Banking on a financial services job

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Q. I obtained the Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science degree five years ago and have been working since then in a software company.

I have experience in software designing, development, programming, implementation and customer support.

My programming platform is Java, J2EE, EJB, and Oracle with Core Banking domain knowledge. And I have completed my company's core banking product software.

However, I am looking for a new job within the banking domain with a decent salary, either in India or the United Arab Emirates or Singapore.

What areas of IT are currently in strong demand for core banking with the potential to provide better opportunities, so that I may know what courses to take, if necessary?

Career advice from E. Balaji, CEO of HR services provider, Ma Foi Management Consultants:

The banking sector is heavily impacted due to the global meltdown and this has impacted hiring in the sector across the globe.

Many large players in the BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance) sector have drastically reduced their IT budgets.

With a good experience supporting you, it would be advisable to tide over the slowdown period in your current job and start the job hunt a little later. You could use this time to identify potential companies and get trained in related fields.

In case you are looking for a change in domain, I suggest that you take up a specialized course in telecom (application/protocol/signaling/base station/mobily etc) or infrastructure development and networking.

Moving out of India will yield better results once the economy revives. Try differentiating yourself in your workplace and expanding your role so as to gain more out of your existing role in terms of experience and exposure.