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Select a course which you like,
not which is popular |
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Last month, one of my friends accosted me at a party. His question was: "Can you advise my son Rohit regarding possible career choices?" Rohit had just finished +2. He had not managed to get admission into IIT, and was confused by the plethora of choices on the education front. Recently, I got a call from Boston, Massachusetts. Our neighbors' daughter Arathi, who was doing her undergrad in law there, was on the line. Her course is getting over this summer and the American economy has gone bust. No jobs, no scholarships for post-grads. She has to return to India. My own niece Gowri had an offer from a top software company to join them in August 2008. We are now in April 2009 and there are still no signs of the company calling her for duty. Lakshman, our domestic help's son, is finishing his one-year course in Animation. My wife wants me to help get him a job.
2009 is a challenging year for Arathi, Gowri, Lakshman, Rohit and many more of their ilk. But wait, it is not all gloomy out there. There are indeed many jobs available. Today's generation has plenty of choices.
Arathi is clear that she will come back to India and specialise in intellectual property law. It seems that there is a big market for people who specialise in this field. Gowri is not too bothered about not landing her software job. For all you know, she may not even take up the offer from this blue-chip company. She is happy in event management. She has joined a small Chennai-based event management company.
Lakshman told me that he has an offer from some gaming company in Hyderabad who are recruiting in these hard times. Rohit is keen to become a commercial pilot and is heading to Australia for a six-month course. It seems that the national carrier alone will recruit 150 pilots over the next 3 years, at mind-boggling salaries.
Arathi, Gowri, Lakshman, Rohit are just four instances. I could add many more such stories. In these times of economic downturn and job crunch in the most sought-after fields, people have found their niche in both new and old sectors - interior decoration, non-conventional energy, microfinance, healthcare, language services, paramedical services, day care for children, education, media, advertising, television, sports, celebrity and event management, travel and tourism, fine dining restaurants, quick service format restaurants, cabin crew, aviation - the list goes on.So dear reader, believe me, there is life beyond IIMs and IITs! You need not even have gone to college to succeed. Bill Gates of Microsoft - the world's richest man according to Forbes magazine - is a college out, as is Michael Dell of Dell Computers. Dhirubhai Ambani, who created the Reliance empire, passed only Class 10. My good friend Prakash Nichani, founder of the BJN Group of fine dining restaurants started off as a great chef. So stop moaning over the fact that you didn't get into IIM, IIT or a good MBA or engineering school. All it takes to find your groove is imagination and a fire in your belly. Start living. Cheers!