9 Distance programmes that assure careers!

From a BA in Applied Sign Language Studies to an MSc in Dietetics and Food Service Management (DFSM), get savvy.

For a long time distance learning institutes were associated with regular courses in Humanities and Social Sciences with a few adventurous ones such as Annamalai venturing into Science streams as well. But in recent years, DL institutions have moved towards courses that have immediate employment potential. Offered in association with either a private institute or a corporation, these programmes have become a rage, though issues of quality, governance, academic control and cost do arise in these cases. But their ability to generate employable graduates is not in question anymore.

BA in Applied Sign Language Studies

University: IGNOU
Duration: 3 years
Fee: Rs. 36,000
Eligibility: English literacy level must be equivalent to IELTS score of 4.5 for writing skills (intermediate level) and an equivalent of IELTS 5.0 for reading skills (upper intermediate level)
Address: Programme Coordinator, BAASLS
IGNOU, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110068
Website: www.ignou.ac.in

This programme is jointly offered by IGNOU and University of Central Lancashire, (UCLan), UK, and aims to produce sign language teachers, teacher trainers, literacy support teachers and project workers in the specialised area of sign languages and deaf communities.

The course is taught in Sign Language and English, and is flexible so that students can study a range of modules according to their interest. Focus areas include pedagogical practices in language teaching modules and dissertation modules. The university offers a number of scholarships too.

MCom in Business Policy and Corporate Governance

University: IGNOU
Duration: 2 years
Fee: Rs. 6,000
Eligibility: Graduate in any discipline or equivalent qualifications from a recognised university/ institute and b. Pass in Company Secretaryship executive programme
Address: IGNOU, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110068
Website: www.ignou.ac.in

This programme is designed and developed in collaboration with the Institute of Company Secretaries of India, exclusively for the Company Secretaryship professional programme students. Students can simultaneously study this MCom programme along with the Company Secretaryship professional programme offered by ICSI.

The main objective of this programme is to develop skills and competencies of the students in business policy and corporate governance. The programme comprises 12 courses of which IGNOU offers four (which are a part of existing MCom programme) and ICSI offers eight (which are a part of CS professional programme).

MA in Participatory Development

University: IGNOU
Duration: 2 years
Fee: Rs. 25,000
Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree in any discipline
Address: Centre for Extension Education (CEE), IGNOU, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110068
Website: www.ignou.ac.in

The programme focuses on understanding poverty and sustainable development. It introduces students to different models of social policy formulations and its relevance to social planning and development. Completion of first, second and third semester makes the student eligible for Advanced Diploma, and on completion of all the four semesters, a Master’s degree is awarded.

Distance delivery includes print materials, audio-visual CDs, guest faculty and engaged communication through web-enabled bulletin board services. On completion the programme makes one eligible to work for developmental institutions and NGOs, amongst others.

MSc in Dietetics and Food Service Management (DFSM)

University: IGNOU
Duration: 2 years
Fee: Rs. 19,900
Eligibility: Graduation in select streams (check website for details)
Address: School of Continuing Education
IGNOU, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110068
Website: www.ignou.ac.in

This course is designed to help working professionals like dietitians, nutrition counsellors and food service managers, who want to enhance their career prospects in the healthcare, fitness and hospitality sector. It focuses on areas such as Applied Physiology, Nutritional Biochemistry, Food Safety and Food Microbiology, and provides theoretical and practical guidance on all aspects of dietetics, from promotion of health to management of diseases.

The medium of instruction is English and there is an arrangement for teleconferences and contact sessions. A unique feature of the programme is that one can exit it after one year, having earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Dietetics and Public Nutrition. Contacts classes in select locations supplement the learning process.

MSc in Geoinformatics

Institute: Annamalai University
Duration: 2 years
Fee: Rs. 17,750
Eligibility: A pass in UG degree programmes in Science/ Engineering/ Agriculture
Address: Directorate of Distance Education, Annamalainagar-608002
Website: www.annamalaiuniversity.ac.in

Geoinformatics deals with science infrastructure to address the problems of geography and geosciences. It combines geospatial analysis and modelling, development of geospatial databases, information systems design, human-computer interaction and both wired and wireless networking technologies. Subjects such as Digital Image Processing, Satellite Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) are part of the curriculum.

GIS analysis has become an integral part of complex fields such as disaster management, watershed management, environmental assessment, and risk assessment. Students after graduating in Geoinformatics can find opportunities such as the development of in-car navigation systems, automatic vehicle location systems, Geographical mapping and remote sensing, transportation planning and engineering, environmental modeling and analysis, urban planning, telecommunications, agriculture and public health.

BSc in Visual Communication

University: Annamalai University
Duration: 3 years
Fee: Rs. 28,300
Eligibility: Higher Secondary (10+2)
Address: Directorate of Distance Education, Annamalainagar-608002
Website: www.annamalaiuniversity.ac.in

This programme is the first step towards a successful future for those interested in becoming animators, graphic and web designers. Visual communication is the conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon and primarily associated with two-dimensional images, it includes: art, signs, photography, typography, drawing, graphic design, illustration, colour and electronic resources.

The programme in Visual Communication aims to impart practical training and develop working knowledge in computer for effectively communicating through medium such as Television, Graphics and Animation. Subjects such as Computer Concepts and Office Automation Tools, Photography and Video Editing and Television Production are part of the curriculum. The boom in animation industry has made the programme an attractive destination.

Certificate course in employability skills

Intitute: Institute of Management Technology (IMT) in collaboration with National Law University, Jodhpur
Duration: 2 years
Eligibility: Graduate with 50% marks in aggregate.
Fee: Rs.100,000
Address: A-16, Site 3, UPSIDC Industrial Area, Meerut Road, Ghaziabad - 201003 Website: www.imtcdl.ac.in

The boom in the Indian economy has enhanced the need for skilled manpower. In order to supplement the technical skills acquired during graduation or other formal education, NIIT and IGNOU have announced Finishing School Programmes.

Students opting for IGNOU-NIIT programs will get placement support from NIIT. While NIIT will design and develop and market the programmes and carry out the education delivery, IGNOU will approve admission, design curriculum, consolidate results and award degrees. The programmes will be delivered at NIIT premises through qualified instructors.

The course provides knowledge about Workplace Mannerisms, Business Writing and Presentation Skills. It also guides on how to prepare a good résumé and crack the GD (s) and Personal Interview. This programme is also targeted at working professionals and job seekers. At the end of this programme, students would be in a position to apply for Executive Assistants, Office Managers and Personal Secretary, amongst others. It caters to skill development in a hitherto unattended sector which has good potential. Students with a pleasing personality and excellent communication skills stand a good chance of getting real value out of the course.

MS in Cyber Law and Security

Institute: NIIT in collaboration with IGNOU
Duration: 91 hours
Eligibility: Graduates/final year students of all streams
Fee: Rs. 3,500
Address: NIIT Delhi,D-5 South Extension Part II, New Delhi
Website: www.niit.com/Pages/DefaultINDIA.aspx

Recent advancements in IT have revolutionised almost all the arenas of human endeavor. To understand the dynamics of cyber security and cyber law matrix, techno-legal professionals with the blended skills of law and technology are highly required.

The proposed collaborative course of NLU and IMT - CDL aims to develop the skills to tackle cyber security issues with a technological ground. It also aims to provide understanding of national and international regulations and paradigms regarding cyber law.

The proposed programme will have two parts namely (i) Cyber Law and (ii) Cyber Security. A total of 16 courses are offered under this programme with 4 papers in each semester. 8 courses are related to various issues of Cyber Security and remaining 8 courses to Cyber Law. Online classes are conducted for this programme.

MBA in Shipping and Logistics

University: Tamil Nadu Open University
Duration: 2 years
Eligibility: Graduate or Mariners with 6 years experience post 10+2
Fee: Rs. 60,000
Address: Tamil Nadu Open University
Directorate of Technical Education Campus
Guindy, Chennai 600 025
Website: www.tnou.ac.in

This sector-specific management programme aims to equip seafarers (people employed on board ships) seeking a career change to land-based employment in Shipping and Logistics companies. It also targets people working in Shipping and Logistics companies desirous of career advancement and fresh graduates interested in pursuing careers with Shipping and Logistics companies.

The programme aims to equip the students with adequate skills and knowledge in General Management functional areas and in the Shipping and Logistics business sectors. 32 percent of courses in the first year and 52 percent of the courses in the second year are oriented to Shipping and Logistics sector that would help students gain an overall perspective of the sector. The programme would provide the learners knowledge on the various modern Management theories and their applications in the Shipping and Logistics Industry.

Cloud computing to create one lakh jobs in India: Study

Indo Asian News Service, On Tuesday 19 July 2011, 10:24 PM

Bangalore, July 19 (IANS) As the next technology wave, cloud computing by enterprises has the potential to create about 100,000 new jobs in India, a study said Tuesday.

'Of the projected $4.5-billion total cloud computing market in India by 2015, private cloud will account for $3.5 billion, generate about 100,000 additional jobs and save about 50 percent of cost of IT operations for Indian enterprises,' the study 'Private Cloud Landscape in India', by Zinnov Management Consulting and global IT firm EMC Corporation, revealed.

In cloud computing, multiple servers are used as a single platform through a digital network (website) under secured environment with access to a range of applications and tools for reducing the cost of IT operations.

Cloud computing is emerging as the next big IT service for its pay-as-you-go model, which eliminates capital intensive investment by companies, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in setting up IT infrastructure.

Spend on using cloud by information technology and back office firms, telecos, BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), manufacturing and government organisations is set to increase to 8.2 percent over the next five years from 1.4 percent in 2010.

'There will be an increased preference of cloud adoption over the next five years in India. The total cloud market, which was about $400 million in 2010, is expected to growth by a whopping 60 percent annually with private cloud dominating the landscape,' Zinnov chief executive Pari Natrajan told reporters here.

Though vendors with partnerships are better positioned to address enterprise needs, the survey noted that many Indian firms would have to invest in competency building to take advantage of cloud computing technologies as they were under-skilled in meeting the growing requirement.

'Cloud computing will reshape the Indian IT market by generating new opportunities for vendors and driving changes in traditional IT offerings,' Natarajan pointed out.

Companies and organisations, which have not adopted IT so far or invested in data centres and server farms will have the advantage of directly moving to the low-cost cloud model.

'For cloud computing to deliver its promise, customers need human resources with cloud computing competencies, both as vendors or as internal resources. Though there are vendors such as ours (EMC) offering the solution to customers for making informed decisions, we need to build competencies to leverage cloud computing technologies,' EMC India president Manoj Chugh said on the occasion.

The findings are based on a survey of over 100 chief information officers (CIOs) and IT decision-makers in India across industry verticals conducted during January-May 2011.

9 Steps 2 Achieve Your Goal

9 Steps 2 Achieve Your Goal, Read more after the break...




1> Define your goal


The first step is to define your goal. Perhaps you've always dreamt about running a race or learning a new language? Maybe you're determined to seek a promotion or you simply want to shed a few kilos. Consider everything. What would you do if you had more time? What would you like to accomplish in the future? What do you regret about the past? In the words of motivational speaker Les Brown , "Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life." Whatever you choose, make sure your goal is specific, achievable and tangible.


2> Set your deadline


A goal without a deadline can be forever postponed, so set a deadline and aim to be as realistic as possible. If your goal is to lose a certain amount of weight for example, count on losing 2 pounds (around one kilo) per week. If you have your eye on that promotion, think about when your next appraisal is scheduled or another opportunity when you will have the chance to shine. Diana Scharf Hunt, author of The Tao of Time (Fireside), summed it up perfectly by saying, "Goals are dreams with deadlines."


3> Identify your purpose 


True motivation comes from understanding your underlying purpose, so think about what that is. Ensure your goal is something that you really want and not what others want you to do. Ensure also, that the goal you have set is in line with your overall purpose. If your purpose is to get fit, then a weight-loss goal may not be in line with this - it is possible to be slim, but still be unfit. Instead, it should rather be, "To achieve the same fitness levels I had when I was 20".


4> Recognize the benefits


Determine, and better still, write down, the benefits you expect to enjoy from reaching your goal. Ask yourself what you will achieve from conquering your goal? Defining the benefits will help you to overcome moments of weakness. Evaluate these carefully and your goals will become much more attainable and your motivation increased. Lucy Mackintosh, NLP Coach and founder of The Law of Attraction Group in Dubai  says, "Write them on post-it notes and stick them on the fridge, in the car, on a mirror; by never losing sight of the benefits of success, your goal will remain at the forefront of your mind which will only strengthen your resolve."


5> Instill self-belief 


You must believe your goal is achievable; unless you believe you can 100 per cent reach it, you will have no true motivation. Those who think they can and those who think they can't are both right; the power of positive thinking knows no end. According to Carolyn Mitchell, NLP Life Coach and owner of Blue Sky Life Coaching , "Affirmations are an excellent tool to promote self-belief and assure ourselves of positive outcomes. Begin with fast forwarding to the time when you have achieved your goal. Learn what it feels like [in your mind] to experience what the success of achieving your goal means to you. Feel it or see it for yourself. Once you have learned what success feels like, you simply can't unlearn' it. By writing, reading and re-experiencing those feelings of success over and over again you are essentially telling yourself what you want by believing that you already have it."


6> Spot the Obstacles 


Now identify your potential obstacles. When suddenly faced with obstacles it can be difficult to remain focused and energetic. They can sap your energy, time and enthusiasm. What may hinder your progress? Old habits die hard and current mindsets can be difficult to shift, but identifying the obstacles will prepare you for the road ahead - forewarned is forearmed after all. "Be perfectly honest with yourself," says Carolyn, "this is the only way to identify all the possible problem areas. And only when you identify these can you develop strategies to minimise them."


7> Seek the Solutions


Think about how you can overcome these obstacles. What in your life needs changing? This is your opportunity to plan your strategies for handling the setbacks. If you consider each obstacle, one by one, you can easily identify a suitable solution; this may mean a change to your usual routine, enlisting the support of a friend or family member or a change to your current mindset. "If you can't find the solution yourself then ask someone who has achieved a similar goal how they did it" says Lucy, "or imagine you are sitting with a role model, a top athlete, for example. Ask them what to do and then put yourself in their shoes and give the advice they would give."


8> practise visualisation


Take time to imagine that you have achieved your goal. What is it like? How do you feel? Excited? Exuberant? How has your life changed? How does it look, feel or sound? Capture that moment in your head and never lose sight of it. Try to make your vision so clear that you can perceive it with all five senses. The clearer the image in your mind, the easier it is to manifest into reality or in the words of Napoleon Hill, author of Think & Grow Rich (Ballantine Books), "What the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve."


9> Create your action plan


Create a step-by-step action plan detailing exactly what you need to do to achieve the goal. Remember in step one we identified that goals are the road maps that guide you? Well think of your action plan as the specific directions to get you to your destination, via the quickest and easiest route possible. Depending on the nature of your goal, identify any major milestones necessary to achieve it, then break down each milestone into specific tasks or steps. Sometimes just knowing where to start is hard, in which case enlist the support of others, be it friends, colleagues or a support group. Be prepared to journal the process. Writing things down helps to collate our thoughts, handle potholes and identify and deal with weaknesses. Strive to make progress every day. Every single day. And tell everyone you know about your goal - accountability is a great way to ensure that you do what needs to be done.

10 Steps To Success

10 Steps To Success

1. Self-Belief:
Success is begins in the mind. One has to be a believer, first, if one wishes to be an achiever. Never under-estimate yourself. You have no idea how often can you surprise yourself. So to begin with, let's get in the belief, "I Can."

2. Clarity of Vision:
There is no point running around without knowing where one wants to reach. you must get your job cut out. Greatest achievers in the world have been visionaries. Know exactly what you are best at and give it your best shot.

3. Setting the Right Goals:
The goals should be realistic .The goals should be achievable ,and yet challenging enough - neither too easy nor too difficult -something in the middle.

4. Be focused:
If the sun's rays are focused on a piece of paper with a lens, the intensity of the concentrated energy burns the paper. Focus on your objective will enhance the intensity of the effects of your efforts.

5. No Short Cuts to Success:
There are no short cuts to success. Divide your overall goals into smaller targets. Divide your monthly plans into weekly and weekly plans into daily plans and see how simple can things be.

6. Take Risks:
Without any risk no progress is possible. Life comes to a stable standstill. People who take chances are the people who get ahead in life. The only way to reduce risk is to take risks.

7. Take the Initiative:
People who take the initiative make the most of their lives. Proactive people do not wait for success to happen; rather they make it happen. As they say, 'JUST DO IT'.

8. Never Hesitate to Struggle:
No one has ever climbed a mountain just by looking at it. Struggle, hard struggle, is a key to success.

9. Own Responsibility:
Failure to hit the bull's eye is never the fault of the target. People, who own complete responsibility of their lives, are the people who make the most of it.

10. Never Give Up:
Many people who failed in life, where those who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. Success demands extra-ordinary amount of perseverance. Never, never, give up.

Have a Nice Day

Finally: Java 7 Release Candidate Available for Download

This post is part of our ReadWriteHack channel, which is a resource and guide for developers. The channel is sponsored by the Intel AppUp Developer Program. As you're exploring these resources, check out this helpful resource from our sponsors: AIR for AppUp: What You Need To Know

Well, here it is: the official Java Development Kit (JDK) 7 release candidate. It's the first new version of Java in five years, and the first since Oracle took over Sun. It feels like more of a stop-gap release while Oracle readies Java 8, but it's still noteworthy.

The first general release of Java 7 will be July 28.

Here's a run down of what's new in Java 7:

• JSR 292: Support for dynamically-typed languages (InvokeDynamic)
• Strict class-file checking
• JSR 334: Small language enhancements (Project Coin)
• Upgrade class-loader architecture
• Method to close a URLClassLoader
• Concurrency and collections updates (jsr166y)
• Unicode 6.0
• Locale enhancement
• Separate user locale and user-interface locale
• JSR 203: More new I/O APIs for the Java platform (NIO.2) (turorial on File I/O)
• NIO.2 filesystem provider for zip/jar archives
• SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol)
• SDP (Sockets Direct Protocol)
• Use the Windows Vista IPv6 stack
• TLS 1.2
• Elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC)
• JDBC 4.1
• XRender pipeline for Java 2D
• Create new platform APIs for 6u10 graphics features
• Nimbus look-and-feel for Swing
• Swing JLayer component
• Update the XML stack
• Enhanced JMX Agent and MBeans

Last year the Apache Software Foundation voted against Java 7 and eventually left the Java Community Process over a lack of openness in the Java specification process.

Meanwhile, as we've reported Oracle is already hard at work on Java 8. Here are the goals for the next big version:

Exploiting the opportunities of multi-core CPUs in a way that is safe and practical for programmers is essential for all Java applications.

Modularity is a fundamental building block for developing, deploying, managing, and evolving all Java applications. Existing frameworks and tools support these tasks today, but standardization in the Java SE Platform would promote interoperability and benefit developers, users, and vendors.

While it may seem like Java is a little past its prime at this point, we've made the case that Java isn't dying, it's mutating. Just yesterday we looked at how Java use is expanding at Twitter, and along with the JVM-based language Scala. Also, Clojure, which runs on the JVM, has been getting hot. And of course Java is still the primary language for working with technologies such as Apache Hadoop and Neo4j.

New RBI rule squeezes fund flow to realty

A recent directive by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to banks has added to the woes of the realty sector, which has already been impacted by high interest rates and poor sales.

The directive has cautioned banks against lending to the sector and also urged them to check the balance sheets of developers as well as valuations quoted by them carefully before sanctioning loans.

A lot of frauds have been committed by borrowers who submitted forged documents that were certified by independent agencies or chartered accountants, the central bank observed.

"In case of loan against the security of land, banks may also seek reports from local revenue authorities regarding the title deeds before sanctioning the loan," RBI said in a notice to chairpersons and chief executive officers (CEOs) of banks.

"Wherever documents of title are submitted as security for loans, there should be a system where documents of title are subject to verification regarding their genuineness, especially for large- value loans," RBI said in a notification last week.

The notification was the direct fallout of developers quoting very high property valuations and has had an immediate impact on the sector, which is already parched for funds because of low sales and a high debt portfolio.

"Banks have in the last six months been cautious about lending to the realty sector because of the various scams surrounding it. Now, after the RBI directive, banks are keeping realty companies at bay," said a senior official of the State Bank of India. The bank has already rejected half- a- dozen loan requests from various developers in the last week itself.

Similar views were also aired by officials of other banks.

" We are very cautions in sanctioning loans to realty companies and also while giving home loans. We are sanctioning loans only to developers whose track records are very clean. These days we are avoiding sanctioning big- ticket loans to developers.

We have rejected a couple of loan requests after the directive and are carefully examining the balance sheets of companies," an official of Punjab National Bank told MAIL TODAY.

People applying for home loans are also feeling the impact. Banks said that they are lending only to those buyers who have a very clean track record and a high capability to repay the loans.

Developers confirm that banks have become cautious in lending to the sector.

"Banks are extremely cautious and selective in lending money to real estate players. Only a few players, who have good track records in terms of repayment of loan and overall past experience are being lent money by the banks," said Naveen Raheja, chairman and managing director, Raheja Developers.

"The banks are not lending to troubled projects or to developers who have a record of delays or have a large debt portfolio," Raheja added.

As most of the developers are facing difficulty in getting funds for construction, they are opting for plot sales. Even large developers such as DLF, Unitech, Sobha, and Lodha Developers are selling plots instead of developed land to generate funds.

CAUSE FOR CONCERN

The notification by RBI is the direct fallout of developers quoting high property valuations.

The central bank says frauds have been committed by borrowers who submitted forged documents that were certified by independent agencies or chartered accountants.

RAISING ALARM

RBI cautions banks against lending to realty sector.

It urges banks to check developers' balance sheets and valuations quoted by them carefully before sanctioning loans. The apex bank also stresses the need to verify documents of title submitted as security for loans.

How to Use Strong and Secure Passwords

Article about how we can come up with string and secure passwords. Explains the methods hackers use for breaking into the accounts and also tells about a few password managers.

In all probability, most of us would be aware that using obvious or guessable passwords such as “password” or your pet's name isn't a good idea at all.

But then what options do you really have to come up with astrong and secure password?

First things first, you should have a different, fairly long and very strong password for each account. It's tempting to use the same password for all of your online accounts, but doing so puts every account in jeopardy if one of them gets hacked.

To break into accounts, hackers often employ a method called “dictionary attack”, which involves using words straight from the dictionary to guess the passwords. So it is strongly recommended that you don't use standard words as your passwords; rather try creating meaningless words from a combination of letters, numbers and symbols. And don't just replace letters in a word with a simple (e.g. 'A' with the @ symbol) because that's a very common trick. The password can be strengthened by using a blend of lower and uppercase letters.

The password should be quite complicated. But still, try and use something which you would be able to remember. Come up with something which incorporates various alphanumeric characters. Ideally, it should be a mnemonic sort of thing which you can instantly memorise. But if you see that this is not happening then spend some time in memorizing that password.

Now remembering more than one passwords can be a daunting task. This is where a password manager comes into the picture. KeePass is a fairly good, free password-management tool that runs on Windows and Mac OS X. It stores all the passwords in one encrypted database which can be accessed by a single master password.

Then there's a multi-platform password manager called LastPass which comes with the capability of auto-syncing different computers and browsers, thereby, giving you the access to your encrypted databasefrom any device. However, the catch here is that you sacrifice the security of keeping your password list combined to a single drive.

These password managers are great but not 100% safe. The best password is the one you generate yourself, which is highly complicated with a mix of upper and lower case letters, symbols and numbers. The trick lies in picking up a short phrase or a long word and get creative with it.