With the changing times, youngsters nowadays are now switching from the mainstream courses like engineering, medical and law and are instead opting for offbeat vocational courses like designing, animation, interior decoration and others.
Vocational courses are such courses which help in acquiring the necessary skills required for a particular job. They could be non- academic and are specific to a particular trade or profession. They could be long term or short term like a degree, diploma or a certificate course.
“Vocational courses available in India are mostly for skill development which could be in the field of communication, technology or craftsmanship. There are also courses where a student can hone his or her talent along with their chosen academic field for an added advantage,†said career counselor, Dr. SS Singh from Educatif Heritage.
The most common vocational courses among aspirants are proficiency in various languages like English and French and computer applications. However, there are many more options available if a student wants to explore various careers.
“People inclined towards art can take up courses in wood carving, pottery, fabric painting. You don’t need a degree in textile engineering to be a fabric designer. Call centre training, photography, gym instructor, beauty professional and baking are some vocational courses in vogue these days,†Singh added.
Even schools encourage students to choose a career that not only interests them but also suits their
personality.
“There are a lot of career options in today’s world and we don’t want children to miss out on any opportunity.
In spite of Ranchi being a small town, we try to give the students as much exposure as possible.
There are a lot of visitors from various universities abroad that are invited to the school for an interaction with the students. A lot of foreign languages like French, German and Spanish are also taught from the lower classes.
Many children want to be a part of the media industry, fashion designing or hotel management.
They are also interested in going overseas right after they complete class 12,†said Ram Singh, principal of Delhi Public School, Ranchi.
For science students who don’t want to opt for engineering, a course in planning and development which focuses on the city development is a good option.
Gaming and development is another very upcoming field which also includes mobile app development, gaming or main stream robotics.
“With the mobile playing a major role in everyday lives, animation and digital marketing also make great options,†said Damini Jain Modi, senior counselor at Idream Career, Ranchi.
Courses in sports management, physiotherapy, nutrition and dietitian, clinical psychology are also in trend for students from the biology stream.
For someone with a commerce background, investment banking, chartered financial analyst or CFA, financial risk manager or FRM are very lucrative career options.
“Actuary, another course for commerce students is purely a study of statistics. It is a very difficult file, but those who clear it earn really well,†Modi said.
She added, “These are the courses which assure a job rather than a regular bachelor in commerce or a master in business administration. Everyone wants to become a specialist now days and want to have an identity. Students are also opting for courses in make- up artist. With everyone being health conscious, courses for nutritionist and dietitian are also very popular.â€
