Post boards, consider alternate careers

With Class 12th Board results out, there’s the usual hustle-bustle of trying to decide what to do next and much talk about making the right course selection.

So if you have scored high, you will sail through. If you haven’t, even then you can sail through – life that is.

There are plenty of vocational courses available, which guarantee immediate employment and fat pay packages, at times fatter than the conventional jobs.

So, forget the humdrum of the conventional courses, try your hand at something new and exciting.

“Vocational courses teach you a skill and so enable you to start working almost immediately. Most vocational courses can be completed in two or three years. They are ideal for those students who do not wish to take up academics and have a skill they can put to use,” says career counsellor Usha Albuquerque, who has written books and hosted TV shows.

Bartenders, Tarot card readers, Feng Shui and Vaastu experts, dance instructors, adventure sports management, wedding planners, visual merchandisers, food stylists and fitness counsellors are just some of these new careers.

Bartending: It's all about the art of mixing and matching drinks. A variety of courses are now available for aspiring bartenders. You can choose from STIR Academy, Mumbai, Cocktails and Dreams School, Delhi, and Institute of Bar Operation and Management, Delhi. Courses are usually for six months and teach students how to make drinks and get the perfect blend and taste.

Tarrot/Feng Shui/Vaastu: No formal courses are available. Students have to work under practitioners and read up books.

Visual merchandiser: Work involves displaying products in shops and stores. Malls employ visual merchandisers to make their displays attractive. Pearl Academy, National Institute of Fashion Technology, JD Institute of Fashion Technology and Indian Retail School offer courses on visual merchandising.

Fitness expert: For all those who absolutely hate desk jobs and love action, a sports or fitness instructor is the best career option.

Food stylist: Currently, no courses are available in India. One has to think creatively about how to display food so that it looks tempting and attractive.

Event management: If you loved organising parties, cultural events and get-togethers in your school or college, then event management is the job for you. An event manager has to multi-task and stays alert all the time. Many mass communication institutes offer a course in event management nowadays.

These professions are new and except for event management and visual merchandising openings are limited. "The pay package varies, and you have to virtually work for free in the beginning and then work your way up," says career counsellor Pervin Malhotra.

That doesn’t mean that the future isn’t bright. In fact, Malhotra believes that more and more people now feel the need to consult fitness, Vaastu, Tarot and Feng Shui experts. Soon, these ‘alternate’ careers will become very much mainstream, says Malhotra.

But in a traditional society, in which engineering and medicine still occupy top notch, how acceptable would careers like bartending and tarot reading be?

"It's parents who resist. They feel awkward saying that their son or daughter is a bartender. Parents should realise that no job is less important. For example, a bartender develops a flair for showmanship and promotion. These skills can't be acquired by everybody and I feel parents should let their children do exactly what they want to,” says Malhotra.

“Naturally parents are wary of students taking up careers that have no formal growth path. Students need to show a passion for the particular career and get training that can enable them not only to build on their interest but to move on should their interest fizzle out.

Today careers are dynamic. What is in today may be out in a couple of years. So you need to pick up knowledge and skills that can enable you to make the transition whenever required,” says Albuquerque.

And no matter what course you choose, add-ons like a language or a computer course help build your resume. “A language is useful if you are going into travel and tourism or hotel management, while computer courses are useful for commerce students. Students can also benefit by picking up inter-personal skills and reasoning skills."

"It is also useful for students to spend their summer holidays working at summer jobs, which not only give them work experience but also provide opportunities for ascertaining if that is the right career choice for them," adds Albuquerque.