Students at the career fair. Picture by Amit Datta

For those who thought seeking help in deciding on the right career was a waste of time, there was a lesson or two to learn from the interactive session at The Telegraph Careergraph Live Career Fair on Saturday evening.

Halfway through the session, when a middle-aged Abhishek Chakraborty introduced himself, most in the audience at the first-floor hall in Punjab Bhavan stared in disbelief. The visually-handicapped man had come here in pursuit of his dream career ? talking to people. Abhishek was learning Braille at home and wanted to know whether he could ?do something in public relations?.

Pervin Malhotra, director of Caring (Career Guidance India), New Delhi, who addressed the gathering, later said: ?I admire his confidence. I will personally go through his profile and consult experts in the field before giving him suggestions.?

At the very start of the seminar, Malhotra emphasised the importance of job-worthiness over degrees. ?These days companies are lean, mean and flat, which means that they employ few but efficient people. Be the best in whatever you do. Dream big.?

That was precisely what Chandrachur Palchaudhuri had started doing when he took to computer gaming two years ago. ?I want to be a professional gamer. Are there courses in it?? asked the Class XII student of Birla High School. When asked to take up ?developing computer games instead of just playing them?, even his otherwise disapproving father seemed ready to give in. ?I have brought up my children amid financial constraints, so I was a bit sceptical. But after this session, I might let him do what he wants,? smiled Biswajit Palchaudhuri.

That age was no bar to a fresh lease of life was evident from some others in the audience. A teacher of Delhi Public School Ruby Park, Sunita Anand, had come to find out about courses in environmental sciences. ?Many schools are adding the subject to their curriculum. I can teach the subject once I am trained in it. Had the subject been an option during my graduation years, I would have gladly taken it up. But it is never too late,? reasoned Anand, a teacher for more than a decade.

The counselling session was a first for Roopkatha Banerjee of Future Foundation. ?I have just cleared my Boards and didn?t know what subjects to choose. I like the sciences and communication. After today?s session, I think I can combine both,? she said.

The Q&A session floored Malhotra. ?The response was tremendous. A high number of students aspire for careers in journalism and mass communication. But what bothers me is that students shouldn?t be encouraged to dream in terms of degrees,? she signed off.

Hopefully, by the time the career fair ends on May 21, many more youngsters in the city would have realised that.