The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : `Blaze your trail, choose offbeat career'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 29, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

`Blaze your trail, choose offbeat career'

Staff Reporter

Television, radio and Internet media are ready to give opportunities to creative people, says expert

CHENNAI: Tuning out the din about cut-offs, courses and parental pressure, students attending the Education Plus Fair 2005 had a chance to consider out-of-the-box careers on Saturday afternoon.

"The great thing about offbeat careers is that instead of standing in a queue to get a job, people will come looking for you," said wildlife filmmaker Shekar Dattatri.

He rated wildlife filmmaking among the unusual professions in the country, second only to Formula 1 racing.

However, offbeat careers lack clear-cut career paths.

He emphasised the need for parents to be open-minded. "Deep inside every kid has a passion, some know what it is, others don't." Students must expand their horizons by reading books and watching good television programmes. "Books can show you so many possibilities," he said.

Speaking on careers in electronic media, Bryan Peppin, head of production and programming, Southern Spice Music, said, "Television, radio and internet media are ready to give opportunities for creative people looking for interesting things to do."

He advised students to get work experience instead of focussing on education qualifications. While he admitted that colleges were becoming more practical-oriented, when hiring, most television programming companies focussed on people with creativity and fresh ideas.

However, while educational qualifications clearly are not destiny, education need not end after the mandatory full-time degree either.

Distance education

Students learnt about the possibilities in distance education from S. Kishore, Deputy Director of Indira Gandhi National Open University. Emphasising IGNOU's wide reach, he said the 20-year-old institution that began with 4,000 students now catered to 1.3 million learners. Distance education gives an opportunity for students to study while they work. Many recruiters are not aware that IGNOU is a national university created by an Act of Parliament and recognised in 33 countries, he said.

T. Sridhar, Managing Director of TMI Network, advised students on making career choices and finding jobs.

The Hindu Education Plus Fair 2005 being conducted in association with the University of Madras is sponsored by Indian Bank, NIIT, AIMS Education, Do-IT, STC, ITC Classmate, Diviniti Kesar, Sabols, BSNL and Quality Inn Sabari and will conclude on Sunday.

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