VidYouth

Everybody wants to stand out today. That is the only way one can leave a mark and be different in a population of over a billion. The days where being a doctor or an engineer were the only things people even considered letting their children take up as a profession are a thing of the past since alternative career options are taking the front seat in the 21st century. Being a DJ, a chef, a photographer, a writer, a bartender, game developer, adventure sports instructor or something as adventurous was unheard of a decade ago. Today the aforementioned are highly lucrative career options with the potential of making you a lot of money and fun at the same time. .  It’s cool and its different. Globalization ushered in a new era for the development of careers in the form of the choice available and the number of people picking it

Not that this way of life has been accepted without any resistance. Parents have resisted and raised a hue and cry and this isn’t without much concern. After all, it is the child’s career on line and that obviously can’t be taken lightly.

Despite the apprehension at the possibility of a shaky future more and more people choose to follow their interests rather than the career path charted out by parents. The admissions into Mass Communication courses in various colleges in the city are steadily rising, when 4 years ago only select colleges offered the course. Various photography schools and sprouted up. A school for bartending came as an innovation a year ago. Art is being taken up as a major in college by a lot of those who would not have dared do that a few years ago. This change in the attitude of the students has heralded the beginning of a new era for unconventional careers in a fairly conservative country like India. More and more youngsters are taking up entrepreneurship to be one’s own boss and run a business in the preferred manner. There are many reasons for this tilt towards alternative careers. For some it’s the thrill that only taking a huge risk can provide, for some it is something they are born to do. Some take it up because they like the sound of a challenge to make something out of themselves in an untouched territory.

Those who have chosen to take the less trodden road, have a lot to say about this. “I was miserable in college. I sucked at all the subjects possible except languages. I always managed to clear them with flying colors often topping the class. This led me to believe that I could probably do something in that field. So I decided to do a BA in English and Literature. Alongside I’m also studying French and German.” , says Akash. When asked what her career prospects were, she replied “ I can work as a translator at embassies or be a teacher and teach others like me who want to learn. There’s a wide scope for languages and they’re very useful. It’s just that people are scared to taken the unconventional path.” Aadishpa Singh echos this last notion put forward by Srihita and says “I picked up photography as a hobby when I was in 12th as I was looking for something that would make me feel worthwhile. It’s been 3 odd years now and being very modest I can safely say I’m pretty good at what I do.  I’ve shown my pictures to a few professionals and they have told me that I should be going pro. I’ve thought about taking up an internship and maybe taking it forward. But I feel its late now for me to go that way. I went to college and studied Commerce and I’m in the finance sector now. I quite enjoy doing what I do for a living right now. Photography didn’t seem a very viable option to my dad and to be honest me either. I was scared I’d end up at a dead end with nowhere to go. Maybe  sometime down the line I’ll go study photography professionally and do something about this. For now I continue to take pictures.  The appreciation feels amazing. Do I regret not following my heart? Sometimes. ”

Alternative careers are more viable than ever right now with the economy in the middle of a slowdown. There is a need for new business avenues and new sources of employment. Indian colleges churn out over 350000 engineers with no employment options available to them. Medicine is always a viable option though seeing how there are always sick people to treat but few have to patience to put in valuable 5 years of their life into one degree. Chartered accountancy is another lucrative conventional career most commerce graduates choose to pursue but the success rate is dismal often in single digits.

Its time we all learn to follow our dream and gather some guts to take the big leap. Go try something new, irrespective of the consequences, one will emerge a wise man/woman.  If curiosity killed the cat, be the cat, one will die wiser.