In the movie 3 Idiots, we all want to applaud when Virus looks at his newborn grandchild and tells him he can be whatever he wants to when he grows up. This is something that resonates with all of us because many Indians are bent upon their kids studying medicine or engineering. We often don’t even consider less conventional career options such as:
How do you make a product easier to use? What features will make it more attractive or useful? How can you make it lighter or smaller? These are some of the things product designers think about when they create a product from scratch or tweak an existing design. Product designers are engaged in industrial design, auto design, R&D, creating display fixtures, organising exhibitions, consulting etc.
This is not just about designing entire shows and fashion events (not everyone can become Manish Malhotra). Courses in fashion design could mean employment in textile export houses, fabric manufacturing units, retail chains and boutiques, designing for showbiz and opportunities abroad.
Indian animators are in demand all over the world. There is a flourishing animation industry in India, catering to homegrown animation content as well as animated Hollywood films and foreign language films. Plus animation is used in advertising, social media campaigns, marketing and more.
Gaming is now a competitive sport with big prize money. Creating games, refining them, adding features, fixing bugs is big business. Perhaps the average Indian parent may be horrified at their child making such a career choice, but this could actually be the right one for many.
Someone memorably said, marriage is a business that will never go into recession. And marriage isn't the only event on the social planner either. There are corporates events, big and small, product launches, fundraisers, live shows, parties and much else that the event planner organises.
This may not be the highest paying of careers, but it can be a very rewarding one. Teaching in colleges tends to be better paying but even some schools now pay well. A teacher can continue to be involved in a subject that interests them and try to spark that same interest in curious young minds. Plus the hours are great and there are lots of holidays!
I am a trained lawyer and I practiced law for five years before giving it up. I have been a freelance writer for several years now. Because I married a fauji, I needed a ‘portable’ profession which I could practice from Dinjan if need be. Being a writer can pay well. One can get a job in a publishing house etc., or one can choose to be self-employed and choose one's own timings and assignments. This is certainly something I recommend. The demand for written content is literally never ending; particularly with the ever-expanding internet: fiction, nonfiction, blogs, SEO, website content, articles… the list is endless.
I would love to see one of my children in an army, navy or air force uniform one day – I would simply burst with pride. This is not just because people from the armed forces command respect; it is also because the military is a really good career option. There are lots of fascinating and challenging job roles to choose from, the pay is good and there is security. Plus there is the lifestyle: the verdant, secure living facilities, access to sporting facilities and schools and a great social life. There is so much to be said for a career in any of the three branches of the Indian armed forces and even the paramilitary, that every high school kid must at least consider this as a career option.
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