A. Although each of these positions typically requires more or less the same academic qualifications, they vary in job content, hierarchy and salary (larger companies pay more).

Database programmer: Responsibilities include writing efficient/optimal code to communicate with the database; writing server and user interface programs to handle business logic.

Qualifications: MCA/ BTech etc with 0-3 years.

Database administrator: Optimises the database, tunes applications, takes backups and ensures security.

Qualifications: 1-2 years work experience on Sybase, SQL Server or Oracle DBA after BTech/BE MCA/MSc (IT)/PGDCA.

Database architect: Consults with project teams, designs optimal and efficient databases, suggests database configurations and security schemes (5-8 years).

Qualifications: BE BTech/ MCA for all. Knowledge of Oracle and Oracle Apps/Sybase/MS SQL/Mainframe DB2 / UDB DB2 etc.

Alternatively, you can apply for admission to these institutes after graduation.

A.  IGNOU's Master of Arts Education Programme is an innovative programme that provides a wide and comprehensive understanding of education covering a variety of areas ranging from understanding the concept of education to understanding how knowledge is generated in education.

The course will help you acquire a higher level of specialisation in one of the following aspects of education: Higher education, distance education, educational technology or educational management. The objective of the programme is to produce of well-trained professionals who are knowledgeable in education and its various dimensions.

More specifically, it intends to:

•  provide learning-experience, which will enable you to understand and appreciate knowledge structures and paradigms of education;
  
•  develop professionals for effective participation in different areas of education;
  
• create a community of scholars adequately equipped for participation in
  

Total number of credits: 68. You must cover 34 credits each year. The dissertation work in Year 2 carries 10 Credits

Eligibility: A Bachelor's Degree (any discipline) with/without a degree in education. Hence, you are eligible. You can complete the programme in a minimum of two years and in a maximum of five years.

Medium of instruction: English

Fee: Rs 10,000 for the entire programme (one instalment).

The multi-media instructional mode combines self-instructional print material, audio/video components, assignments, counselling sessions, teleconferencing, interactive radio counselling, and dissertation work. More details: www.ignou.ac.in.

Other institutes offering degree or postgraduate diploma courses in clinical psychology include MS University (Baroda), University of Mumbai, SNDT Women's University (Mumbai) and Patna University .

Admission to most postgraduate degree programmes in Psychology requires a minimum 50 per cent in graduation and clearing an entrance test.

Clinical psychologists work in hospitals, nursing homes, psychiatric clinics and with healthcare professionals, or set up their own clinics.

For entry into any of the administrative services, you need to be a graduate in any subject. For the civil services examination, a graduate degree in subjects like History Sociology and Political , Science is useful. You can also consider degree programmes in law, journalism or information technology (IT) before you apply for the civil services exam, but you need to keep in mind detailed academic knowledge of least two subjects is required for the exam.

While law is one of the areas that you can choose from a 22 subjects that you can opt for the exam, journalism and IT are not. The complete list of subjects for the civil services exam is given on the UPSC website www.upsc.gov.in.

The civil services exam is held in two phases -- preliminary exam is held in May/June and consists of two papers on General Studies and an optional subject from a list of around 22 different subjects. Those who pass this exam are then called for the main exam, which consists of eight papers and is held around November/December each year. The Mains exam comprises two language papers, one in English and the other in an optional Indian language, two general studies papers, and four papers on two optional subjects. These papers are subjective/ essay type papers.

The General Studies papers cover topics related to current events of national and international importance, Indian history and geography, as well as topics in general science.

Those who pass this test qualify for the final stage which is an oral interview.

A. You have not mentioned what you are studying presently but I hope you are aware that you need to specialise in aeronautical / aerospace engineering at an advanced level to be an astronaut.

The men and women who make up America's astronaut corps must possess a unique blend of personality traits. A glance at the biographies of the less than one per cent who do make it through NASA's weeklong screening process reveals top scholars, decorated pilots, and accomplished scientists.

Astronauts spend years training before they can lift off into space. They learn to operate shuttles, perform experiments in zero gravity (and eat bugs if they must survive in the wilderness should a practice flight go out of control).

Early missions used to be short and dangerous. Now astronauts are trained for the long haul. So, you must be capable of negotiating long periods of isolation, extended confinement, boredom and uncertainty drawing on inner resources to sustain yourself.

Interestingly, over a third of NASA employees are of Indian origin.

The NASA-Ames Research Center has implemented a new automated recruiting and staffing system called NASA STARS. For more information on how to apply, please visit the NASA website http://hr.arc.nasa.gov/students/index.html.

For information on other student programmes or job opportunities, you can check out the following websites. For jobs at NASA, log on to www.nasajobs. nasa.gov.

For federal government student jobs, visit www.studentjobs.gov.

For the education associates programme (EAP), check out http://edassoc.arc.nasa.gov.

For the undergraduate student research programme (USRP), log on to http://education.nasa.gov/usrp.

There are several all-India exams for admission to MBA programmes. CAT, the Common Entrance Test, is held in December/January for admission to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) at Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore and Kozhikode, and some other prestigious management schools. For details check www.iima.ac.in. The MAT (Management Aptitude Test) is conducted by the All India Management Aptitude Testing Service for selection to many management institutes that are not covered by the CAT.

This is held in May every year. Check www.aimaind.org for more information on this. The Xavier Institutes of Management (www.xlri.edu) and some other management institutes hold XAT, while the Symbiosis group of institutes organises SNAP. The XAT test is held in early January while the SNAP test is held in December.

Check www.snaptest.org for details.

It is best suited for executives who want to extensively enhance their skills in finance. The CFA course is offered by ICFAI University and is a three-year (correspondence) postgraduate programme. Applicants should be graduates in any discipline with at least 50 per cent marks.

They should be minimum 18 years of age.

Admission is based on an admission exam, which tests the candidate's aptitude for professional studies in financial analysis.

One needs to clear four levels of exams conducted by the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts in order to be certified as a financial analyst.

The CFA programme can also be done as a regular, two-year campus course from various Bschools. These include, among others:

• Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani
  
• Narsee Monjee Institute of Management, Mumbai
  
• International Management Institute, New Delhi
  
• SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai
  
• Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneshwar

Any top ranking university in Ireland, Australia and UK will require higher marks in graduation for admission to a master's programme. For more details, you can check educational websites such as the Times Good University Guide or Australian University Rankings or country study websites like: ?

• www.educationuk.org
  
• studyinaustralia.gov.au
  
• www.educationireland