This admission season, students are turning their passion into professions, says Angela Paljor
Gone are the days when your marksheet dictated the course you would take. Today, students are holding the cards and have prepped themselves for their chosen pursuit much ahead of the board results and the resultant pressure they put on them in deciding their stream. Unconventional choices are the order of the day — there’s a breed of future geographers, archaeologists and librarians!
This admission year, the confidence level is high as are the ambitions. Stanzin Kunfan, who has just passed out of Shiksha Bharti, Delhi, shares his experience. “I wanted to pursue medicine but when I started my higher secondary education, I found myself unable to concentrate on anything other than biology. However, staying in the hostel, I started reading geography books that my friends in the arts section read. I became so engrossed that I decided to change my course. Being a geographer is all-encompassing as it involves a study of the earth, its land, features and inhabitants. I want to go home, back to ladakh, with something that would help my people.” He is not alone. Many aspirants are making nation-building choices, like taking up agriculture technology and even choosing to specialise in railway engineering.
Amit Singh aspires to become a gym trainer and some day own one. He says, “I have opted for a B Sc degree in physical education, health education and sports. I went through the description of the course and found my niche.” Singh always wanted to be a cricketer but his family never acknowledged his passion. However, he does not want to sacrifice his dream again. This specialisation enables you to study everything under the scope of sports science. Students, who want to teach physical education, work in the fitness industry or seek to do research in sports and health-related areas can take up this course.
Who would have thought that becoming a librarian is something you can pursue as a career choice in the new ageIJ For all book lovers and people like Pranjul Khirwar, who love nothing but reading contemporary non-fiction and accounts of their time, a Bachelor’s degree in library and Information Sciences is the right option. Adds Khirwar, “I am someone who loves books and have always wanted my own personalised library. The dream of having a library for myself will definitely take time but I can still enjoy the company of books and even earn as a librarian. That’s why I signed up for this course.” It is gaining in popularity because of the attractive career scope in managing virtual libraries and the voracious online readership.
Eighteen-year-old Stanzin Edzes, who has scored 73 per cent, wants to be an archaeologist. She says, “I have applied for Honours in history. I cultivated an interest in this subject while I was completing my studies for plus two here in Delhi. Though I have been brought up in a family where science was the only option, my elder sister broke the myth by taking political science and is currently studying for IAS. She encouraged me and I thought I should be the one to choose who I want to be.” She loves spending time walking around various archaeological parks and keeps a keen eye in case she discovers something historically important.
Career counsellor Usha Albuquerque isn’t surprised. “Students are always ready to look for alternatives. It’s the parents who are the major stumbling block. Now they are reconciling to any discipline that guarantees a career.”