6 OFFBEAT NEW AGE COURSES THAT YOU WANT TO CONSIDER

If you thought that the way ahead in your career begins with an engineering or a postgraduate degree in one of the mainstream professional streams, think again. Recently, with the growing spate of offbeat courses being offered in universities and internet based educational platforms, there is a growing surge in demand for professionals with an extra edge.

The facts speak for themselves. Over 30 to 40% of engineering seats lie vacant despite the growing number of educational institutions offering engineering programs. Students prefer to go abroad for an international education as the ease of applying to foreign colleges and the access to financial aid or loans grows year after year. According to latest surveys, over 80% of international students applying for higher studies in the US, UK and Canada based universities are Asians, more specifically from China and India.

As a result, many Indian institutions have opened doors to offbeat courses that have garnered interest from the student community. These courses have been received well both by the student as well as the corporate sector. The highlight of these offbeat courses is that they address the need for employable skills, which is the need of the hour.

Here are 6 offbeat new age courses that you may want to pursue:

Disc Jockey/Radio Jockey
Always had the ear for good music? Do you enjoy mixing beats, sounds, and music genre to create a vibrant environment?
DJ-ing, and RJ-ing are both popular careers taken up by young and vivacious people. There is an element of glamor, as your job entails mingling and talking to celebrities. This career is ideal for those who have a great voice and know how to use their voice to create impact. While there are many institutes that offer training courses for radio jockeying, the best way is to learn on the job. All India Radio is a good training ground for newcomers. To be a good DJ, you can learn from many online courses on song mixing tools and software. Professional courses in voice overs, song mixing, and diction will help you get a good start.

Photojournalism
In the digitally savvy world, photojournalism has taken wings, with more people signing up for professional courses on photography. Companies have also recognized the importance of pictures on the websites, and hence look for photojournalists to build their site. Photojournalists also freelance to sell stock pictures to websites looking to buy good quality images. Media, entertainment, journalism and internet are the key employment generators for this profile.

Event Management
From a wedding to a full-blown Academy Awards, events need a capable organizing team that makes sure everything is working clockwork, and there are no glitches in the final day of the show. Event management companies oversee all aspects of managing events: right from selection of caterers, to organizing the décor, theme, lights, props, guest arrival and exit, and all things in between. The success of any event depends upon the calibre and professionalism of the event management group. If you have the flair to multi task, organize events, and liaise with different vendors and professionals well, then you can pursue a course in Event Management. As you network your way up, find more clients, you can take on bigger events and projects. To become an events manager, you will need to have good communication and 'people' skills. You will need to be good at problem-solving, and thinking on your feet.

Animation and Graphics Design
There is a greater impetus for graphic designers, animators, and visual effects specialists. Not just the entertainment industry, companies which have a significant online presence have recognised the need for graphic design and animation. To be a graphic designer, you will need to pursue some courses in VFX and graphics. Many computer institutes offer short term and specialized courses on animation, graphics and VFX. A designer can help in the publication of books, software, and design intensive websites for industries such as fashion, home décor, gaming, among others.

Ethical Hacking
These days with growing cybercrime, security agencies are constantly in the need of a vigilance system that ensure data is not stolen from critical websites. The cyber-cell of the police department and the intelligence agencies often need to crack into other websites to check the activity of malicious software.

Rural Studies
While it is true that trade and commerce are happening in the cities, and hence job opportunities are greater in the metros, the rural economy is the one growing at a rapid and steady growth. Urban markets are saturating with enough competitors and players offering the same products and services with very little differentiation. However, the rural industry offers a huge potential for growth and commercial value. With a rural management course, you learn topics like forestry, farm management, child development, agriculture, environment management, community development, and the like. Many popular institutes offer management courses in rural management such as the Indian Institute of Rural Management in Anand (IRMA). You can also pursue an MBA in rural management and open a wide vista of career opportunities here.

In addition to these 6, there are many courses mushrooming around that offer greater employable skills, and career prospects. Before you sign up for any course, make sure to consider the following:
1. Is the course suitable to your profile? Does the program interest you?
2. Are there adequate career opportunities in your chosen field of study?
3. Do you see growth prospects within the same domain?
4. Are you signing up for a reputed course with a reputed institution?
5. Do you completely understand what the course entails, and are you up for the challenge?

If you feel confident that the new age course is ideal for you, and you are passionate about the career, you will find your way up. Stay updated on all the latest happenings in your field of specialization, talk to industry experts, and post questions on popular fora or media so that you get all your doubts resolved before you sign up for the long haul.

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