I am a 22-year-old final year engineering student at IIT Roorkee. I am specialising in Electronics and Communication and have received a scholarship from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, to do my masters degree in wireless communication. The catch, however, is that I will have to sign a bond that makes it mandatory for me to work for Economic Development Board of Singapore for two years after the one-year course's completion. I have, in the meanwhile, received another offer to join Oracle Software India as an applications engineer immediately after graduation. Now I cannot decide whether to go for the masters degree in Singapore and be bound to a two-year compulsory contract or settle down to a cushy job with a big company in India. Please help.

It's a tough decision. The future is in wireless. Not that you can't get into wireless after a stint as an applications engineer, but you really have to think about 'now' versus the 'future'. You are only 22 years old, so you have ample time to build your career and unless you have economic compulsions, consider the Singapore opportunity seriously. I know that signing a two-year bond is not very exciting, but think of it as quality international exposure. Working with a state-run public policy body can be very educative. The rest depends on your personality and comfort levels.

I am a 34-year-old engineer with an MBA degree, working as a middle manager in a multinational company. I have 11 years of work experience. I feel that to climb the corporate ladder a management degree from an Indian school will not suffice and that a degree from a US B-school is vital. But keeping in mind the present job market, I am scared to give up my job and enroll in a US B-school. But I have a niggling feeling that a second management degree from a leading US university will open up new avenues for me in the US. Should I take the plunge?

The answer to this question depends on whether you are considering relocating to the US permanently. You must know that Indian managers are highly valued in most MNCs operating in India and those with a history of international transfers provide you the opportunity to work abroad. In this case, your Indian education is good enough. However, if you are seeking to relocate to the US on your own then another MBA from the US will help. You need to take into account your personal circumstances while making such a decision-family, financial security and your risk-taking ability. Having said that, let me tell you a non-secret: There are no guarantees in corporate life-MBA or no MBA.

I recently graduated from college. Prior to my graduation, I received a job offer from a reputed company, and because of my inexperience I happily accepted their offer without second thoughts. Now I have come to realise that people at the same level as me are getting paid more. Although I'm doing well at my job and enjoying the work, my low salary is really bothering me. Should I apply for jobs in other companies or should I talk to my manager?

Simple-do both. First subtly broach the topic with the manager and see his reaction-don't push anything. If his reaction is not very forthcoming, then look for other jobs and find one. That will give you an idea of the market, as well as provide you with a safety net. After this, you can talk to your manager more directly and with greater confidence about a hike in pay. But make sure you don't burn your bridges with your manager.

At what point in the negotiation process should I ask my prospective employers if they would consider allowing me to work from home given that the work I do is extremely conducive to it?

That depends on whether you want to work only from home or you have a preference for that but would not mind working from the office if the job requires it. Anyway, the best time to do that is after the employer is very keen to hire you and you are confident enough on that score. But in all fairness to the employer, bring it up well before he has said 'no' to the other candidates. You need to make a judgement about the timing depending on the situation at that moment. You also need to decide on the question of pay-that may become another point of contention if the organisation thinks it is making a concession by allowing you to work from home.

Tarun Sheth, a senior consultant at the Mumbai-based recruitment and training consultancy firm Shilputsi, addresses your career concerns every fortnight. Write to Help,Tarun!!! c/o Business Today, F-26, Connaught Place, New Delhi-110001.

"I Can't Run A Startup Again"

Santoshi Nadkarni, Consultant (ERP), Infosys

At 27, Santoshi Nadkarni took an entrepreneurial detour from her fast-track career at McKinsey to start the women's portal Footforward.com. After running the portal for two years, she sold it to Rediff and joined Infosys in February 2002, as an ERP consultant. She speaks to BT's T.R. Vivek on the travails of being an entrepreneur.

How difficult was the transition from an entrepreneur to an employee in a bigger organisation?

Luckily, I didn't lose much in my venture. So I wasn't as badly wounded some of the others in the dotcom sector. Rediff bought all the IPR related to Footforward.com and we could pay off all our debts. I have always been in the tech sector and what better place than Infy to build a sharp focus.

You were working with a blue-blooded consultant like McKinsey and had the overseas exposure to boot. Why did you choose to start your dotcom?

As a researcher in McKinsey's tech practice, I was tracking the internet and tech sector, which were booming in the late 90s, and there was this temptation to try out something different. A few meetings with Ajit Balakrishnan yielded seed capital. So Footforward.com was off to a good start.

Would you be an entrepreneur again?

As an entrepreneur, I've gone through some terribly stressful times. There is no lack of motivation, but I don't think I can muster that non-stop flow of energy to run a startup all over again.

Flying A Hot Air Balloon

WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? Richard N. Bolles Ten Speed Press Price: Rs 690

Richard N. Bolles is a Harvard physicist who wrote What Color Is Your Parachute (WCIYP)? way back in 1970, intending it to be a practical manual for job-hunters and career changers. The book became so popular that he saw great business sense to bring it out oftener and ever since, there has been a new edition of WCIYP every year with considerable changes in it. This year's book is a good 100 pages slimmer and has a new section on how to use the internet for job-hunting. Interestingly, Bolles' own research shows that just 4 per cent of internet job-seekers in the US hit the bull's eye, making it the worst possible way finding a job.

Bolles starts by making you come to grips with unemployment, unlocks the secrets of salary negotiation and rests only when you finally have that letter of offer in hand. One of his 'secrets' goes: "Before you go to the interview, do some careful homework on how much you will need, if you are offered the job." Sounds puerile but WCIYP is one of the all time best sellers in its genre. "The world might think you are unemployed, but job hunting in itself is a full-time, nine-to-five job without a salary."

This is perhaps the best suggestion that Richard N. Bolles has to offer despondent jobhunting readers in his 400 odd page thick annual labour of love.

If you are fresh out of college, a little naive and a nervous first timer at job-hunting, you could perhaps do with this kind of hand-holding from Bolles.

-T.R. Vivek