THE ROADS LESS TRAVELLED
I am sure chandler, Monica, phoebe, Rachel, Ross and joey wouldn’t be what they were if they lived in India. I could bet on all the tea in china that they would either be doctors or engineers (tee hee!)
Whenever I watch(which is a lot!) the famous sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S there is one thing that always amazes me- the independence the 6 of them have in their life, their choice of career.
All of them love what they do at their job.
How many of us get that opportunity to do what we love? How many of us get to pursue our career in the field we love? Negligible I am sure.
And why wouldn’t it be? In a country where marriages are fixed only if the guy brings home a whopping sum of money at the end of the month, how can such independence prevail!
It is frowned upon when a kid thinks out of the box and refuses to settle for a run-of-the-mill job. It could be your parents’ nightmare if one fine day you go and tell them you want to be a DJ. And if you happen to be the school topper or something, then you are definitely going to get an earful! They would be certain that you would be on your path to financial doom! It is not entirely right to blame the parents because they want to look out for their children and secure their future, but then such limitations can be frustrating. Offbeat careers in India are not such a hit as of now. We live in a society where there are people who will judge you at every tiny step you take. We live in a culture where you have to explain to your maternal uncles, paternal aunts and every tom, dick and harry why you wish to travel the road not taken.
I am sure there are a lot of students out there who didn’t want to get a B.tech degree or do a monotonous 9-5 desk job 6 days a week but end up doing so. You might have a lot of dreams as you grow up but in the end most of them end up doing down the drain. This shouldn’t be the case. You should be the change you want to see. Its never too late. Now a question that might pop up would be what right do I have to preach about all this? Yes, I am a b.tech student who to be frank didn’t know what I wanted to be when I finished my 10th and was at the cross roads of choosing between becoming a doctor or an engineer. But now I do, and I am doing the most I can to achieve my dream. (In case you are wondering, my dream is to write an international best seller one day)
Which is why I believe it is never too late.
I respect the fact that life comes only once and one should make the most out of it. If you want to be a musician, an RJ, a writer, a singer, an entrepreneur, a coffee taster or even something as weird as a dog psychologist, don’t keep the wish buried in your heart. What is quintessential is the fact that you should have faith and confidence on your forte because at the end of the day even if eyebrows are raised, you’ll definitely succeed if you are zealous to chase after your dream.
I understand the fact that the classic recipe for success has been to get an engineering degree and top it with an MBA from a premiere B school , scale up the ladder and don the hat of a CEO. But variety is the spice of life, isn’t it? Why go for the recipe that the whole society follows.
Do what your heart wants to. Every career track offers a generous way to climb a success ladder, all you have to do is to develop a fervent love, passion and expertise for it.
I am not blind towards the fact that convincing your elders about what you want to do can be a daunting task, which is why I am not asking you to be reckless, drop out of college, and resign your job and simply set out to do what you want to. Be sure about what you want to.
Move one step at a time and gather all necessary information required to tread the passion path. Research on various options that match your skill set. Spend time in knowing the pros and cons of the opted career. Study profiles of experts who are already excelling in the field. Determine the skills required to pursue your dream. Pursue it part time first and then take it up full time.
If you take care of all these things am sure even your elders will not have the heart to refuse.
All I want to say is with ever changing economy and with the glut of choices available, I am sure that there will be plenty of jobs to take advantage of in the near future. It will be a welcome change for how long can the society produce only doctors and engineers.
So lets start this new year with the promise that we will follow our heart, do what we want to and set the Thames on fire!
P.S– Here are some very interesting, not so famous careers that I came across. You never know if you end up pursuing one of them!
Funeral director (not for the weak hearted!)
Cartoonist
Pet Groomer
Fitness expert
Travel Planner
Restaurateur/ hotelier
Event manager
fortune teller
beauty professional
Illustrator
Chocolatier
Disc Jockey
Fitness trainer
Footwear designer
Gift wrapper
Make-up artist
Micro-finance expert
Adventure sports instructor
Sommelier
