Engineering, medicine and MBA courses may still retain much of their popularity, but City students are increasingly looking beyond them, at the potential of new-age, non-academic disciplines. With almost all the exam results out, it’s that time of year when students explore exciting, unconventional alternatives: from DJing to jewellry/fashion design to coffee-tasting and a whole lot else.

Non-academic courses, invariably branded as niche and ‘non-lucrative’, are now finding takers. Boasting a prime coffee-growing and marketing region, Karnataka has on offer a decent array of courses to prepare students for the coffee industry.

The Coffee Board offers a one-year PG Diploma Co-urse in Coffee Quality Management (CQM).

Sanjith P D, for one, says the coffee industry is booming and offers a host of career opportunities. “I did my Masters in Plantation Development. After the CQM course that I’m doing now, I want to apply for a job as cup taster or Quality Control Manager,” he says.

Coffee Labs also offer shorter courses, ranging from a day to five days, at three levels. “When there is demand, we even conduct eight courses,” says Sunalini Menon of Coffee Labs.

There is an increasing number of centres in the City offering degrees and diplomas in jewellry studies. Sandeep Kumar, who has enrolled for the diploma course says: “Since I come from a family of jewellers, this course will help me run my family’s retail jewellry store”.

Air-hostess training sc-hools have also been gaining in popularity. The Air-Hostess Academy has a centre that offers a one-year diploma in Aviation & Hospitality Management (price tag: Rs 1,18,000) and a two-year diploma in Global Aviation & Hospitality Management (Rs 1,85,000). The eligibility is 10+2, but the school also takes undergraduates as the courses are part-time.