BHUBANESWAR: Around one lakh seats in Plus Two Arts, Commerce and Science streams are vacant after the first phase of admissions this year. Engineering courses have also seen less and less applicants recently, and many other colleges too have a large number of vacant seats. This shows the lack of interest among students in regular courses which used to be in demand earlier, and the inclination of youngsters towards off-beat careers.
In the city, there are many examples nowadays of people who have opted for evolving careers instead of regular ones. Basudev Mohapatra, an educationist said, “Students have lots of opportunities now, and parents also support their children’s passions. Statistics show that jobs are far less for those with normal careers. The Indian economy is slowing down, and this has contributed to declining jobs in an economy already struggling with jobless growth.”
Orissa POST talked to some offbeat career makers of the city, and asked them what made them opt for these courses instead of normal ones.
Udayan Sarathi, a nature and wildlife photographer said, “People want to follow their passions rather than enter the rat race. We need to understand that a student might want to choose a line where he/she finds happiness. But basic studies are important. People still ask for qualifications before checking talent. The mindset is changing, but slowly. An offbeat career is never easy, and it may or may not pay more than a regular job.”
Chiranjibi Pati, a sports commentator said, “In the last five years, the trend has picked up. People are looking forward to off-beat careers. More number of engineering seats lie vacant than earlier. As far as I am concerned, I didn’t get lured into the rat race as I did have friends and seniors who helped me out. Sports commentary does have a good scope.”
Dipanwit Dashmohapatra, a theatre actor said, “Students are getting smarter by the day. They know the requirements of today’s market.
Hence, they choose careers accordingly. Today’s youth are trying not to go with the conventional process, although normal courses are not bad. It’s just that they have started thinking out of the box and are selective.”
Satyabrata Mohapatra, a comedian and dancer said, “I think the advent of YouTube and easy accessibility of Internet have opened up performing arts as a career. After completing basic education, one can always opt for a career in it.”
Subham Mishra, a wedding photographer said, “It is a good career option as the skills developed in any profession are vital in the long run. The urge to understand everything
better and to excel in the same is the new trend. Humans need change, and this is it where they don’t see any profession with a narrow vision of earning money.”
Sarthak Mohapatra, a musician and member of musical band Highway Jammers said, “I am not pursuing a very offbeat career to be honest. Doing music professionally as the sole source of income was a risky proposition for me, especially because the industry of creative arts is very unforgiving. I went the usual path, from B.tech to MBA. The only point where my career trajectory went for a toss is happening now, when I am doing a PhD in marketing from IIM Calcutta. I don’t have much to say about the rising vacancies in engineering colleges, but yes I believe considering the job climate, creative arts could be bundled up with basic education.”