Passion, not money, should direct choice of career: Expert

An overview of opportunities in management, data analysis, animation, apart from tips on emotional intelligence in making a career choice, engaged the audience on the second day of the Deccan Herald-Prajavani event.

Padmabhushan Prof B M Hegde, former vice chancellor of MAHE, said a smart career choice is not driven by monetary interest alone, but also by passion. “Education is about understanding the needs of people around us and letting others grow, at the same time focusing on one’s growth.” Parents must understand that intelligence is not defined by scoring marks alone and let their kids pursue courses with which they are comfortable, he said. 

W P Krishna, general secretary, Sheshadripuram Educational Trust, spoke about opportunities in the management field. He said: “Power has shifted from political arena to the corporates. A student with passion for entrepreneurship will be most suitable for management courses.” He asked students interested in management related courses to keep tab on the number of entrance courses conducted by various autonomous institutes. Stressing the potential of the field, he said there are 1,250 B-Schools in the country and 1.25 lakh students are pursuing management courses apart from another lakh students pursuing distance education courses.

Students got an overview of upcoming fields such as data analysis and animation. Shalini Urs, executive director and professor of International School of Information Management, said since there is an abundant flow of information and a steep increase in the services offered online along with an increase in internet users, a lot of data needs analysis creating a host of opportunities in the sector. Chief information officers and data scientists are in great demand. Multinational companies are not just hiring engineers, but also those to look after their creative, legal and commercial fronts, she said. 

Balakrishna M R, vice president, Association of Bangalore Animation Industry, spoke on the opportunities in animation service, visual effects and post-production of films. Every film is introducing graphics at present, creating a lot of opportunities for those into animation and design. Allaying fears of parents about the remuneration offered in jobs in the creative sector, he said the entertainment industry has potential to grow phenomenally over the next few years.