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Career > Passion to Profession!
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Explore 4 Happening Career Avenues!

Tried and tested career options are passé. Today’s business environment offers limitless possibilities to make a successful career out of your hobby. It is time to shed your inhibitions and try something new!

Today, professional success is all about the forgotten word - passion. Venturing into un-chartered territories and pursuing your passion is the modern day mantra for being happy and successful. Here are four options to explore and make your own!

Photography: Picture Perfect
Full-time career opportunity? Well… yes! With print, online and television media riding the high wave, photography is emerging as a lucrative profession. If you dabble with your camera, it is time to give it serious consideration. Gone are the days when photographers were seen only at weddings and functions. Today, you have a lot to choose from – photojournalism, fashion and event photography, portraits, print and advertising. Features photographer Rameshwari says, “Photography is an expressive medium. Your pictures do the talking.” Technique, creativity and style are important to establish yourself and create a niche.

In the beginning, you may not get the kind of work you want. Explore freelancing or assisting a renowned photographer. On-the-job experience will help you hone your skills.

With experience you can identify your areas of interests. Fashion photographer Taruni began her career shooting wildlife. She says, “Money is not much initially. But with time and a good body of work you get noticed and paid well.” Today, she charges six figures for every assignment.

Priya works as a freelance photographer with an advertising agency. She is roped in whenever there is a print shoot. She says, “It is good pay for a few hours of work. Depending on the shoot, I sometimes manage 2-3 assignments in a day.” She adds, “The 2 Cs, Camera and Creativity, can be your best buddies. I also shoot for coffee table memorabilia, cookbooks, magazine covers and family portraits.”

Radio Jockeying: Talk the talk
Monday morning… a long drive to work, a foul mood and maddening traffic! The chirpy radio jockey makes a witty remark and you break into a smile. So, do you have the same spunk, energy, a great voice and love for music? Then, radio jockeying is the thing for you!

Today, radio jockeying has become a lucrative profession. Anushka, business head with a leading radio station, informs, “RJing is a great career for people under 35. It requires wit, general knowledge and affability. However, the top criteria are genuine interest in people, a sunshine personality and passion for music.”

An RJ has to be interactive, connect with hundreds over the airwaves and at the same time make it sound personal. This is no ordinary feat! Shruti, an upcoming RJ says, “It is an exhilarating feeling – talking with so many people, playing great music and taking home a fat pay packet for having fun at work! What else could one want?”

While this profession does not require formal education, a degree in mass communication may help.

“There are a lot of future career options for RJs,” says Shilpa, a former RJ and now an established Emcee. RJs also make good voice-over artists for TV and radio advertisements and documentaries, content writers for shows, TV hosts, comperes for corporate programs, fashion shows, award functions and other public events.

“As a youngster, RJing can bring in good money. With strong market recall and great personality, you can explore several profitable future opportunities,” concludes Shilpa.

Event Management: Plan with panache
Cutthroat competition has made promotions and events an integral part of any corporate marketing strategy. Events could range from fashion shows, award functions and press conferences to new product launches, seminars, exhibitions, high-profile weddings and diplomatic dinners. With growing demand, event management has become a sought after and glamorous profession.

Are you a people’s person – in the true sense of the term? Do you “think on your feet”? Are you creative yet practical? Then what are you waiting for? Hop on to the event management bandwagon!

A successful event is all about managing people – vendors, contractors, clients, co-workers, technicians and support staff. Therefore, strong communication skills, loads of energy, patience and time management are must haves. In short, an event manager thinks and works like an entrepreneur. According to Sita, who runs an event management company, there are always last minute changes in client requirements. Some requests can be unreasonable or bizarre. You should have oodles of “can do” attitude. However, a well executed event makes it all worthwhile. And, not to mention, a good remuneration, incentives, accolades and the opportunity to rub shoulders with biggies!

As a beginner, your company may offer to take up small projects. Mini successes will build your confidence. A good professional network is important in this business. Managing high profile weddings can add a new dimension to your work profile and help you develop contacts. Natasha who works as an event co-ordinator feels that visibility is critical in this business. “Never miss an opportunity to meet people,” she says.

Outbound Training: Corporate Adrenaline
Corporate training has been around for decades. Companies invest heavily to train their employees. Until recently, training was restricted to classroom sessions with projectors and slides punctuated with tea times and lunch breaks. Not anymore! Outbound training is catching on as an effective alternative. Consequently, outbound trainers are much in demand!

Outbound training programmes help companies to build team spirit, leadership and other people skills in an experiential, adventure-filled, high-activity environment. Think about it – white water rafting in Rishikesh as a team building exercise. Or, military-styled obstacle course in Coorg to build leadership skills. Sounds interesting? If working outdoors and adventure give you an adrenaline rush, then you should consider a career in this exciting field.

There are some prerequisites to begin a career in outbound training. Firstly, a management degree and training experience will be great. However, Kalyani, a Chennai based outbound trainer, says, “Out-of-the-box thinking, love for physical challenges, understanding people, common sense and infectious energy can supersede qualification.” You should be able to work with different kinds of people – as every trainee group will be different. Travel is also an important part of this profession.

In the beginning, you may have to work with senior trainers in facilitating training courses. Experience will help you develop and execute programmes. This field is knowledge driven and requires constant innovation in technique, style, locations and activities.

Choosing a career is an important decision. Being happy and passionate about what you do is critical. Now, the time has come to give your passion a new lease of life!

[Box]
4mula for success
While updating your qualifications for any profession, especially an unconventional one, keep in mind the following points:

1. Read up all the literature you can gather on your chosen profession and assess if it is for you
2. Choose an institute only after making thorough enquiries
3. Research the course content to see if it agrees with what you have in mind
4. Enrol for a mentoring programme, if possible, and have your doubts and queries cleared by experts

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