Do you have it in you, asks Commodore Amar Singh Bagel to Generation Next
It is a myth that salary of a Defence officer did not match up to employees of other sectors
Photo:M. Periasamy
Call to fight: Commodore Amar Singh Baghel, President, Naval Selection Board, explaining the opportunities in Armed Forces at The Hindu Education Plus Career Fair 2011 in Coimbatore on Sunday. COIMBATORE: As much as they had realistic answers for why youth did not want to join the Armed Forces, students had interesting answers for why they did want to join, at a session on career opportunities in the Armed Forces at The Hindu Education Plus Career Fair 2011 on Sunday.
Queries from them to Commodore Amar Singh Baghel, president of Naval Selection Board, disproved the theory that there was no awareness among the public about a career in the Armed Forces. It was more of a reassurance forum for a moderately informed audience that the Armed Forces, too, offered attractive job options.
The session began with Commodore Baghel providing the basic information on these options. But, it did not continue as a routine one-way affair. It turned lively with the high-ranking officer switching to an interactive mode. What followed was a more-than-an-hour discussion on the salary, perks, professional advancement prospects and other benefits the services offered.
While Commodore Baghel got answers such as “danger to life, frequent transfers, pay package not being good, difficult life, highly competitive, disruption in family life, etc.” for reasons behind youth not joining the services, he pointed out that ‘simply not knowing how to join' was also as a reason. While he gave ‘honour, pride, quality of life, educational and pension benefits, job security' as some of the reasons for joining the services, he got interesting add-ons like “love for the uniform, spirit of adventure, stability in employment” as other reasons from the students.
The Armed Forces also provided success, monetary gain, advancement, responsibility, recognition and an amiable working environment that youth sought in a career.
Busting the myth that the salary of a Defence officer was not on a par with that of a personnel in a private firm, he said the allowances, perks and privileges that came along with the salary could not be quantified only in terms of money. It showed in the quality of life an officer enjoyed, Commodore Baghel said.
He also cleared other ‘misconceptions' like knowledge of Hindi being mandatory and physical fitness being given the top priority.
He said all this could be learnt or improved in the training period.
He also spoke about the opportunities the personnel got to showcase their talents at national and international level sporting events, and listed the various points of entry into the services for those who completed Plus Two or graduation.
Some sites for reference that could be of help: www.indiannavy.nic.in, www.joinindianarmy.nic.in, www.careerairforce.nic.in.
Charming them into the Armed Forces
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