With the country going through technological revolution, what we are witnessing today is a deluge of Career options within the realm of technology. One remarkable feature is that the students in the present times are not averse to picking up unconventional careers unlike in the bygone times. Till about a few years back only traditional careers like engineering, medicine or CA were considered worth choosing. Parents did not encourage their children if they expressed their desire to choose a career apart from these traditional ones. But nowadays, there is a wide acceptance of alternate careers in the society and the students have never had such a great bouquet of career options to choose from. I have tried to catch the trend by way of most searches over the internet done by the candidates themselves as well as those by the employers. A reflection of this is also found in the recruitment advertisements released by recruiters.
- Computer applications and Information Technology
These are the times of apps, software, artificial intelligence, data science, block chain and big data etc. Every entity worth its salt, whether new or old launches its app and software. Business intelligence powered by data science is revolutionizing the traditional ways of doing any business. The entire ecosystem is undergoing unprecedented change through technology. What we are witnessing is the fourth revolution bolstered by technology. Everything that we can think of doing is being done on the internet in online or digital mode, whether a delivery business or e commerce or car sales, travel, leisure, banking etc. In the education sector, all exams except the board exams for school students, are all being conducted online. The JEE Advanced for admission to the IITs has been conducted in the computer-based test mode for the first time in 2018. Careers in this segment are forecast to grow at scorching pace of 200%. Youngsters who have the knack of programming and dealing with enormous data and analytics can hope to make their mark in these careers.
Professional degrees like computer science engineering and software engineering are the two most sought after qualifications apart from BCA and MCA.
- Ethical hacking
This field has been in the list of top 5 career options for quite some years and will continue to be a prominent one in the coming years too. This career stream is a direct outcome of advancement in technology and this is more of a career for the computer geeks with an innate aptitude and talent for coding and programming. A background in mathematics and IT proves to be an added advantage for the students of ethical hacking. The field looks at plugging the vulnerabilities of an organisation’s computer applications and architecture. Ethical hacking is concerned with taking preventive and protective measures to safeguard the computer systems even before a breach or a hack can occur. It requires strong understanding of networking, telecommunications, computer and web applications. The professional degree is that of Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).
- Mathematics
Mathematics provides an opening to great many career options, almost everything that is conceivable in the realm of technology. If you are one of those and have a professional qualification from a reputed college you can look forward to a great career in plethora of fields like IT, computer applications, Software development, ethical hacking, data science and big data, Operations research, Business analysis, Statistics, CA, Actuarial science, Banking, Teaching etc.
Mathematics is one area where parents insist that their children should score cent percent marks and therefore start taking pains to hone the mathematics skills of their children quite early. There is an equal number of students who are scared of mathematics and harbour fear for the subject. Consequently, mathematics is not everyone’s cup of tea. One might say that there is an innate talent for mathematical skills that segregates students having liking for the subject than those who do not.
The relevant qualifications are BSc and MSc in Mathematics and Honors degree as well.
- Engineering
Inherently seen as the backbone of any technological revolution, engineering as a career has consistently remained at the #1 position from the start. Only now it has been displaced by careers that are purely driven by technology. The engineering career has been fueled by the aspirations of parents for their children to lead successful lives. Most parents still see a career in engineering as one that brings respect as well as money. Students landing with jobs with Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, Flipkart and the like has charmed many. A good job in engineering is perceived as a great achievement for young engineering graduates from all over. With technology majors lining up for placement in the professional colleges the lure of a career in engineering is not going to fade away in future too. What we have witnessed is a correction in the field with not so worthy colleges and students quitting the race. In some sense it is actually good for the country as it will help to restore faith and quality in this field.
The professional qualification is B.Tech, B.E. and BSc (Engineering).
- Animation and Graphics
This career stream is for the creative students who have the ability to express their creativity and innovative thinking in the digital and electronic medium. With online entertainment and digital revolution ruling the space, career in animation and graphics is sure to do very well in future. Since it is purely a creative field requiring an artistic bent of mind, not many might do well in the long run as per the demands of the job at hand and the project one is working on. Along with a qualification, it is very important to have an inborn talent for designing and aesthetics. It is more of a skill that comes with the DNA rather than cultivated wholly through a professional qualification or training. The career revolves around 3D animation, web designing, cartoon graphics and film making with UI and UX design.
The professional qualification includes degree or diploma and a PG in animation. Short term skill development courses in stop motion animation, Clay motion, Rotoscoping etc. are available.
- Social sciences and Humanities
Only in the last few years has the pride been restored to this field of social sciences. This is the best time for career aspirants in this field as there seems to be a high tide in its favour with both popularity and respect riding the wave. There is a plethora of career options available in this arena that include sociology, psychology, political science, history, anthropology, archeology, geology and many more. These areas have become popular with a supposed slowdown in recent times in sciences at the school level. Students today are willing to look at these career options beyond the long-established careers like medicine and engineering.
Qualifications are that of BA along with Honors.
- Architecture
Architecture is a functional field where creativity cum technical skills rule the roost. It is not just a simple creation of a structure of a building but something that is aesthetically beautiful and yet environmentally friendly masterpiece that is futuristic. That which will be remembered and cherished for a long time to come. It is again a matter of pure conceptualization and imagination coupled with technical knowledge. You could say, it is a merger between art and sound technical knowledge. A prerequisite for any student of architecture is imagination and conceptualization. Individual’s creative talent, scientific bent of mind and an eye for detail or minute things are put to use in no small measure.
The professional degree is a B.Arch.
Apart from these, there are few other careers that are still in demand like Business management, Psychology, Economics, Food and Nutrition and some allied careers in medicine. This is just an indicative list that is quite dynamic and may vary time to time. A word of advice, before choosing a particular career, do conduct your own research as well as check your own potential and aptitude for the same.
