Q I am a Class IX student and I love sketching, crafting and writing. I am skilled in all three, so many people advise me to take up Fashion Designing. Some also suggest I learn Animation since I am extremely imaginative and creative but I am afraid that I may not succeed at it. l am also interested in the bio stream, especially Psychology. Could you please suggest careers that would suit my interests?
Kirthana Kiro,
Calcutta
Planning for one's career is a lifelong process. What we all need to do is experiment and explore different options till we find one that works for us. At your stage in life, keep career options wide open and explore different streams. I would strongly caution you against thoughts of failure because they are counter-productive and will prevent you from experimenting with different things.
In your case, you have an interest in sketching, art and other design-related fields. So please don't decide beforehand that you cannot succeed in one area or the other. A better approach would be to:
a) continue to focus upon your studies such that you have good marks. Good marks always give you the flexibility of choosing whichever stream you wish to pick later.
b) continue to develop your art and design skills. Since design is done both by hand and by computer programs, you need to experiment with both forms. For instance, you could take some design courses from a computer institute nearby such that you can pick up the basics of Corel or Photoshop or other simple design programs. If you ask around, you might even find a friend who is well-versed in these programs and can guide you. YouTube is also full of free online teaching tools. As you master these basics, you can start taking more advanced, design-related courses. With two years of concerted effort, you will be able to see whether you are improving or not. If you are, then you know that you can take it forward and start preparing for entrance exams such as those of the National Institute of Design, NIFT, Srishti School of Design, and so on.
You are at an advantage because you don't need to decide a career options for another two to four years. Since you have an interest in Psychology and Biology, you could take science in Class XI. But make sure that you have good grades in Maths. Even if you finally decide to pursue Psychology, continue to develop your art and design skills. There are fields like Art Therapy, which will allow you to merge your interests.
Conventional wisdom tends to veer towards degrees but in today's world, success comes to those who are willing to offer something unique and innovative. I am confident that if you continue to work hard towards developing your interests, you will find a stream that will converge them. Don't let anybody tell you that you cannot succeed at something unless you have tried it yourself. Good luck!
