placement interviews, as it's very subjective. Courses must be taken up solely for the pursuit of knowledge, so choose wisely!
Finance is sure to boom in future - be it through venture capitalism, mutual funds, and crypto and digital assets being all the rage. But, in order to make the best use of this edge, you need to be competent, interested and focused at all times. Choosing finance merely for clout, without having any interest in the actual field will take you nowhere.
“Do not let the thought of placements limit you from exploring other fields too, placements are not the end of the world.” ~Aryan.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Setting up one's own business is no longer a distant dream, with ED as a specialisation to facilitate this journey in a very lucid manner. Along with great prowess, ED also demands perseverance from students. Medhanshi knew that ED was just the ideal choice for her because of its relevance in today's world and its ability to incorporate all specialisations under its banner.
The speciality of taking up fast-growing and unconventional majors like ED is a breath of fresh air it offers in terms of course content. ED is the answer to the ever buzzing question of whether specialisation is an amalgamation of all other courses. Having a colossal interest in ED can help students establish a strong foothold in other areas because of how versatile the course plan is. ED's curriculum is structured so well that it incorporates the essence of all other fields into one, leaving no room for second thoughts while making choices.
When you muster the courage to set up a new venture, you do not bother about how much money it will yield. It's primarily about its success, and hence ED students aren't fussy about the package their course attracts.
"Most of the specialisation is focused on either family businesses or the creation of these trending packages in the future that everyone desires today" - Medhanshi.
The key to choosing the right specialisation is to self-introspect, narrow the choices down to 2-3 and then make a final decision. Speaking to professionals from an entrepreneurial background and pursuing specific relevant courses will also give one a fair idea about what specialisation they fit in. Being open to learning and constantly developing oneself are two skill-sets that one can work on daily to do well in placement interviews. To get an edge over others, it is recommended that juniors supplement their resumes with many internships and courses. The impression that extra credit courses cast on the recruiter is significant and can help you sail through the placement process smoothly.
The relevance of the courses taken up also plays a vital role in determining its weightage on your resume. Taking up courses on topics such as business psychology, market research, branding, web development, coding, Excel etc., will add tremendous value and expand the bandwidth of your knowledge. A 'go-to' platform to entail whether or not interests spark is Coursera.
"Family business or not, anyone with an entrepreneurial mindset must and should take up ED."- Medhanshi
Medanshi emphasises that ED is the right course for students to venture into startups. ED expeditiously equips one with the knowledge of the whole process, which is rare to find. ED streamlines various subjects for you making it easier to comprehend. Thus, it is a credible specialisation for those focused and determined to shine as successful entrepreneurs.
MARKETING
We all have a hundred-odd thoughts while deciding what subject we want to major in, and
Marketing is undoubtedly the most trending choice for specialisations. We feature here our conversation with Vidush Soni, who chose marketing out of sheer passion for the various avenues available under the huge banner of marketing.
Regarding his choice as the most engaging specialisation among all, the field is driven by passion, creativity and zest. The Marketing Cell of the department - NICHE, plays a vital role in this realm as well. The club’s events make a significant difference to the perspective of marketing that existed priorly and exists now, by bridging the gap between theoretically taught marketing concepts and giving students the hands-on experience of actually bringing them to life.
“Let interest be the sole factor based on which you make your choice. If you are enthusiastic about what you do, you will enjoy the course and appreciate your choice.” - Vidush.
Marketing lives up to its name only when it provides a vibrant environment for students to engage in fruitful group discussions. It allows students to deliberate upon various issues. To retain interest and avoid redundancy in this field, it is recommended one explore newer and market-relevant topics from time to time. Doing so will give them a broader view of what marketing truly stands for. Although there aren’t any specific skills required before entering the marketing specialsiation, but once the decision has been made, it is best to focus on one particular area within marketing to be your niche, and upskill according to its requirements.
“Package is one among many factors that one considers while making a choice. But it is mostly about what you see yourself doing in the future”. - Vidush
Currently, the top marketing roles that are highly in demand are - Digital marketing, Brand marketing, and Content marketing. A well-built resume is the game changer when it comes to placements. They help recruiters rightly gauge one’s personality, and if the resume is well structured with achievements and learnings in the right proportion, one’s journey is halfway through.
When it boils down to enhancing your profile, securing an internship is quite a task, but taking up some short courses before or alongside one’s specialisation will boost both knowledge and confidence to perform well in an internship. Some courses suggested for juniors are marketing courses on Hubspot, Coursera and Edx. Another course called “Branding 101” by the prestigious Wharton Business School available on Coursera is an excellent course to pursue. Taking courses with renowned institutional backings will give one certain leverage and help build a strong foundation in marketing.
Clearing a couple of misconceptions, it is possible to gain a placement in a different stream from marketing. However, the prerequisite to this is a thorough and indepth understanding of the role, and its related work services that are mandated.
Marketing requires students to be open-minded and receptive to extract its essence most sensibly. Vidush says that Marketing is often clouded by uncertainty, and having an open mind will help one accept, introspect and face those problems. Being flexible in the face of change is highly required to handle marketing powerfully.
HUMAN RESOURCES
The HR specialisation prepares students for careers in organisations' personnel or human resource functions by providing them with adequate technical knowledge and skills essential to the field.
To engage with the subject on a deeper level, we had Aishwarya Nayak join us for an interesting discussion. Having demonstrated a keen interest in Organisational Behaviour and having interned as a Talent Acquisitionist and Recruitment Manager, she pursued HR as a specialisation due to the heightened interaction and creative potential the stream offers.
“HR is all about effectively interacting with people”~ Aishwarya
The interaction involved in the HR stream, is the finest component of this specialisation.
Taking the example of Aishwarya’s internship - she performed an average of 70-80 interviews every day, totaling about 500-600. The toughest component of HR, she claims, is when you become a manager and have to lay off people from the firm, terminate them in some situations, critically assess them, and so on. So, while interaction is the finest intrinsic, confronting individuals in such situations might be challenging.
Pro tips on choosing this specialisation include talking to several seniors, connecting with recruitment partners on LinkedIn, interviewing instructors, and reaching out to people with an HR background to truly understand how vast the field is.
The popular know-how required for any student interested in HR would be in terms of the current state of the market, available employment in specific sectors, the attitude of a potential employee, and the skill sets they bring to the table.
From a placement point of view, she advises juniors to develop their soft skills which come of great use during interviews. Recruiters observe one’s confidence and self presentability, and communication and interpersonal skills. Concentrating on developing your negotiation and communication skills is also of vital importance.
Another recommendation is to focus on co-curricular activities alongside the course and encourage students to dedicate time and hone this interest. It’s easy to score some brownie points during the interview by speaking about this area of interest. Marks aside, parallel interests and activities like co-curricular opportunities, culturals and even management festing boost one’s presentability.
More pro tips to ace your profile game include gaining a basic understanding about Excel and data visualisation techniques, that will add value to your resume. Some companies also prefer candidates who can work their way around PowerBI and the SPSS software, which is sure to give an edge.
Highlighting the importance of courses, Aishwarya encourages taking up courses such as Corporate Skills will help one to interact better and overcome situations like stage fear. Keeping a close watch on the additional courses offered by CHRIST’s various departments helps with extra credits as well as deepening knowledge on different fields of study.
She recommends taking up courses about subjects that you are lacking in yet hold relevance at the same time.
She also doesn’t seem to understand this corroboration between a HR role and a bland desk job when there’s so much interaction which takes place between individuals. Well every work follows a routine, be it a HR role or any other role for that matter. At the end of the day, it depends on you how you add an essence to it and make it interesting.
“HR is definitely NOT a bland desk job and solely depends on how much you enjoy doing your job. A lot of roles offered post BBA which have nothing to do with “desk job”. Roles such as Talent Acquisitionist, HeadHunters and HR Analysts are the key ones trending presently.”
High emphasis on the great potential these roles carry! Also within HR, there are a variety of branches such as Training and Development, Compensation, and Payroll Incomplaince which aid one in becoming a coach, consultant or a trainer.
As we approached the end of our discussion, she debunks the misconception that people who aren't good with numbers or who aren't interested in marketing end up in HR. The value of HR should be bolstered by taking a chance on something you're interested in, as its the best way to move forward.
“Do not worry about the associated package. If you enjoy what you do, then that’s justice enough” ~ Aishwarya
BUSINESS ANALYTICS
The Business Analytics specialisation offered by Christ University was only introduced 2-3 years ago and the course has been sailing smoothly since. In order to have a closer look at the divergent facets of the BA specialisation, we had Prachi on board to help us out with our quest.
Here’s an excerpt from the riveting conversation we had with Prachi who pursued the specialisation because she staunchly believes that it has a lot of potential in the future. She picked it since the course is now popular and will play a significant role in the approaching corporate scenario.
“You do ponder for a while before pursuing BA as a specialisation. But I wanted to start my own venture after college, so my decision was career-oriented.” ~ Prachi
So as we are aware, businesses may use business analytics to make better, more informed decisions and achieve a range of objectives. This edge is the paramount reason Prachi states that her choice was driven by passion.
The Business analytics specialisation tends to be engrossing because it incorporates fine practical application. Prachi is ecstatic about the practical application of BA's course material. She cites it as the best part of her specialisation because of its relevance. Prachi evidently expresses her notions pertaining to the vogue of BA. According to her, the popularity and scope of BA in the future intrigued her more than the package associated with BA backed roles.
Other than engaging in conversations with seniors, Prachi did not indulge in abundant research before making her decision. Instead, she preferred to go with the flow.
Her opinion on an aptitude test driven choice of specialisation was strong. She, like others, is of the opinion that an aptitude test can’t be the basis upon which you decide your specialisation. It isn’t really reliable and the choice must be made based on what interests you and what you wis to do 4-5 years down the lane.
From a placements point of view, technical proficiency may not be as viable people deem it to be; recruiters look for good communication and interpersonal skills and recommends her juniors to work on improving these skills. Also during the recruitment process, companies look for good leadership abilities in forum-based selection rounds such as the GD (Group Discussion) round. It is suggested for the first and second years to work on acquiring basic software skills related to MongoDB and Python. Though advanced knowledge about these isn’t required, learning the basics will give one a fair idea until he/she reaches their third year.
Business analytics is a highly analytical subject. Completing certain short courses regarding the basics of AI, Data Analytics, Data visualisation and Python will definitely give one an edge during their course and also after it. Another vital reason for taking up short courses is that more than the knowledge one gets, he/she gets more confidence to handle the subject.
“In a decade, BA will not be a specialisation but it will be taken up as a core subject.”~ Prachi
The world will soon be data driven and this course will hold immense value then. The students pursuing this firmly believe that BA might also transform into a core subject in the future and since the course is still emerging, it’s relevance will be established in the upcoming few years.
On a concluding note, Prachi states that if you are fond of topics such as data visualisation, are eager to study ongoing data trends and R&D specifics, then the course is fit for you and you are fit for it.
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