Career opportunities were aplenty for students who opted for courses in agriculture, said K. Velayudham, Dean of Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai, while speaking at The Hindu Career Counselling/Fair 2016 here on Sunday.
Suggesting to the students and parents to give serious thought to courses in agriculture, Mr. Velayudham said that many persons who studied agriculture had ended up at the helm of affairs in various government and private institutions.
“One of our students was even part of the team in Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013,” he said.
Mr. Velayudham also highlighted the cutting-edge research being done by many of the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University (TNAU) staff, students and alumni.
He said that job opportunities were available in teaching, research and government institutions. “When you get into a teaching job in a government college, you are paid as per UGC norms, which is far better than IT companies,” he said.
“Students who take up agriculture course have a greater chance of clearing Civil Services examinations since they gain better understanding of rural issues and administration,” he said.
Mr. Velayudham also spoke in detail about the 13 courses offered by the TNAU, of which seven are technology-based programmes and six science-based programmes.