The two options given to us by the society when it comes to choosing our career is medical and engineering. And if they are too generous, then law as well. But that’s it. If you have a career in any other field or you wish to have it, then be assured that all Sharma ji will be telling your dad is, ‘Ab koi baat nai, ho jati hai galti. Ladka kama to le raha hai na.’
The general perception of the society is that you are not a doctor or an engineer because you were not good enough to be one. Yes, I may not be good enough and that’s because I am just not interested in it. I have my own passion. But who is going to make Sharma ji understand all this anyways.
Today, we have a huge set of career options in front of us, but the society pulls us away from them. And it’s not that there is no scope in them or there is no money, everything is there. Just the risk factor is a bit high. And that is what you are not allowed to take in the ideal Indian society. Following is a list of 12 underrated careers which are awesome, but definitely not in the eyes of the society. It’s just mediocrity for them, so don’t expect them to understand.
#1 Animation – No one will see the countless hours, which you will be spending in front of your desktop to create animations. Because for most people it will, ‘Kuch cartoon wagerah banata hai.’
#2 Cooking – Your mother might just love cooking and be an excellent cook. But the moment you go up to her tell that you want to take up cooking as your profession, you will be in for some serious discussions. Because it’s too hard to digest that you want to cook for a living.
#3 Music – Creating music is a gift, but on more occasions than not, this gift is being taken away by the society, from those who have it. Of course immediate success isn’t guaranteed in this field, but that doesn’t mean that can never make it big.
#4 Event management – Organizing a party? It cannot get any worse than this if all your counterparts are studying hard to get a so called ‘proper degree’.
#5 Photography – As I write this, the first thing which comes to my mind is the movie, 3 idiots. What they had shown is pretty much how your dad will react if you go up to him and say that you want to become a wildlife photographer.
#6 Sports – How can I not mention this age old saying when I am talking about a career in sports in India, ‘padhoge likhoge banoge nawab, kheloge kudoge banoge khrab’. It still holds complete relevance.
#7 Acting – The moment you say that you want to be an actor, you will be shrugged off by being told, ‘Not everyone becomes a Shahrukh Khan.’ And you will be like, what does that even mean, is there room for only one actor in India?
#8 Painting – It can only be a hobby, how can anyone even think of taking it up as a career. It’s the general reaction of people if you say that you want to become an artist.
#9 Hair Dressing – The society sees it as an embarrassing job, something which is even lower than mediocrity. What they fail to understand is that a good hairdresser can also make as much as a good engineer.
#10 DJ – You got to be kidding me now! Explaining your relatives about rocket science will be easier than explaining it to them that you are a DJ.
#11 Blogging – You won’t be considered as a writer until a few books have been published by your name. People just can’t see the huge scope that blogging has to offer to us. (Just think about how I explain this to my parents! 😛 )
#12 Dietitian – Is that even a career? How can telling people what to eat and what not to eat help her earn any money? That is what your neighbor must have asked your mom at least a thousand times.
Please don’t take up the above career options, or quit if you are already in it, in case you don’t want to hear, ‘ladka hath se nikal gaya’.
