Random Forays: Understanding Unconventional Career Choices

Sports, art, music, theatre, writing or wellness careers remain, even today, unacceptable choices for most segments of society in India

Those of us who are largely the mainstream sorts, find it difficult to comprehend unconventional career choices.

Those of us who are largely the mainstream sorts, find it difficult to comprehend unconventional career choices. (HT File)

Choosing a career in government, in a major private conglomerate, or as a self employed professional in an established field like architecture, medicine or law, hardly raises anyone’s shackles. But even in this bold and bizarre era, families find it difficult to accept the fact that their youngsters want to become chefs or dancers.

Sports, art, music, theatre, writing or wellness careers remain, even today, unacceptable choices for most segments of society in India. Choosing to take up careers in chartered accountancy or marketing are considered par for the course, but eyebrows and even tempers could be raised if a youngster mentions stand-up comedy or rural immersion as a preferred pursuit.

Those who choose to start up their own ventures after or even before graduating from college, too face resistance from traditional quarters. A stable job option is what parents usually expect for their children to choose once their tryst with school and college culminates. They feel that career security is far more important than an exciting but potentially risky career. But a young person’s career choice might be more palatable if parents spend time trying to understand the mindset and acumen of their kids more meticulously.

A young would-be entrepreneur who quit his three year old cushy job found resistance from his father. The said Uncle actually called me up and insisted that I “drill” some sense into his ward’s mind. But after a longish tele-con with the young man I decided to turn the tables and managed to convince the father to relax for a couple of years. I am delighted to notify my readers that today, the youthful entrepreneur’s venture is prospering and his father cannot stop beaming!

Breaking the norm and following one’s passion is gradually becoming the order of the day. Youngsters take sabbaticals to go backpacking for months. They join non governmental organisations that pay paltry salaries but work in realms that impact society deeply. Such youngsters who choose to immerse themselves into the social development sector are actually a credit to society. They often shun glitzy roles in corporate biggies to dedicate their lives to social causes.

And if we consider the reaction of a traditional family to the desire of a young lady who wishes to become a flight attendant or a yoga instructor, we can further appreciate the extent of the friction that could occur. Many a young girl has today broken free of stereotypes to don variegated hats as an achiever in path-breaking fields. Zoo managers, para sailing volunteers, meditation leaders and therapy practitioners are roles currently donned by some young women who have emerged from patriarchal resistance.to scale new peaks.

And champion sportspersons, particularly those who had to face enormous resistance from monitors of socially “acceptable” norms, deserve extra plaudits for having zoomed to the top despite the odds. Stories of a tireless mentor who offered his mite when no one else did, and a youngster’s resultant surge to international glory abound from across India today.

The innate trait of most dogmatic human beings is an aversion to anything that results in a toppling of their fixated apple carts. That initial emphatic NO may at times give way to a gleeful YES after some time as in the case of the aforementioned Uncle. But very often a stifling of a youngster’s creative energy takes place and he or she falls in line to adopt a weather-beaten career path.

The inability of society to accept risk of any kind is an innate human tendency. But those who have truly shone forth in their careers are often the ones who took the plunge and hurtled headlong into the unknown, so to say.

The key is to balance wisdom with passion. Even an 18-year-old knows what constitutes utter craziness. But a 50-year-old would do well to simulate a situation in which he finds himself to be 18 in this era. Some of those 50-year-olds are much more daring in their current occupations anyway. Perhaps they can also consider allowing their beloved children to follow their hearts a little more readily.