The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : A dream job does not have to be a dream

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 07, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

A dream job does not have to be a dream

Staff Reporter

Traditional choices are now giving way to unconventional and creative career options

BANGALORE: Ask a five-year-old what he wants to become and expect the answer from the father's mouth, "I want him to become an engineer." Though the trend is taking a backseat, career choices for many students still depend on parental preferences.

There is always that pressure to live up to the expectations of parents. Coming to terms with these expectations, the youth is left only with a handful of career choices.

However, gone are the days when an individual's inclination towards a particular career was not even considered. A dream job does not have to be a dream anymore. Engineering and medicine are now giving way to unconventional and creative career choices and the youth believes in experimenting with them. There is a boom in the fashion, media and entertainment industries and the quick money involved is drawing masses to look beyond the conventional professions. Theatre, music and dance are a few professions that are attracting youngsters from all walks of life.

Prasanna, cultural coordinator of Christ College, who has been into classical and contemporary dance for 15 years, says, "Dance is an integral part of Indian culture and it is good to see the growing trend among youngsters opting for classical dance as a profession rather than a hobby."

Theatre as a form of entertainment has drawn people for centuries.

Rajesh, a theatre person who has been in the field for 10 years, says, "I was in the corporate world for almost five years and did theatre part-time. Later, I discovered that theatre is the only thing that excites me and then I pursued it full time. There is no point in doing what you don't want to."

Western countries, when compared to India, claim to have professionalism in every field, be it entertainment or showbiz. With so many people opting for unconventional courses and new courses and opportunities coming up, there will be a considerable rise in professionalism here as well.

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