Social networking may be a boon for new-age choices

Updated on: Friday, February 10, 2012

The next time your parents order you to log off Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, and focus on studies instead, it may be a good idea not to listen to them. When it comes to preparing for new-age careers, Facebook may do a better job than your textbook.

Ask Jaideep Bir. This 28-year-old entrepreneur quit his job in a dotcom a few years ago to start his own social media marketing company that uses social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to market products and brands. Today, his clients range from large multinationals to education institutions for which he has designed fan pages on social media sites.

"We also work offline, distributing RFID (radio frequency identification) cards to people who attend events conducted by various brands. The RFID card automatically updates your location on Facebook, so that all your friends know you are attending the event. This helps publicize the brand," says Jaideep.

He is just one among a growing number of Indians opting out of conventional careers and treading the path less taken. Like Himani Khurana, who stumbled upon a career in jazz, ballroom and contemporary dance while studying English at Lady Shri Ram College. While most professionals learn dance from the age of five, Himani began at 20, when she joined a class near her college. What started out as a hobby turned into a career. "I had the opportunity to work with dancers from overseas and even went abroad to pursue dance," says Himani.

Serendipity has had a hand in several career choices. Take for instance artist O P Rathore, the voice behind a host of advertisements, both for the government as well as corporates. Rathore chanced upon the field 20 years ago when he lent his voice to a radio promo on the freedom struggle. "The promo did very well and people wanted to know whose voice it was. That's how I started getting more contracts. I never thought I would end up making a career of it," he says.

While selecting a career has, traditionally, been a weighty affair, youngsters are now experimenting with their lives till they zero in on a field that interests them. Simar Sukhija, who runs a nail bar in Delhi, specializes in decorating nails and offers everything from manicures to nail extensions.

Though video games and mobile phone applications may be the bane of the average middle-class parent, creating them is now a lucrative career option, often paying better than the good, old-fashioned careers.

While entrepreneurship doesn't quite fit in with the traditional Indian dream of a stable career, some, like Rishabh Gupta, took the plunge. "Turning entrepreneur has been a childhood dream. I have always been in awe of folks like Richard Branson," says Gupta, an economics graduate from Delhi University.

After an MBA from Manipal, Rishabh figured he had no experience of how to run his own business, and so he joined the corporate sector to gather work experience. "But after switching three jobs in two years, I figured this was not my calling. I decided it was time to turn entrepreneur," says Gupta, who joined hands with a friend and began a company that links young people with corporates.

While the idea initially revolved around summer internships, it has now expanded to several areas involved with equipping students for the corporate sector. "We have roped in students as brand ambassadors on campus for various companies, and are using social media to spread the word. We also get young people to work part-time for corporates on areas such as presentation and cleaning up digital content. These jobs are are a perfect fit for youngsters seeking exposure to the job market," adds Rishabh.

Times of India

Social networking may be a boon for new-age choices

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