Change Of Career To Pursue Passion Can Be Fruitful

Jatin Ahuja Mar 01, 2020

The Indian Education System with its age old approach of highlighting conventional education has at times let down the concept of converting passion into a successful career. However, the last decade has seen an upsurge within millennials and Gen Z opting for pursuing their passion as a full-fledged career option by moving away from predictable career choices.

With the students’ growing affinity towards unconventional career choices the Indian Education System has made a conscious choice of moving towards skill development. They have started introducing vocational training courses and other skill honing classes at the academic level which will be beneficial to the students in pursuing their passion as career in the long run. The focus has been mostly on experiential learning in the last one year.

However, keeping in line with the conversation of alternative career choices, few examples of people changing their career to pursue passion can be drawn from looking at the India Cricket Fraternity which has players like Anil Kumble (ex-Indian Team bowler) who is a mechanical engineer but chose cricket as his career. Similarly a lot of millenials are found pursuing conventional education but end up shifting their career focus and become digital marketing managers, entrepreneurs, chefs and communication professionals. The rise in choosing work life happiness over stressful traditional career choices has been a leading trend for quite some time now. To meet this change the Indian Education System is all geared up further to acknowledge this shift in trend on career choices and make opportunities available to students to further pursue their passion while shaping their life.

At times in tier 2 and tier 3 cities our current education system fails to understand the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between theoretical and practical knowledge. Education system in these areas needs to be modified in such a way that the skills and ability of a child can be honed in the right direction so that he/she can carve a career from his or her passion. Channelizing the abilities of the youth in the proper direction by curating a curriculum that helps them change their passion into their career is something that the education system should focus more and more on.

It is true that right education plays an important in enhancing the skills and making right life choices. If only theory is taught to someone without any practical knowledge the person would never be able to utilize such knowledge; it will be just memorizing and not acquiring it as a skill. Having a sound practical knowledge and right education gives you the opportunity to utilize your full potential and give the best outcome. It gives you the courage to overcome difficult situations. You cannot learn how to drive a car without actually driving it.

It is very rightly said that ‘practice makes one perfect’ thus once again bringing to the light that practical education is at par in importance with theoretical education.

Education is the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university. The formal definition of education is this but it is not about merely receiving the education. Practical and theory has to be blended in a balanced format.

The right education gives knowledge of the world around us and changes it into something better. It develops in us a perspective of looking at life. It helps us build opinions and have points of view on things in life. The information cannot be converted into knowledge without right education.

Most of the people are forced to pursue conventional courses due to societal pressure which should not be the case. An individual should pursue a course only out of interest and not by force.

A limitation that our education system faces is the lack of professional guidance for students in high school and universities; this guidance is crucial to decide what career fits a student’s goals and aspirations. Aptitude tests are another piece of the puzzle that is required to make a holistic and meaningful decision about what courses one must take up. This can be achieved through personality tests, aptitude tests, and career counseling sessions in schools and universities.

Being able to positively influence a student’s decision making about their educational path increases the chances of them developing transferable skills to fit their career choices; when the right guidance is given to an individual the goals are achieved and the productivity is more. People work willingly and happily which helps shaping a good career and more focused learning.