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Im in class XI (science) and keen on a career in the defence services. Should I apply for admission into the National Defence Academy (NDA) or prepare for entry into the Indian Police Service (IPS)?Suresh Kelkar, Pune Unmarried males between 15-18 years of age can write the NDA/Naval Academy entrance exam cond-ucted by the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) twice a year, in the months of April and September. The exam is notified approximately six months before the test date. The minimum educational qualification to write the NDA exam is Plus Two or equivalent in any stream (arts/science/commerce) for admission into the army or air force wings. For admission into the Naval Academy, applicants should have completed Plus Two with physics and mathematics as subjects. If you decide to pursue a bachelors degree, you can write the Combined Defence Services Examination after graduation. The same applies for the UPSC Civil Services examination, success in which could lead to a career in the IPS. You could also write the competitive exam for recruitment into the Central paramilitary forces such as the BSF, CISF etc. Im a class XI (science) student interested in signing up for a cosmetology study programme. Please advise. Swati Agarwal, Mumbai Nagpur University offers a B.tech in cosmetic technology. You can also opt for a B.Sc in medical laboratory technology or dental hygiene. My advice is to keep track of admission notifications in daily newspapers. Currently Im working as a software engineer in a reputed IT firm. I would like to switch over to a career in finance. However I dont want to do an MBA in finance, so what are my other options? Rajesh Raghavan, Bangalore You can switch to the finance industry as a technical specialist on the strength of your IT background since there is strong use of IT in financial services. You could also enrol in the M.Tech programme in IT with specialisation in banking technology and information security offered by University of Hyderabad (www.uohyd. ernet.in) in collaboration with the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology, Hyderabad. Another option is to pursue a Masters programme in finance/financial engin-eering abroad. With a diploma in mechanical engineering can I pursue an MBA programme abroad? Siddharth Chawla, New Delhi To be admitted into an MBA programme abroad, you must have at least two years work experience. Given that you are a diploma holder, you will first have to apply for a bachelors degree abroad as most UK and US universities accept only students with minimum 15 years of education for Masters programmes. Alternatively, you can complete a bachelors degree progr-amme in India, acquire work experience and then apply for admission into an MBA programme abroad. Im a class XI arts student interested in a career in museology. Which universities offer programmes in the subject? Nalini Mehta, Ahmedabad After completing class XII, sign up for a bachelors programme in the arts, preferably fine arts. Subsequently you can enrol in an MA degree programme in museology and…