HOW ABOUT A CAREER IN THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECTOR?
Computer industry
The computer industry is growing at a phenomenal rate. The first computer came to India in 1956 and it was installed at the ISI, Calcutta. However, it was only two decades later, things really began to change.
The growth of the computer industry has been possible largely due to the declining trend in the prices of computers and a steep increase in the performance and the introduction of the personal computer in India. Today computers have pervaded nearly every sphere of our lives- the newspaper which you read in the morning is formatted and edited through computers, the radio and TV news you hear is made possible by computers and communication networks through satellites, the bill which you get at some hotels and shops is due to computers, the trains that you travel by are scheduled by computers, the cloths that you wear are mostly designed or manufactured with the help of computers, the traffic signal lights you see at major road junctions are coordinated with the help of computers, computerization has been introduced in many state and central government offices, it is being introduced in several fields both by the private and public sectors.
Automation process has already been initiated in many fields and even small and medium scale set-ups are going in for computerisation in most of their areas of functioning. You will find computers being used virtually in all fields and in all types of industries by both the public and private sectors. Efforts are on the way to computerise the different village / panchayat / district / state level government offices in Kerala. Computers are widely used in hospitals, production, manufacturing, designing, testing, transportation, reservation systems, in the field of mass communication and many more. The implications in terms of job opportunities is very clear. As the computer industry is growing at a faster rate in India, it is not very difficult to find a decent job if you have the necessary qualification and experience. Even if you look at export potential, a software career is more promising and rewarding.
A career in computers is of course the ‘in’ thing in the life of today’s generation. This is one profession that you have a competitive edge. Today with the emphasis of globalisation, the Master in Computer Applications and the M. Tech. in Computer Science have replaced the IAS as the preferred choice for the academic topper.
Computers play a premium role in the everyday working lives of most people because of the efficiency with which a job can be accomplished. The power of the computer as well as the demand for professionals in this field continues to grow. Careers in this field require a variety of education levels, experience and skills.
The National Association of Software Companies (NASSCOMM) estimates that currently the industry employs around 2,00,000 professionals and has a demand of 55,000 additional professionals each year. Industry analysts say that even if the current man power pool is increased 10 times by the turn of the century, they can be absorbed, Basic salaries in this sector are increased at around 20 per cent each year. The IT Industry is one of the fastest growing sector in the country today. Infotech Industry in India is at present a 3,000 crore industry. According to the National IT Task Force, India will be a 2,25,000 crore (US $ 50 billion) infotech market by 2008.
The Department of Electronics (DoE), Govt. of India formulated a comprehensive policy on Computer Software Export. Embodied therein was software development and training to generate quality manpower. The scheme provides requisite flexibility, for individuals to qualify, in steps, to an equivalence of an M. Tech. degree without interfering with other studies or work. It is a joint scheme of All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) Govt. of India. The scheme has four levels- O, A, B and C. The B and C level programs are equivalent to MCA and M.Tech. respectively. DOEACC qualifications are recognized for employment purposes.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES WITH COMPUTERS:
Career opportunities in the computer industry fall into three categories- HARDWARE, SOFTWARE AND SERVICES.
CARER IN HARDWARE
You have three major avenues in the Hardware industry:
AVENUES
QUALIFICATIONS
Research & development
Engineering / M.Sc.Electronics
Manufacturing
Engineering
Marketing / Sale
Preferably Engineering / MBA
CAREER IN SERVICES
The computer industry has bred its own ancillary industry, namely the service industry. Computer services range from data centres, computer maintenance and computer rentals to training. The availability of good training professionals is much less than the demand. As a consequence, this has become one of the most highly paid careers.
CAREERS IN SOFTWARE
Software is the programs or sets of instructions given to a computer in order to perform the desired function. Computers are used for solving business problems. A computer is used in jobs which are repetitive and which require speed and accuracy.
SYSTEMS ANALYST
Systems Analysts plan and develop new computer systems. To be effective, they should have a complete understanding of the capabilities and limitations of all the hardware and software that they are dealing with. They meet with the Managers of business to determine what they require the computer to accomplish and the problems the computer should handle. Each task is broken down into separate programmable procedures. They then design the system and determine the required hardware and software for the business.
COMPUTER PROGRAMMER
Computer Programmers write detailed instructions that a computer has to follow. These instructions when inputted in computer language, are computer programmes or software. Programmers develop software for everything from handling hotel reservations to playing computer games. Systems Programmers write software that control the entire computer system. Application Programmers write programmes that handle specific tasks. The most challenging and time consuming task for a programmer is the process of going over the programme to make sure it turns properly without any errors. This is called debugging the programme and the responsibility for doing this rests solely with the individual who has written the programme.
CAD SPECIALIST
CAD stands for Computer Aided Drafting. CAD Specialists are drafters who prepare technical illustrations using computers instead of the traditional paper , pencil and measuring instruments. CAD Software programmers have a variety of symbols, measuring tools and angles installed within the programme. In addition, individuals utilize hardware such as digitisers, graphic tablets, cursor pads, light pens, plotters and printers. Using this equipment, CAD Specialists can draft any type of drawing that can be done manually. These specialists often work with engineers to develop the specifications for various systems, machinery or structures. Drafting or design skills and adequate computer skills are essential to pursue this career.
DESK TOP PUBLISHING (DTP)
Desktop publishers put together designs for a variety of items such as brochures, flyers, posters and newsletters. To accomplish this, they use a computer page layout programme, computer graphics, and a word processing programme. They design the layout of a document using different sizes and varieties of type points. They may also add pictures or graphics that have been computer generated, scanned or are from a computer graphic or art software programme. Creativity, graphic sense, accurate typing, good grammar and an eye for style are important traits for desktop publishers.
INTERNET
The Internet has brought in many changes in our daily life. It has become a media for disseminating information, an arena to transact and extend business and utility for support services. Housewives boast of an on-line super market. Elsewhere goods are sold at reduced prices on the Net. There are establishments and individuals that rely solely on the bargains made available on the Net. Business on the Net is beginning to boggle the mind and there is nothing that has not been caught in the web. This has led to a booming ‘E-commerce,’ which has gained popularity not because of its technological strength but because of its lucrative business options.
Almost anything consumers want, they can shop for or buy on the web. It is not just manufactured products, the web has become an enormously popular international auction house for paintings, artefacts, costumes, books, antiques etc. Even services are now available on the internet. The Travel Industry Association of America reported recently that internet related bookings are expected to soar to $ 8.9 billion by 2002. The New York based research firm Jupiter Communications estimates that the value of on-line shipping will hit $ 6 billion in 1999 and $ 41 billion in 2002.
INTERNET AS A FUNDAMENTAL BUSINESS NEED:
That the web has become a very popular market place is due to many factors. The most obvious reason is the convenience it offers to the customers. Another advantage is the enormous information available on the web, which is just a click away. Because of the cross linkage on the web, it is now possible for a consumer to access competitive information and make an informed purchase. Due to the interactive nature of the Internet, the customer can even conveniently bargain with a host of sellers to get the best price. The web enables a customer to do single-stop shopping for a vast variety of services and products. Thus the Internet has become a fundamental business need.
E-commerce is estimated to touch US $ 1.3 TRILLION BY THE YEAR 2003. The Network economy is setting the pace for a new chain of change. More and more companies, all over the world, are putting up Networks.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES: Think of the various business possibilities the Internet offers and you have a huge potential waiting to be tapped. All this is translated into a demand for professionals such as web writers, visual designers, programmers, software engineers and systems administrators.
WANT TO BECOME A WEB WRITER?
You should have at least a Graduation with a good command over the language. Exposure in Advertising / Journalism provides the necessary base to kick off. You should have at least two years of work experience in ad agencies / newspapers.
As a Web writer, you have to put the necessary information on the web pages- their form and content. Since a surfer’s attention span is low, it calls for precise and catchy writing. You have to flow the information in a way that leads the surfer to the pages the organization wants him to go to. Writing on the web is thus not only a creative but also a strategic exercise.
WANT TO BE A VISUAL DESIGNER?
Your work as a Visual Designer is similar to that of designers in advertising agencies. It involves conceiving the lay out and knowing how to use the tools. A course in Digital Design ( a three-month course, the fees of which ranges from Rs.15,000) will help you do this. It includes other features that can be incorporated on a web page like multimedia, animation, virtual reality etc. As a visualiser, you have to study the following software:
1. Illustration Tools- Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw
2. Photo Editing- Adobe Photoshop, PhotoSoap
3. Sketching - Art Dabbler, Painter
4. Special Effects- Supergoo, KPT (Kal’s Power Tools)
5. Video Editing- Adobe Premier, After Effects
6. Authorising Tools- Authorware
7. Web Designing- Flash, Dreamware
8. Animation- Locomotion, InfinitiD
9. Morphing- Elastic Reality
10.Presentation- Director Show
WANT TO BECOME AN HTML PROGRAMMER?
You should have a Graduation with PGDCA to become an HTML Programmer. As HTML Programmer, you need to know the intricacies associated with the web. A good judgement of the parameters in different browsers is necessary.
WANT TO BE A SOFTWARE ENGINEER?
You should have an Engineering Graduation with two years experience in C++, DHTML / Java / Pearl programming.
Software Engineers are required to be knowledgeable in scripting languages (Java Script, VB Script, ASP etc.) and user interface. Engineers should be versatile in their knowledge of Networks, RDBMS, back-end databases and be able to string all the web pages to build the site.
WANT TO BECOME A SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR?
You should be an Engineering Graduate with at least one year experience as a Data base administrator. Experience with Server-side programming tools like Interdev 6, CGI, Pearl and ADO programming is a pre-requisite.
As a System Administrator, you will be responsible for issues pertaining to the operating system, Security, networks, and web servers etc. You have to oversee the operational requirements of the organization. The web page development team also includes a project leader who coordinates different functional members.
WANT TO BE A ‘e-business’ PROFESSIONAL?
Right across the world, manufacturers, airlines, advertising agencies, publishers, travel & cargo agents, shipping companies etc. are beginning to use e-business. The concept of ‘e-business’ will soon be indispensable to the business community. Electronic commerce is changing the way business is transacted and is viewed as a large potential, which may turn the way in which business will be conducted in future. The biggest advantage that e-commerce provides is an opportunity for the producer of a service to reach the consumer directly without the need for a middleman or agents. Electronic commerce would help organisations to take advantage of the rapidly growing global electronic market. There is going to be an ever growing demand for ‘e-business’ professionals.
Computer education, which is nearly 17 years old in India, has made rapid strides in career building for the youth of the country and has outgrown even the most optimistic estimate. But there is confusion about which course to take up and which would guarantee a good job and a secure future? Apart from the courses in the IITs and the Regional Engineering Colleges, which offer comprehensive Degree courses, most of the privately run Institutions make similar claims and offer the same type of courses. As a result, there is a limitless supply of people getting trained in Computer Science. But only a handful of Computer Schools are producing software worthy professionals. Most of these schools do not comply with the DoE regulations. But the Computer world is getting really competitive and in future only those institutes would survive which ozffer modern infrastructure, better facilities and job placements.



























CAREERS IN PARA-MEDICAL SERVICES
Para-medical supports the medical team with closely related functions for complete treatment. The main areas are radiology, physiotherapy, laboratory services cardiology and neurology and job opportunities are plenty in each of these areas
RADIOLOGY
It is the application of radiation for diagnosis and treatment . A radiologist is a doctor who specializes in the use of radiology for diagnosis or treatment. A radiographer on the other hand, is the technician who specializes in the use of such equipment on the advice of the radiologist. In radiotherapy, he assists the Radiation Oncologist in the treatment process. Though radiographers are exposed to radioactive elements in the course of their work, government stipulation ensures they are protected. Radiology makes the difference in quality patient care and is a major investment area for hospitals
PHYSIOTHERAPY & REHABILITATION
Physiotherapy is an integral part of a patient’s recovery today; sometimes it is the treatment itself. Physiotherapists help patients mobilise, exercise and strengthen muscles, joints and bones, and maintain and rehabilitate various systems of the body.
CAREER OPPORTUNITY
Career as Physiotherapist exist in Govt. and Private hospitals. Some hospitals do not have physiotherapy departments and they direct their patients to private physiotherapy clinics. You have a chance there. One alternative would be as a sports therapist. There is an increasing demand for trained professionals in this field.
LABORATORY SERVICES
Laboratory experts carry out tests like determining blood groups and identifying foreign bodies in patient’s fluids, which a doctor would need for diagnosis. Degree or post-graduate degree in Microbiology or Biochemistry, or a Diploma or Degree in Medical Laboratory Technology will help you to find a job. Opportunities exist both in the govt and private hospitals You could work with a research organization, a blood bank, pharmaceutical company or in a private laboratory.
SUPPORT SERVICE
Though not regarded as important as the medical or para-medical services, the support system complements the two in sustained rehabilitation. Generally, the support systems in a hospital are nutrition and dietetics, pharmacy and counseling
NUTRITION & DIETETICS
Diet is very important for a patient’s treatment, especially recovery. Based on the doctor’s advice, Dietitians determine what and when the patient should eat. If you have a degree or post-graduate degree in nutrition or dietetics or a diploma in catering, you can find out a job. You could join food production or food consultant units as Quality control Managers, nutrition labs for research, or diet clinics as consultant.
PHARMACY
As a pharmacist, your job is to supply appropriate medicines. Pharmacists should understand medicines-their functions and contents, and should be able to recognize a doctor’s requirements and handwriting. They should ensure supply not just to out-patients, but also for regular hospital use like for operations and make sure that the hospital always has a stock of frequently used medicines.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
If you have the necessary qualification, to secure a job is no problem. You can find opportunities in the scores of hospitals and health care centres or in the Medical shops as Pharmacist or you can run your own medical store. For the running of a medical store, a Diploma in Pharmacy is a prerequisite.
COUNSELLING
Counselling plays an important role today. A counseller advises patients and support groups including family. For instance, patients with AIDS have to be gradually made aware of their condition and its implication so that all of them are able to effectively cope with the situation. While patients are counselled on how to lead satisfying lives in spite of their condition, the support group is counselled on how to help them do so and how to adjust their routines.
Counselling need not only be for critical or trauma patients. Even someone with a ligament tear might require counselling. In most hospitals, doctors and nurses do the counselling. Now, more social workers and Psychologists are stepping in to the field.
Though any one with training can counsel, a Master’s degree in Social Work with specialization in hospital care will be advantageous. As a psychologist, you can work with mental health institutes or private clinics.
HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATION
The basic segments of hospital administration, like in any other organization, are finance, personnel materials, daily administration and public relations. With the support service and the para-medical departments, the administrator plays a vital role in the smooth running of the hospital.















CAREERS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY & GENETICS
Biotechnology is the industrial base of living organisms to manufacture food, drugs or other products. Enzymes are central to most biotechnological applications. Biotechnology involves the use of plant and animal cells and microbes in the manufacture of goods useful to mankind. The boom in biotech is due to genetic engineering in which simple life forms are created to make entirely new products. Recent advances include genetic engineering in which single-celled organisms with modified DNA are used to produce insulin and other drugs. Some of its spectacular applications are in medicine, where antibodies can be made in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, human insulin made widely available and new vaccines found to ward off hitherto intractable infections, where it may soon be possible even to compensate for defective human genes.
Biotechnology has a wide range of applications in food industry from inducing cattle to grow faster, in the production of new enzymes for making cheese, in eradicating crop diseases, in the making of food stuffs that consist entirely of tiny organisms, provide abundant energy from renewable resources like alcohol for motor fuel, and making of plastic, paints and artificial fibres by using enzymes instead of chemical process.
Genetics is 20th century science, which has transformed the ancient craft of genetic engineering into a modern science based technology. It is the science of heredity that attempts to explain how characteristics are passed on from one generation to the next. It makes use of materials provided by nature, uses specialized knowledge and purpose-built tools to modify them in particular ways and then assembles the pieces to make the final structure. The genetics engineer hopes to provide society with a vast range of innovations such as more effective and cheaper pharmaceutical products, more abundant food products, new approaches to the generation of energy, the recovery of resources, pollution control and the diagnosis and correction of genetic disorders.
Biotechnology is leading us to the brink of a new industrial revolution- the bio-industrial revolution. Its benefits are better health, more food, renewable energy sources, cheaper and more efficient industrial processes and reduced pollution.

















CAREER IN MANAGEMENT
With the growing complexity of all commercial activity and the entry of multinational competitors, the need for systematic and efficient management practices has created a huge demand for competent personnel in all areas of business and commerce. Like the organised sector of commerce and industry, the traditionally non-organised sectors like agriculture and handicrafts are realising the necessity of professional management. This has opened up limitless opportunities in diverse spheres for students of commerce and allied subjects.
MBA has become a degree for the talented and professional Indian students. This change can be attributed to the Indian Government’s liberalisation of the economic policy and encouragement of the Multinational Companies to come forward for Foreign Direct Investments (FDI). Another reason is the widening of the Corporate Sector.
There is a good scope for the MBA graduates to occupy positions of prestige and responsibility and to have handsome pay packets. Today, a majority of the vital positions are held by the MBAs in the corporate sector as well as in the MNCs.
Management as a technical subject gained ground in the mid sixties, when the first Indian Institute of Management was set up. Today, MBA is considered a higher qualification than even CA and Engineering in most of the corporate sectors. Even the pay packages and perquisites are better than that for other professionals. Engineer MBAs are the most sought after professionals.
The spectrum of Management Training is so large that you have necessarily to choose an area of specialization. The most common disciplines are Finance, Marketing, Personal, Operation (Production), Systems (Information Technology), and Material. Admission is usually given to graduates in any discipline with a minimum of 50% marks in the qualifying examination. Selection is on the basis of Written Test, Group Discussion and personal Interview. Good proficiency in English and general knowledge along with good communication skill is very essential to get selected for admission.
CAREER IN EVENT MANAGEMENT
With the ushering in of television era, we have been witnessing a plethora of ceremonies or events being organized in every part of the world. Behind the success of Miss World Competition, or World Cup ’99, or a Michael Jackson or even a product launch show are a group of Event Managers.Event Management can be categorized into different forms such as organizing cricket matches, product launching rock shows, fashion shows and even training programs for corporate sectors. Before product launching, organizing road shows has become a regular feature. Different sorts of festivals can be organized. As you gain experience, you can start a PR cosultancy firm to develop press relations. You can arrange youth camps for children or a trekking tour for youth or executives. An interesting area in Event Management is organizing parties and disco nights.The concept is gaining momentum because of the present day demand for socialising. The necessary qualification required to become an event Manager is to have an MBA, as required by most of the firms. You can develop your skill right from the college days itself. Try to get hold of an opportunity to speak in front of public. By regularly speaking, you polish your public speaking skills. To sharpen your skill for an Event Manager, try to organize as many programs as you can
For a successful Event Manager, the sky is the limit. As it does not require much investment, this is a good career option available today. The prime requisite of being an Event Manager is networking skill. You should be simultaneously a good public relations as well as marketing person. You should develop your contacts in the field of corporate sector for getting sponsorship. You should have a good contact with the media. If you can give value for money to your sponsors, nothing can stop you from reaching the top. You can start an Event Management firm if you have a small office space, a telephone , a computer together with a printer equipped with the creativity on introducing new concepts every time and organizing skills.
WANT A JOB IN FASHION DESIGNING.
FASHION & APPAREL DESIGNING:
FASHION INDUSTRY IN INDIA
Fashion is what we wear, through a constant process of selection, adoption and change. It is triggered by people, events and social, economic and technological change. No wonder, fashion and apparel designing have become one of the fastest growing professions in India in recent years. The world of cloths and accessories has expanded into a giant industry, both for domestic requirements and for export. Today, the Fashion industry in India is a high growth sector with a multi-core turn over.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
There is an ever-growing demand for more designers who can come up with the innovative designs that are commercially viable in the export market. With fashion becoming a big business and India emerging as one of the major players in the global garment market, the need for qualified professionals in this field has increased tremendously.
Fashion designing offers unlimited opportunities for those who are good at it. The status and income of the person goes up as he establishes a reputation of his own. Exposure to the fashion industry abroad may help in widening horizons since Indians still tend to copy western styles. With beauty pageants, fashion shows, foreign labels and a public that is increasingly becoming fashion conscious, you as a fashion designer have enough chances to exhibit your talent. If you are enterprising, you can set up your own manufacturing or export units, which will bring big financial benefits or you can find a lucrative job in the textile industry. A fashion designer is no longer an anonymous entity- designer labels give him an identity. As long as people feel the urge to dress well, there will always be a need for more designers to provide a variety of clothing that is both appealing, fascinating and up-to-date.
Export houses, domestic markets and manufacturing units throw up ample opportunities for you to work as a fashion designer in textile designing. It involves working with different fabrics and material. Textiles account for a major chunk of exports. The textile industry calls for technically skilled executives who are specialists in designing interpretation, pattern creation, garment construction, grading, product development, marketing and computer aided design. So you could make a beginning with any of the export house or manufacturer.
More over, you can find a job in accessory designing- designing anything from hair clips and sunglasses to footwear and luggage. There are a lot of opportunities for you in designing leather accessories.
HOW TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL IN FASHION DESIGNING?
The industry demands the vision to see beyond what is already there and the ability to see market trends. What you need is a flair for designing a willingness to learn, Imagination, manual dexterity, organizational skills, a sensibility for colours, textures and style and a business acumen.
Like any other creative field, Fashion design does not depend so much on qualifications as on talent and creativity. Styles and tastes keep changing all the time and a good designer needs to be on his toes to give the consumer the best and the latest. In the realm of designing, fashion is a business and it must not be misunderstood for an art form. Its dynamics are guided by commerce.
Unlike popular belief, fashion design does involve a certain amount of technical knowledge, of types of material, their adaptability to weather, wear and tear etc. Production facilities and costs also need to be taken into account. In the field of apparels, careers can be made in design, production, merchandising and marketing.
As a designer, your job is to forecast fashion and translate the requirements of the market into saleable designs. It calls for a rare combination of talent and business acumen. If you want to be successful in this field, you need to have confidence and optimism, keen powers of observation, an eye for detail and a high level of creativity. You should be able to withstand the stress of failure and long and irregular hours. There must be a flexibility to adapt a disorganised environment with day-today challenges and many ego problems. A flair for computers also helps since most design work in future will be done on computers.
Above all, you should have some training in the field. Some of the institutions offering courses in Fashion Technology are here for you:

CAREER IN TEACHING
Teaching is one of the most important careers a person can choose because of the immense responsibility that goes with teaching and moulding a child to become a worthwhile adult and citizen.
Teacher training colleges are a new development and over the past two decades there has been a boom in them. Faculty members in a college of education coordinate their efforts and function as a well-knit team and impart teaching skills with a good deal of creative flexibility. A firm foundation on content is the desideratum for becoming a good teacher. A good teacher has to be reasonably good in expression.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Different types of teaching jobs in different fields are available today. The methodology used in schools and colleges has undergone tremendous changes. While teachers follow a mandated curriculum, they have to develop their own methods of teaching for each class and they have to plan interesting and inspiring lessons to make learning a positive experience. Teachers have to handle paper work and record attendance, value answer scripts, to prepare progress reports and watch the progress of their students in their studies. marks, report cards, and student progress. They prepare and review homework, develop tests, attend workshops and parent-teacher meetings. Good communication skills, patience, creativity, strong moral sense etc. are absolutely essential for a good teacher.
Much of our individual success is based on education, training and continued learning experiences. Educators are required to assist people who want to learn new skills as well as upgrade their old ones. The demand for good teachers at the school and college levels as well as in the other interest areas is expected to grow significantly in the future.
CAREER IN ENGINEERING
INTRODUCTION
The national education policy lays great stress on science and technology and education, particularly technical and management education as the principal instruments of change for achieving socio-economic development for a decent standard of living. The challenges of globalisation of markets, competition from other developing countries, enhanced quality requirements by international markets etc. have necessitated a reconsideration of the traditional attitudes and strategies.
THE GOALS OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Engineering education is one of the principal instruments of change for achieving socio-economic development. The goals of engineering education derive its inspiration from the national goals. There has been a significant qualitative difference in the job requirements of engineers since independence. Quality, productivity, excellence and values are some of the concepts and indices for assessing the performances of the engineering education system. There is considerable scope for improvement in several spheres. Some of the critical issues requiring attention and review are the current trend toward the introduction of narrow specialisations in undergraduate degree programmes.
Since independence, there has been a qualitative difference in the job requirements and work ethos of graduate engineers with enhancement and upgrading of responsibilities from mere maintenance and operation of complex technological system to their planning, design and production. In 1974, a Joint Committee of the All India Council for Technical Education and the University Grants Commission was set up on the recommendation of the AICTE to review the entire system of engineering education. The major issues under study were long term goals, curriculum design and development, institutional administration, continuing education, the role of computers and laboratories in engineering education. Common sense approach to work, pride in manual labour and interdisciplinary work in engineering, along with skills and knowledge in advanced computing, data management, automation, materials technology, energy systems etc. have today become necessary. Effective team work is essential for undertaking major projects and goal-oriented ones.
The principal expectation of those who pursue engineering education is a decent job. There are several examples of sudden but temporary demands in some disciplines. Manpower development must be need based. The conditions of work, recruitment and promotion policy of the employment market greatly influence the type of qualifications that employees must possess. The output of the education system, in terms of the various skills and knowledge imparted, has to be known for the proper utilisation of the human resources it generates.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT DISCIPLINE
There are several disciplines in Engineering Education like mechanical, marine, mining, electrical, electronics, aeronautical etc. and choosing the right course needs meticulous thought and care, It primarily depends on what career you would like to pursue in your life.


CAREERS IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY AND HEALTH CARE
One of the fastest growing industries in the economy encompasses a variety of careers in which health services and technology are the primary concentrations. The growing size of the population and the tremendous expansion of new technology are the two main reasons. Consequently, this area offers extensive employment opportunities.
Medicine and Engineering
Science students are inevitably focused towards careers in engineering or medicine. Admission into science courses is most coveted and hence the most difficult to attain. Many students spend several years trying to get into a medical or engineering college. These years could be fruitfully spent developing alternative skills leading to careers equally lucrative. Alternative to engineering could be bio-technology which is one of the fastest growing fields with applications in every aspect of daily life. The medical field has expanded to cover numerous specializations from cosmetic and neuro-surgery to genetic engineering. It is also becoming more rewarding with the setting up of private hospitals, clinics and nursing homes.
DENTISTRY
The Dentist looks for cavities, broken or cracked teeth, gum diseases or oral cancer. Filling cavities, crowning and scaling plaque build up are some of the duties of a dentist. An established and flourishing Dentist may have assistants to perform some of these jobs. Some Dentists diversify into orthodontics, which is the treatment of irregular teeth. Some Dentists also perform oral surgery and extract teeth, if necessary. Good interpersonal skills and manual dexterity are necessary attributes for a good Dentist.
Dentistry is taught as a four-year course at several colleges all over India. Science students who have passed their plus two will have to take a written test for admission to this course. There is at least one Dental College in almost every state and most of these colleges have domicile requirements for admission.
MEDICAL EDUCATION
The functions in a hospital can be classified in to four basic segments- Medical, Para-medical, support service and administration. The Medical field is for doctors and nurses. It is purely medical and no trespassers are allowed
WANT TO BE A CAREER IN NURSING?
Want to be a Nurse?- A very good profession to choose from, if you have the traits of compassion for your fellow beings, a desire to help and serve others.
As a nurse, you have to work in a variety of settings such as private nursing homes, hospitals and clinics. The working hours differ depending on the setting you are working in. The main function of a nurse is to administer medical care to the ill or injured persons. Your duties include recording patients’ vital symptoms, taking blood samples for laboratory tests, changing dressings, starting intravenous fluids and administering medication.
Students who have completed their plus two with Physics, Chemistry and Biology can do a four year B. Sc. course in Nursing or a two to three year Certificate course in Nursing.

My Principal

Planets Facts and Figures

Jupiter Facts and Figures

Equatorial radius
71,490 km

Equatorial inclination
3.13°

Mass
1.90×1027 kg

Average density
1.3 g/cm3

Rotational period
0.414 days

Orbital period
11.86 years

Average distance from the Sun
778.4 million km

Perihelion
740.3 million km

Aphelion
816.4 million km

Orbital eccentricity
0.0489

Orbital inclination
1.30°

Moons
39

Source
Data are from the U.S. Naval Observatory's annual Astronomical Almanac and various other publications.



Earth Facts and Figures

Equatorial radius
6,378 km

Equatorial inclination
23.5°

Mass
5.97×1024 kg

Average density
5.5 g/cm3

Rotational period
0.997 days

Orbital period
1 year

Average distance from the Sun
149.6 million km

Perihelion
147.1 million km

Aphelion
152.1 million km

Orbital eccentricity
0.0167

Orbital inclination
0.0003°

Moons
1

Source
Data are from the U.S. Naval Observatory's annual Astronomical Almanac and various other publications.


Mars Facts and Figures

Equatorial radius
3,396 km

Equatorial inclination
25.2°

Mass
6.42×1023 kg

Average density
3.9 g/cm3

Rotational period
1.03 days

Orbital period
1.881 years

Average distance from the Sun
228 million km

Perihelion
206.7 million km

Aphelion
249.3 million km

Orbital eccentricity
0.0935

Orbital inclination
1.85°

Moons
2

Source
Data are from the U.S. Naval Observatory's annual Astronomical Almanac and various other publications.


Neptune Facts and Figures

Equatorial radius
24,760 km

Equatorial inclination
28.3°

Mass
1.02×1026 kg

Average density
1.6 g/cm3

Rotational period
0.671 days

Orbital period
164.8 years

Average distance from the Sun
4.488 billion kilometers

Perihelion
4.440 billion kilometers

Aphelion
4.536 billion kilometers

Orbital eccentricity
0.00995

Orbital inclination
1.77°

Moons
8

Source
Data are from the U.S. Naval Observatory's annual Astronomical Almanac and various other publications.

Mercury Facts and Figures

Equatorial radius
2,440 km

Equatorial inclination
0.01°

Mass
3.30×1023 kg

Average density
5.4 g/cm3

Rotational period
58.6 days

Orbital period
0.2408 years

Average distance from the Sun
57.91 million km

Perihelion
46 million km

Aphelion
69.82 million km

Orbital eccentricity
0.206

Orbital inclination
7°

Moons
0

Source
Data are from the U.S. Naval Observatory's annual Astronomical Almanac and various other publications.

Venus Facts and Figures

Equatorial radius
6,052 km

Equatorial inclination
2.64°

Mass
4.87×1024 kg

Average density
5.2 g/cm3

Rotational period1
-240 days

Orbital period
0.6152 years

Average distance from the Sun
108.2 million km

Perihelion
107.5 million km

Aphelion
108.9 million km

Orbital eccentricity
0.00674

Orbital inclination
3.39°

Moons
0

Source
Data are from the U.S. Naval Observatory's annual Astronomical Almanac and various other publications.

Footnotes
1A negative rotational period indicates that Venus rotates in the opposite direction from that in which Earth and most of the other planets rotate.

Pluto Facts and Figures

Equatorial radius
1,195 km

Equatorial inclination
57.4°

Mass
1.40×1022 kg

Average density
1.8 g/cm3

Rotational period1
-6.4 days

Orbital period
247.9 years

Average distance from the Sun
5.879 billion kilometers

Perihelion
4.431 billion kilometers

Aphelion
7.327 billion kilometers

Orbital eccentricity
0.248

Orbital inclination
17.2°

Moons
1

Source
Data are from the U.S. Naval Observatory's annual Astronomical Almanac and various other publications.

Footnotes
1A negative rotational period indicates that Pluto rotates in the opposite direction from that in which Earth and most of the other planets rotate.

Saturn Facts and Figures

Equatorial radius
60,270 km

Equatorial inclination
26.7°

Mass
5.69×1026 kg

Average density
0.69 g/cm3

Rotational period
0.444 days

Orbital period
29.46 years

Average distance from the Sun
1.435 billion kilometers

Perihelion
1.352 billion kilometers

Aphelion
1.517 billion kilometers

Orbital eccentricity
0.0576

Orbital inclination
2.49°

Moons
32

Source
Data are from the U.S. Naval Observatory's annual Astronomical Almanac and various other publications.








Uranus Facts and Figures

Equatorial radius
25,560 km

Equatorial inclination
82.2°

Mass
8.68×1025 kg

Average density
1.3 g/cm3

Rotational period1
-0.718 days

Orbital period
84.01 years

Average distance from the Sun
2.857 billion kilometers

Perihelion
2.719 billion kilometers

Aphelion
2.996 billion kilometers

Orbital eccentricity
0.0497

Orbital inclination
0.772°

Moons
27

Source
Data are from the U.S. Naval Observatory's annual Astronomical Almanac and various other publications.

Footnotes
1A negative rotational period indicates that Uranus rotates in the opposite direction from that in which Earth and most of the other planets rotate.

Literature Guides help you understand books studied in schools and give you insights that make for great book reports. Gain a new perspective by reading about the author, and learn how settings, characters, and themes help make these books acclaimed works of literature.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Published 1997
I

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born on July 31, 1965, in Gloucestershire, England, Joanne Kathleen Rowling grew up in rural communities in the southwestern part of that country. Her parents, Peter and Anne Rowling, an engineer and laboratory technician respectively, bought books such as The Wind in the Willows to read to their two daughters. Rowling’s childhood experiences shaped her future literary creations. She explored the English countryside, visiting castles and historical sites which inspired her imagination. Although she disliked science and mathematics courses, Rowling excelled in literature classes. She penned funny, fantastical tales to amuse her sister Diana and friends, especially the Potter siblings whose name she later appropriated for her wizardry novels.
As a teenager, Rowling dreamed of becoming a published author whose books were sold in stores. She kept her ambitions a secret, though, because she feared criticism and discouragement from people who might declare that her writing was weak. Rowling gradually became more self-confident and was named Head Girl during her final year at school. Studying languages at Exeter University in order to be employable as a bilingual secretary, Rowling graduated with a degree in French and Classics. This scholarly knowledge aided her later clever construction of characters in the Harry Potter books. She also earned college credits while serving as an auxiliary teacher in Paris.
Rowling researched human rights issues for Amnesty International, then relocated to Manchester for other office positions. She worked for a company that manufactured surveillance equipment. The self-professed disorganized Rowling loathed her secretarial duties, often writing instead of working. She wrote fiction for adult readers but did not submit it for publication. She also often visited her ailing mother, who had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a few years earlier. During one of these train trips, Rowling had an epiphany about an orphaned boy wizard named Harry Potter and began inventing characters and settings. After her mother’s death in 1990, Rowling decided to teach English as a second language in Oporto, Portugal.
She outlined seven books to chronicle Harry’s adventures at the Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft and his battle against evil forces. Each book would feature one year of Harry’s schooling as he aged from eleven years old to seventeen. During the search for his identity as he matured, Harry would avenge his parents’ murder, discover his family’s heritage, and secure sanctuaries where good wizards and witches could thrive. Rowling’s careful planning enabled her to place subtle clues that would later prove crucial to characterization and plot development.
Writing in the mornings and teaching in the afternoon and at night, Rowling met and married journalist Jorge Arantes. Their daughter Jessica was born in August 1993. Several months later, Rowling divorced Arantes and moved with Jessica to Edinburgh, Scotland, where her sister Diana lived. Diana urged Rowling to finish the first Harry Potter novel. The media has emphasized that Rowling was on public assistance during this time, and Rowling clarifies that she was initially unable to find work that paid a sufficient salary for her to afford child care. Later, she began teaching in a local school.
Writing for her own entertainment and sense of accomplishment, Rowling did not intend to write a children’s book. Agent Christopher Little recognized Rowling’s talent and began submitting the book to publishers. Bloomsbury Press bought Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 1996. The next year, Scholastic Inc. purchased rights to publish the book in the United States, changing the title’s wording to attract American readers. Rowling received a grant from the Scottish Arts Council to complete her second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. She sold film and merchandising rights to Warner Brothers.
Rowling has received praise from reviewers and readers, winning numerous awards, including the Smarties Prize for her first three books, and topping the bestseller lists. She was named Author of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2000 and received an honorary doctorate from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Rowling has become a celebrity, appearing as a featured reader at such events as the White House Easter egg roll. The Harry Potter books are a catalyst for a cultural phenomenon. Millions of copies in more than thirty languages have been sold in over one hundred countries. Readers of all ages apprehensively wait for new books then voraciously read them. The dark themes explored in the series have caused some conservative groups to attempt to ban the books from classrooms. Rowling responds to such attacks by stating that she does not believe in witchcraft and thinks children deserve to know the realities of evil.
II

OVERVIEW
The first of the “Harry Potter” books, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone introduces readers to Harry Potter on the cusp of his eleventh birthday. Born to a well-respected and much-loved witch and wizard, Harry Potter was orphaned as a baby and left to be taken care of by his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon Dursley, along with their son Dudley.
Harry bears the scars of his parents’ fate and his orphaned status both literally and figuratively. The evil wizard Voldemort (“He Who Shall Not Be Named”) killed Harry’s parents but could not vanquish their son. As a result of the battle, Harry wears a curious, lightning-shaped scar on his forehead—a scar that burns when Harry is in danger or when he wakes up from a repeating nightmare of infant memory. Nevertheless, being the son of a successful magic couple and defeating an evil wizard as a one-year-old babe is not without benefits. Harry Potter is renowned in the magic world, a child hero. But he is a child hero unaware. In their wisdom, Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall leave Harry on the Durlsey’s doorstep. The Dursleys are staunch and proud Muggles, non-magic people who live in a flat, gray, and oppressively over-systematized and inconvenient world—the world of present-day Great Britain.
Harry is perceived as a burden and potential embarrassment to the Dursleys. He is told that his parents were killed in a car accident, never shown any photographs of them, and kept ignorant of the magic world and his own possible place in it. Harry Potter cannot explain how he was able to jump on top of the school building when being chased by bullies, nor how he dissolved the glass front of a snake’s habitat and conversed with the boa constrictor during Dudley Dursley’s birthday outing to the zoo. Indeed, these are the very things that leave him friendless, isolated, and very unheroic in his own (and everyone else’s) eyes.
The first ten years of Harry’s life bear a resemblance to Wart’s, the young King Arthur’s, childhood as depicted in T. H. White’s The Once and Future King. Where White’s long-bearded Merlin gives the Wart in fosterage, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Rowling’s Professor Dumbledore farms Harry out to distant relatives. Where White’s young Arthur is treated as a second-class son compared to the up-and-coming Sir Kay, Rowling’s child hero is abused and maligned by his aunt and uncle and their spoiled, ridiculous son Dudley. Where White’s protagonist is unwittingly trained for kingship by Merlin before he stumbles across the sword in the stone and his heroic self, Rowling’s title character is eventually relieved of his unhappy Muggle upbringing by Professor Dumbledore’s letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Noble parentage and inherent heroism are revealed and Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone takes off into a description of the non-Muggle world, the wonderful landscape and lifestyle of Hogwarts school, and the first-year student adventures of Harry and his new friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Together, they embark on a quest for the Sorcerer’s Stone, a magical stone that, as they discover, is hidden deep within Hogwarts.
III

SETTING
In some ways, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a traditional English boarding school located in the fairy-green countryside well beyond London. The meddlesome caretaker, Mr. Filch, and his cat, Mrs. Norris, carefully monitor the building, and the grounds are well kept by the beloved Keeper of Keys and Grounds (and Hogwarts drop-out) Rubeus Hagrid. During the long-standing tradition of the Sorting Ceremony, first-year Hogwarts students are separated into four houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin), each with their own proud history, alumni, and secret traditions. The faculty are respected scholars and authority figures removed from the emotional and interpersonal experiences of their students. The curriculum is carefully structured and deliberately traditional, and residents take classes by year and with students from other houses. Points are given and taken away for academic achievement, behavior and deportation, and athletic competition—all in an effort to win the much-coveted house cup at the end-of-year feast.
And yet, Hogwarts is a world all its own, a non-Muggle world. Students arrive by a train taken from platform nine and three-quarters at King’s Cross station. During the journey they snack on candies—Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans (including “spinach and liver and tripe”), Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and Pumpkin Pasties—which they have bought with Sickles and Knuts (“[s]eventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle”). They amuse themselves by trading cards of famous witches and wizards (Professor Dumbledore among them) from packages of Chocolate Frogs. The campus is located inside a moat and the building is a castle. The house dormitories are in the four round towers located at the corners of the building and accessed by secret passwords that open portrait holes. The Sorting Ceremony stars a Sorting Cap that reads the new students’ minds before assigning them to the appropriate house. Not only do the portraits have a frustrating tendency to visit other paintings in the castle, thereby foiling the adventures of many an erring student, Mr. Filch and Mrs. Norris are not the only “caretakers” to avoid. Peeves the poltergeist will insist on reporting students out of bed after hours, and the other ghosts (Nearly Headless Nick and the Bloody Baron among them) have loyalties to certain houses. The faculty members also have their allegiances—as well as curious (possibly threatening) involvements with the adult, magic world. Course work is difficult and requires much study, whether dry and boring like History of Magic with Professor Binns, “complex and dangerous” like Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall, or disappointingly uninformative like Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Quirrell. The sport of choice is Quidditch, a challenging game “that’s sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops.”
The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is set in a comfortingly traditional and delightfully off-beat way—much like the apprentice magic world of the Hogwarts students as compared to the adult magic world for which they are preparing, or like the whole of the magic world as compared to the Muggle world. Accepted Hogwarts students walk through a wall in order to reach platform nine and three-quarters at King’s Cross station. Tapping a brick behind the Leaky Cauldron pub three times with your magic wand will open it to Diagon Alley, the shopping center of the magic world, home to Eeylops Owl Emporium, Ollivanders wand shop, and Gringotts, the wizard’s bank run by goblins. Diagon Alley is also the only place in London where a prospective student can get everything he or she needs, from the uniform (such as “[o]ne pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)”) to course books (like “Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger”) and other equipment (“1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)”). The Ministry of Magic works to ensure that Muggles remain ignorant of the actuality of the magic world because “‘everyone’d be wantin’ magic solutions to their problems ... we’re best left alone’.” And the commonplace systems of the Muggle world amaze and confound witches and wizards. For example,
[p]assersby stared a lot ... as they walked through the little town to the station. Harry couldn’t blame them ... he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, “See that Harry? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?”.
The layering of experiences and perspectives in Rowling’s text work to keep the reader both grounded and aware. As such, the reader enjoys a setting that has been wonderfully and completely imagined, described, and realized by Rowling in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
IV

THEMES AND CHARACTERS
Like the setting of the novel, Rowling’s themes and characters are both traditional and off-beat. British to the core, the themes and characters of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone contain a delightful blend of classic fantasy and Victorian sentiment minus the tendency towards what a contemporary audience might consider saccharine. Ideally—and at their best—both classic British fantasy and Victorian literature enjoy the great themes of love and death, of good and evil. This is true of Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, wherein the title character, our noble hero, having been orphaned and overshadowed by a cruel and ignorant world, continues to battle issues of class and conscience even after he is delivered to a better, more accepting and acceptable, place.
It is this better place, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the magic world more generally, that inspires and insists Harry learn from his orphaned status—that he grow into his own great person rather than be beaten down for being different and for having fewer “normal” advantages. Understandably preoccupied as the orphan is with death, Harry’s hero’s adventure suitably involves the quest to find, to recover, and to restore the Sorcerer’s Stone by which the Elixir of Life can be manufactured and immortality achieved. It is a dangerous tool in the wrong hands, and Harry risks his own life in order to ensure the quality of the lives of others.
In the end, Harry Potter accepts and promotes what Professor Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts and co-creator of the Sorcerer’s Stone, so eloquently explains: “to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” With this acceptance comes additional emotional support. Harry’s parents are dead, yes, but this is more of a shift in fate than it is an irreparable loss. In her characteristic layering style, Rowling points out that not only have Harry’s parents left the gift of Harry behind, but they have left Harry with a gift. At the novel’s end, when Harry asks Professor Dumbledore why Quirrell, the evil wizard Voldemort’s accomplice, could not touch him, Dumbledore replies:
Your mother died to save you. If there’s one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn’t realize that love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign ... to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin.
Thus Harry is not only scarred literally and figuratively by his orphaned status, he is also, alternatively, positively marked by it. And this is something that we hope the young adult audience, the intended audience for Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, might learn to recognize as a theme in the real magic of their own lives.
It is the students of Hogwarts, the fictional contemporaries and peers of the intended audience, who demonstrate that these great themes—love and death, good and evil—are part and parcel of every life lived. Whether that student be the quintessential bully, as is Draco Malfoy (and his henchmen Crabbe and Goyle), or the overweight, clumsy, and somewhat untalented but nevertheless good-hearted Neville Longbottom, each individual’s psyche and personality is shaped by how they perceive and respond to the great themes in their own lives. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Rowling’s characters are complex, dimensional, and interesting, because they perceive and respond to the signature notes of these themes in their own lives.
Indeed, the bully Draco Malfoy suffers from feelings of inferiority due, in part, to the success, expectations, and snobbery of his father. Neville Longbottom, raised by his grandmother and unpopular for the resulting lack of style this upbringing has caused, carries his own, similar yet distinct, sense of illegitimacy. Ron Weasley is one of seven children (including five boys ahead of him), all of whom have met with great success while studying at Hogwarts—be it as head boy, Quidditch captain, house prefect, or wildly popular pranksters. Hermione Granger negotiates the stress of being a Type-A overachiever from a Muggle family.
The adults of the magic world, too, are not above the struggle to commandeer their lives and worlds—a facet of Rowling’s fiction that may account for the literary success of the Harry Potter books in the real, adult world. Professor Snape struggles with the guilt and frustration of not being able to repay his arch-rival, Harry’s (now dead) father, for saving his life. Rubeus Hagrid has been shamed by being expelled from Hogwarts, by having had his wand broken in half and forbidden to use magic thereby leaving him an obvious misfit in the Muggle world as well as one marginalized within the non-Muggle world. Even the wise Professor Dumbledore, a near-perfect man and wizard, must come to terms with the foibles and disappointments that color the human experience. When asked what he sees in the Mirror of Erised—a bewitched mirror that not only bears the inscription, “Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi” (I show not your face but your heart’s desire), but also reveals Harry’s family to him and shows Ron Weasley himself as head boy holding the Quidditch cup—Professor Dumbledore replies: “I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks.... One can never have enough socks.... Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn’t get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books.” However tongue-in-cheek it may be, Professor Dumbledore’s remark nevertheless speaks a greater truth: in recognizing our great ability to want what we do not have, we just might stumble across an appreciation for what we have been given. It is, ultimately, a restatement of what our young protagonist has learned from the loss of his parents and one that benefits both Rowling’s characters and audience—young or old.
V

LITERARY QUALITIES
Whether because they offer a natural metaphor for coming-of-age audiences transitioning into the adult world, or because—either in cause or effect—they are generally considered most appropriate for the developmental phases and developing psyche of the young adult, the canonized classics of British fantasy traditionally feature young adult protagonists. “The Sword in the Stone,” Book One of T. H. White’s aforementioned The Once and Future King (1958), searches back through history, legend, and the author’s own boyhood, to expand the Arthurian legend by contributing the story of Arthur’s young adulthood. Appropriately, White, a teacher of young adults, expands Arthurian legend by describing what the young Wart learned in his lessons with Merlin in order to explain the genius of Wart’s later kingship.
But T. H. White is simply one of the more recent authors to artfully and respectfully redefine the traditional parameters of the fantasy genre. He follows such great masters as Lewis Carroll and C. S. Lewis and such beloved characters as Alice Liddell and Lucy Prevensie. In Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1866) and Through the Looking-Glass (1872), Carroll describes a series of experiences that mature Alice both emotionally and intellectually in order to prepare her for life as a logical, reasoning, and kind-hearted woman. In the seven books that make up C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia (1950-1956), Lucy and the Pevensie children (as well as Polly Plumber, Digory Kirke, Eustace Scrubb, and Jill Pole) accomplish a series of moral tasks that underscore Lewis’s and the novels’ Christian sentiment and earn the characters a place in heaven.
In accordance with, and in honor of, this proud literary history, Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone begins the story of Harry Potter, age eleven, apprentice wizard and self-doubting hero—a novel that, and a protagonist who, has been inspired by the motifs of classic British fantasy. Clearly, Rowling aspires to further define, and to excel within, the genre of fantasy. In her general examination of the young hero’s mentor and his acquisition of wisdom, Rowling’s Harry Potter resembles White’s young Arthur. Though not privately tutored by Hogwarts headmaster Professor Dumbledore, Harry nevertheless is trained within his school and according to his pedagogic system. And it is at crucial times in the narrative of his training that Harry is given the opportunity to consult with Dumbledore: when he develops a dangerous preoccupation with the Mirror of Erised, when he must negotiate the prudent use of the invisibility cloak, and after he has successfully (and for the second time) defeated “He Who Shall Not Be Named.” Additionally, Dumbledore resembles Merlin both personally and physically; he is an avid lover of books and wisdom who wears flowing robes and a long, white beard. This resemblance suggests not only how much White’s master wizard has influenced—and continues to influence—audience expectation, but how that influence has determined Rowling’s use of classic fantasy motifs.
Rowling also credits Lewis Carroll and C. S. Lewis through her description, and use, of a reflective device and a train ride to achieve passage into a fantastic other-world. In a manner that suggests a parallel to the rites of passage of young adulthood, Harry Potter boards a train at platform nine and three-quarters at King’s Cross station. Harry’s trip will bring him to the wondrously magical and separate (though whimsically and pointedly parallel) world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After many railway trips, many happy adventures, and the conclusive suggestion that they might be outgrowing such adventures, the Pevensie children of Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia access the kingdom of heaven when they are killed in a train wreck. In Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, Alice speeds through the countryside of her own parallel world, the reversed world of “nonsense” on the other side of a mirror, while she is engaged in a giant game of chess that she must win in order to return transformed and victorious to the “real,” that is adult, world. Harry passes the preparatory “test” of the Mirror of Erised (with a great deal of help and guidance from Professor Dumbledore), gaining the strength and confidence necessary to help him (along with Ron Weasley) face the challenge of the giant chess game towards the end of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Alice’s success in the chess game, involving the maturity required to eschew the paradoxes (bureaucracy) of the Red Queen and her supporters (political, governmental systems), informs Rowling’s description of Harry’s and Ron’s actions during the giant Chess game, as well as our perceptions of them. Chess, a game of logic requiring patience and experience, tests and proves both the capabilities of reason and fantasy, and Harry and his friends must further establish themselves as heroes by exercising both of these capabilities—much in the way the audience does in the act of reading, in the act of entering a reflective art form.
Thus, as a fellow reader and creating author, in book one of the “Harry Potter” series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Rowling gives due credit to the precedents of her literary forebears and extends a hand to those writers who may hope to follow. And the readers and keepers of the tradition of classic, British fantasy, would do well to acknowledge agreement in Rowling’s debt as well as the reader’s debt to Rowling.
VI

SOCIAL SENSITIVITY
In a television interview aired in July of 2000—just prior to the release of the much-anticipated fourth Harry Potter book—eminent children’s and young adult literature critic and scholar Jack Zipes described Rowling’s fiction as formulaic and sexist. Because Zipes was not given the chance to fully support his thesis within the format of the televised sound bite, any response to his thesis must be based, in part, on conjecture. Nevertheless, that Rowling’s Harry Potter books should be described as formulaic is problematic. The “Harry Potter” books are, after all, a series, and, at least thus far, the action takes place during the academic year. Aside from some scattered highlights of Harry’s summer holidays, the plot of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone follows the unchanging rhythm of a highly structured educational calendar. While an academic year provides a useful template by which Rowling may structure her fiction, the description of such a template as formulaic seems unfair and a refusal to acknowledge just how reliant a young adult audience is on the academic calendar—or how useful it is to the plot structure of British fantasy. Indeed, Lewis Carroll’s Alice has her adventures while she is not engaged with her studies in both Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, and throughout C. S. Lewis’s The Narnia Chronicles, his young protagonists travel to and from Narnia while on vacation from school.
In terms of Rowling’s potential sexism, it may be likewise argued that, as she follows and departs from a traditional academic structure in her novels, so too does Rowling follow and depart from traditional gender roles. Mrs. Dursley characterizes the standard housewife in the opening pages of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, while Mr. Dursley presents us with a mock-image of the bowler-capped British businessman. But it should be noted that Mrs. and Mr. Dursley are not beloved characters (certainly not characters after whom young readers would be inclined to model themselves), and that other characters do not always line up according to standard expectations of gender: Professor McGonagall is a witch and a teacher to be respected and admired, Madame Hooch coaches the (co-ed) Quidditch team, Hermione Granger is as capable of getting herself out (or in) trouble as Ron Weasley or Harry himself; Professor Dumbledore is a homebody, Professor Quirrell is a weak and fearful wizard, and Hagrid has undeniably strong mothering instincts. Ultimately, that some of Rowling’s characters inhabit traditional gender roles while others do not may be the best, and most elegant, argument against the enforcement of those roles.
And yet, the defense of Rowling’s fiction as formulaic or sexist does raise some interesting considerations regarding social concerns in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Because the novel follows the British school year, there are few—if any—references to non-Christian faiths and practices. Thus, the witches and wizards at Hogwarts celebrate Christmas—even despite their supposedly pagan history. Harry is able to afford Hogwarts because of the large inheritance left to him by his parents, a detail that can serve to example a limited representation of economic stratification. Due to his last name and his red hair, we might assume that Ron Weasley is of Irish descent; such an assumption would then lead us to argue that the depiction Ron’s family, poor and well-populated, reveals a prejudice against Irish Catholics in Rowling, Great Britain, or both. Similarly, while several referenced characters represent other races and ethnicities (Lee Jordan, for example, is black), the main protagonists of the novel, the characters in whom readers are most invested, are white.
Considering the anxiety that contemporary audiences and critics have regarding the fair and equal representation of peoples in literature—and particularly in literature for children and young adults—these observations are both legitimate and unavoidable. But, too, readers must consider the transcendent possibilities of fantasy novels. If one of the benefits of fantasy is to remove the reader from an oppressive social reality, and thereby to offer a lens through which he or she might critique and resolve social injustices, critics cannot expect fantasy to perform the same instructional modeling as contemporary realism. This is not an excuse or a justification, and it is not because fantasy does not mirror and model life as does all literature (and all art). It is because, as a genre, fantasy behaves according to its own history, tradition, and purpose. Though it is appropriate to expect contemporary fantasy to fairly and accurately represent social diversity, a more appropriate concern for fantasy may be how well it models the readers’ ability to see themselves within their social system and how convincingly it argues for their deserved equality. That Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone does, indeed, reflect and address social diversity, and that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone inspires both young and old readers to see their worlds in new and different ways (ways that may result in social activism and change), offers a strong argument for our acknowledgment of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone as fantastic literature worthy of a place in the canon.
VII

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
1. J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone introduces readers to all sorts of interesting magical objects (the Nimbus 2000, the remembrall, magic wands, mail-delivering owls, live chess sets, the invisibility cloak ... not to mention the sorcerer’s stone). If you could have and use any one of these objects, which object would it be and why? Can you tell a real story about something that happened to you once when that object might have come in handy? How might the story have gone differently if you had had that object?
2. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, readers find out many interesting things about the magic world, and many magic characters think some pretty funny things about Muggles. What if, instead of you visiting them at Hogwarts when you read a Harry Potter book, they were to visit you at school or read about you in a book? What would they see? What classes, teachers, traditions, or sporting events might they find curious? Why?
3. If you were assigned to one of the houses (Griffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin) which one would it be? What about your next door neighbor, your teacher, or the principal? What about some of the characters in your favorite television shows? Why?
4. In the “Harry Potter” books, Harry has a scar on his forehead—and a story to go with it. What, if any, scars do you have and what is/are the stories behind them? If, like Harry, you had special powers because of the scar (and based on the story), what would they be?
VIII

IDEAS FOR REPORTS AND PAPERS
1. The Harry Potter books are set in England, but the author, J. K. Rowling, lives in Scotland. What has the relationship between England and Scotland been throughout history?
2. Before shopping at the stores on Diagon Alley, Harry and Hagrid take a short walk through London. Research the city of London and report on what Harry and Hagrid might have seen on their trip. Consider such tings as the demographic population of the city, the ethnic populations, principal businesses, historical sites, and architecture.
3. Research the London Underground and the British railway system (especially the King’s Cross railway station). Which came first, the Underground or the railway? What is the connection between the Underground and the railway? What routes do they follow? Can you find any maps and timetables using the Internet?
4. J. K. Rowling had been a school teacher and was a single mother when she started writing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in a neighborhood coffee house. Research the author in order to find out more about her. What kind of insights has she given in interviews? Are there any parallels between the author’s life and her text?
5. To date, there are three more “Harry Potter” books: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Read one (or more) of the other “Harry Potter” books and compare it/them to the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
6. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry learns many interesting facts and unusual stories about the game of Quidditch and its history. What sort of interesting facts and unusual stories might you find when learning about one of your favorite sports? What are the similarities and differences between Quidditch and the sport that you researched?
7. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Hagrid is surprised by such Muggle inventions as the parking meter. Who invented the parking meter and why? What other Muggle inventions might readers take for granted?
8. Research the game of chess in order to explain (and to demonstrate to your class) the game played towards the end of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Does Ron play well? How might the game have been played differently? Were there better moves that could have been made?
9. Research the logic puzzle that Hermione solves with the bottled potions in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. What kind of logic puzzle is it? Does it have a name? What other kinds of logic puzzles are there? What are their different purposes?
Contributed by: Evelyn M. Perry, Framingham State College
Source: Beacham’s Guide to Literature for Young Adults. Copyright by Gale Group, Inc. Reprinted by permission.