Aniket Raja
Students should not to be obsessed with traditional career choices such as medicine, engineering or law as several alternative career options are now available. A general presumption is that out of box courses do not pay well. But if you strike the right chords then you are in for a rewarding, fun and exhilarating career. Today there are a lot of offbeat career options offered by Indian universities that fuse excitement and curiosity with skill. Along with a massive increase in the scale of options available, the return such jobs offer is also at par or even more than the routine professions or services. A decade ago, not many Indians were willing to take the risk of taking up entrepreneurship. However, as the startup revolution rocked the country, India currently ranks third among the global start-up ecosystem, after the US and the UK. A report by Microsoft Ventures and Venture Intelligence expected Indian startups to reach 11,500 by 2020.
Amitabh Kant, CEO Niti Aayog has rightly said, “ The jobs of tomorrow are going to be very different from the kind of jobs that we have been doing. Whether it is manufacturing, services or agriculture, we are seeing technology disrupting all sectors. The hallmark of future is going to be innovation. It is going to be the use of technology and one’s ability to use them to leapfrog.”
There are many educational institutions and universities that offer top-notch courses in India. India is chosen by many students to further their education, seek professional development, or take courses to change careers. Apart from the excellent quality of education, India is a country where students can have a stimulating experience both intellectually and culturally. Whatever you are looking for, you will find courses in India to match your needs. There are so many courses in India to choose from, including several options in the business field such as management, insurance, international business, and entrepreneurship. In India today there are more than 200 universities, including over 100 general universities, a dozen science and technology universities , around seven open universities, about 30 plus agricultural universities, around 11 language universities and 11 medical universities. And not to forget thousands of centres of education that are coming up in various cities of the country.
Besides educational institutions and universities, online educational portals having nearly 18 million users globally, with India accounting for a whopping 1.4 million, the second largest learner market after the US. With over 1,800 courses and 140 partner institutions, it offers certificate courses from reputed institutions at affordable rates. Here we are unfolding some courses which are different from traditional courses and can lead to a great career.
Duration: 1 year
Eligibility: Class 10th
Paithani weaving is the traditional hallmark of various localities in Maharashtra. Diploma in Paithani Handicraft & Modern Garments is a training programme created by Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University to systematically preserve and develop this art. The course is for one year and the various topics covered include: Silk work and Paithani Weaving assistance, Paithani Handicraft Theory and Paithani Handicraft and Modern Garment Design.
The State government is supporting the craftsmen and has started a small-scale industry to engage all the private craftsmen who were finding it difficult to continue their traditional art and help them establish themselves.
Eligibility: 10+2
Duration: 4 – 6 months per level
The course aims to fulfil the role of a knowledge institute, professionally developing thousands of youngsters to face the rigours of the service industry. The IATA foundation course imparts a professional with essential knowledge and skills in selling travel and tourism products and services. The duration of the course is 4 – 6 months per level and students can find jobs with leading brands in the tourism & travel sector such as Cox & Kings, Make My Trip and others.
About the course : Talking about the nature of this course, it begins with planning and sketching patterns and designs in scale drawings. This may be taught on paper or computer software or a mix of both. Later, it moves on to create sample prototypes and test them for their functionality and aesthetics. Experimentation with different materials (leather, canvas, wood, plastic or jute with embroidery etc.) and working with complex machinery is the real fun during this whole process. The last step involves transforming the conceptualised design to an actual footwear for wearing, along with assuring it is comfortable to the feet.
Institutes : Institutes such as FDDI, NIFT (Delhi), Footwear Design and Development Institute (U.P.), Central Footwear Training Institute (Chennai) etc. are offering undergraduate, post-graduate and diploma courses in the same. Each year, these institutes are observing surge number of admissions in their Footwear Designing Courses.
Eligibility: Anybody who has a desire to experiment, aesthetic fair and an eye for creativity can choose to pursue Footwear Designing. Good drawing skills will also work for your benefit. Aspirants should also possess the foresight to both envisage and adapt to upcoming industry trends.
Opportunity: Different job titles include Footwear Designer, Product Developer, Product Development Manager, Quality Controller, Footwear Technologist, Merchandiser, Marketing Executive, Planning Executive and also Trend Analyst.
Most of the multi-million footwear manufacturing companies viz. Reebok, Nike and Adidas heavily rely on these people.
Eligibility: 10+2
Duration: 3 months
Delhi University has launched part-time certificate course in Radio Jockeying & TV News Reading for all the students pursuing various courses with the Delhi University. They are able to train the students with on-hand working besides the essential text knowledge.
This is a job-oriented course as the Indian Media & Entertainment industry is set for growth due to the increasing non-stop 24 hours media channels & newspapers being launching very frequently.
Duration:1 year
Eligibility: 10+2
This programme aims to produce teachers who are technology enabled. The course offers an introduction to multimedia integration in educational settings. It is a diploma for teachers/ educators who wish to learn how to integrate multimedia content into their present teaching practices and use information and communication technologies for imparting education.
The programme includes MS-Office training, usage of Multimedia and Graphics Tools and a project work which gets spread over a period of one year minimum and can be completed in 3 years maximum.
Duration:3 years
Eligibility: 10+2
STEP is an opportunity for students to participate in a three-year programme that offers practical training at a hotel of The Oberoi Group. This training involves the four core operational departments in a hotel: Front Office, Housekeeping, Food and Beverage Service and Kitchen.
The Kitchen Operations Programme involves training in Western and Indian kitchens and specialist operations such as bakery, pastry and cold kitchen.
In addition to practical training in a hotel of The Oberoi Group, the students are enrolled for a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism Studies (BTS) from IGNOU.
Duration: 1 year
Eligibility: 12th grade pass with minimum 50 per cent marks in English Subject.
This programme aims to develop proficiency in the method of teaching English and develop prospective teachers at primary and secondary school levels. Besides teaching the methodology, the programme also aims at developing reading, writing skills and Instructional Methodologies of English Language, Teaching English at Primary/ Secondary/ Higher Sec/ UG level English and language vocabulary. The programme is designed to bridge the gap in theory and practice of methodology of teaching English.
Duration: 12 months
Eligibility: 10 + 2
The Programme in Retail Management is looking at the increasing demand for human resource in the emerging retail sector. The retail sector is emerging as one of the largest sectors in terms of its employment potential with the estimated man power requirements at over a million new positions in the coming decade. This course is of 12 months duration and aims at training students on supply chain, retail finance, soft skills and retail store operation concepts. It is meant to train individuals primarily for customer interface positions, and some of them for logistics and back-end operations. The front office functions which need persuasive skills would demand good communication skills.
Duration: One year
Eligibility: Senior Secondary Examination (10+2)
The Diploma in Food and Service Management is for Class XII pass outs. The course includes training on F& B services, F& B service equipment and its methods along with practical training on personal grooming, knowledge of equipment, food service methods and its terminology.
Duration: Six months
Eligibility: Engineering graduates/ Engineering Diploma holders
This programme has been developed with collaboration with the Ministry of Power, USAID-India and the Power Finance Corporation under the Distribution Reform Upgrades and Management (DRUM) Project for professionals employed in electrical power utilities. The course aims to disseminate information about the current development and reforms in the power distribution sector, generate awareness about the applications of emerging technologies and trends in the sector and educate personnel employed in the electrical power utilities or electricity sector about various aspects of power distribution management. The areas of focus include power distribution and energy management.
Eligibility: 10+2
Duration: 3 years
The BSc–HNDC is an industry-oriented certification for international careers in Hardware & Networking. This course helps students become job-ready immediately after 10+2 and develop expertise in handling IT, Systems requirements & Infrastructure Management. Students can find jobs in organisations that have Hardware & Networking requirements such as Wipro, Infosys, Allied Digital and other BPO’s.
Duration:3 years
Eligibility: Class 12th
Co-operatives play a very important role in the
development of the rural hinterland as they help in alleviating poverty and are essential for the growth of rural areas of India. A co-operative manager must have complete understanding of the macro and micro economic situation of rural India and must be able to motivate the members to participate in the management of the cooperative enterprises. It also prepares students for managerial posts and careers in rural enterprises.
If your heart lies in Indian villages and you want to do much more than just go as a tourist and click pictures, this course is for you. The course gives you an opportunity to engage in various rural and community development activities. It covers topics like animal husbandry, forestry, farm management, child development, agriculture, environment management, community development, etc. After completing the course you can apply for jobs at various government, public and private organizations that work for rural issues. You can also get an opportunity to work with several NGOs.
For all those who hack friends’ social networking accounts for “fun”, for those who are good at cracking passwords and unlocking a locked system, those who spend a majority of their time experimenting with various codes – this is a great way to put those grey cells to a good use. You can breach the security of computer systems and get paid for it. Many big companies look for ethical hackers for various security purposes. You need to have a good knowledge of coding in different programming languages.
One of the oldest forms of entertainment, puppetry is much more than just playing with the puppets. It is also an important medium of education and many schools and institutes use puppets to teach students about various topics. Several stage shows and performances have helped in putting the spotlight on puppetry. Over a period of time, this art, which was in danger of getting lost, is again gaining recognition and appreciation.
Spa Management has come out as a new and better option. People can take both diploma and degree courses. After doing this course, one can start their own business at home of spa providers. Right now, spa is available only in the big cities instead of it being so easy to learn and work on.
What could be better than tasting awesome teas and getting paid for it? Working as a tea sommelier can be high paying if you get the right opportunity. The sommelier not only tastes the tea but also gives advice, does branding, and has a good knowledge of cultivation and manufacturing.
This is an interesting career . If you want to know the art and history of carpets and want to make creative contribution to this field, you are the perfect fit for the course.
Where to apply?
Indian Institute of Carpet Technology, Bhadohi, Uttar Pradesh offers you
various degree and diploma courses in carpet Technology. It is one of its kind institute in Asia and will help you get good placements. You can also check out Indian Institute of Carpet Technology, Srinagar too.
It is the study of the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging. It focuses on physical, mental and social changes in people as they grow old. A person interested in this field can start his or her career by volunteering or working with NGOs or community service agencies to know more about this field and the people working in it. Many private companies, healthcare agencies, old age homes and nursing homes look for specialists in this field.
This course is a mix of optical technology and electronics. The study deals with photons, the elementary particles of light, and helps you master the techniques of emission, detection, transmission and modulation of light. Those who have an immense interest in science and are curious to know more about it are best suited for this course. A photonist can work as an engineer, scientist, researcher and professional officer in many companies and government offices. The work will also give you an opportunity to design photonic equipments. Due to lack of specialists in this field, photonics specialists are in great demand globally.
If animals make you weak in the knees and you cannot help falling in love with them every day, here is a course for you that will give you an opportunity to work closely with them. This profession will require you to enhance a pet’s hygiene and appearance. From bathing to taking care of them to noticing any health issue, a pet groomer knows it all about the animal. You can take it as a part time job or a full time depending upon your passion and fondness for the pets that mostly include dogs, cats and horses. A new concept in India, this field is gradually picking up.
Students who have interest or knowledge about food, can take up this course and set their career in this direction. Food chemist checks the quality of food like of biscuits, tooth paste etc. They can even be a cook later in their field or teach other people and set up their own classes at home. These people add flavours to the food and make it taste good. The job will require mixing of various ingredients to make a unique flavour and not just this the responsibilities also require you to have a good knowledge of aroma chemicals, essential oils, plant extracts etc. This career is closely related to chemistry and those who have a background in chemistry are best suited for this. A Flavourist has job opportunities in various sectors like food & beverages, cosmetics, fragrance, toothpaste, etc.
Besides the above mentioned courses there are several other courses which will be really helpful to you if you have interest in any of them:
Graphic Design: The need of graphic designers is for almost every sector now. With the help of graphics, you can explain using fewer words easily. Blogs, start-ups, films, media and many other sectors are there where there is a great need of it. This course may set your future if done in a proper way. By this, you can work from home.
Animation Design:From films to advertisements, books to blogs, almost everywhere, the use of animation has increased a lot. The cartoon channels are on a rise but the students who are learning this course or the number of students actually moving forward in are very less compare to other courses. In such circumstances, this course can be the best option for students. This course can be done at a very early age just after 12th.
Video Editing: The people who edit the recorded videos are called video editors. During the process, the raw video is edited as per the concept. Keeping in mind about the theme i.e. marriage, film, media etc., the video is edited with different software’s.
Beautician Courses:Be it a girl or boy, beauty parlors are there for both. The number of parlors for girls are more though, but there is a great trend of getting the good beauticians to get stuff done, people with higher qualities or standard are paid more even if two beauticians are working in the same parlor. In this case, there is a high demand for good beauticians.
Event Management: To make every event successful, Event Manager has a hand behind it. Take it a party, marriage, some fest or any event, the work of event manager is very important. Due to the Event manager’s execution only, the events become successful. After doing this course, you can run your business company or else join someone else.
Fashion Designing: In the name of fashion, every other day, new variety is coming up in the society. Mostly designer dresses are included in it. The demand and pricing of these dresses are pretty high. Marriage, birthday parties, for any small or big event, people these days want to wear designer dresses. Even in film industry, there is a high demand for fashion designers .The duration to attain a bachelor degree in it is 4 years.
It’s imperative that students should know about courses, must understand what he or she is passionate about. Peer pressure, parental pressure and lack of aspiration may lead you into a dead field. Before one decides what he aspires to be, it is absolutely essential to know what you are passionate about and whether your passion will make you earn a decent living or not.
So, what are you waiting for? This year choose an interesting career that no one else has probably ever heard of. Get set to face the competitive world by doing what you like and give wings to your imagination.
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