Choosing the Road Less Traveled – Going for Offbeat Careers!

Aug
16

2011

If you thought that becoming a fashion designer, a photographer, or a content writer was not as worthwhile and credible as becoming a professional in engineering, medicine, IT, or law, well, think again. Offbeat courses have so much to offer aspiring students. Here is a quick analysis of what you can expect if you decide to take the road less traveled.

Let us compare the ‘conventional’ with the ’unconventional’.

Conventional career path	Unconventional career path
Conventional careers don’t necessarily mean job guarantees. Take engineering, for instance, of the 1.25 crore engineers in the country approximately 25 lakh are unemployed due to an oversupply of fresh graduates.	In fields like fashion designing the demand for professionals is more than the supply.
Remuneration depends upon the employee or the company that you are working in.	There is no cap on the money one can rake in; it is a function of an individual’s talent and recognition.
Individual growth in an organization often means following a set path of progress	Individual growth is often directed by your inner compass
Regular jobs can be monotonous and at times unsatisfying personally.	Pursuing your interest can be rewarding professionally as well as personally.

If you think you have the talent and passion, it’s time to test them: The creative aptitude tests

Once you have identified your talents it is advisable to take up a test to know your creativity traits—fluency, originality, and aesthetics. These tests will also help you understand your strengths and match them to the right type of career. For instance, if you are looking at media as a whole and the test identifies good writing skills in you then the obvious field for you would be print journalism or perhaps television scriptwriting. In case you are adept in drawing, sketching, a career in industrial designing, visual communication, or even fashion designing may be appropriate. Note that these creative aptitude tests are quite different from the common aptitude/psychometric tests.

Several universities in India and abroad are now offering various courses aimed at offbeat careers. So no matter what your passion is, there is a lot of scope for you to convert it into a profession that will give you creative satisfaction and flexibility in using your skills. Offbeat careers are the way to go for anyone who wishes to exploit their creative and artistic skills.

Browse the Internet and see for yourself the bewildering variety of such careers to students in India and abroad. So maybe Bachelor of Dramatics is for you? Or perhaps Bachelor of Yogic Science? How about Bachelor of Adventure Sports?