Many college graduates seem to be taking the ‘road less taken’. Professions like animation, web design and content creation that were once unheard of are now finding many takers. With plenty of opportunities and a thriving start-up culture in the City, youngsters are embracing challenges with open arms and some have even turned their passion into profession.
Institutions too are introducing specialised courses that encourage innovation. The exposure in terms of internships is a big boost as they can learn on the job. Entrepreneurs are also ready to employ freshers who have no pre-conceived notions about the job.
There are schools that offer gaming as a specialised course and the increasing number of gaming lounges in the City has provided more employment opportunities to web designers, animators and game designers. Tamizh, a gamer, says, “Gaming has picked up because it helps enhance one’s cognitive abilities. It is the perfect blend of science and art. There are many software professionals, who are also game designers and work on making intelligent games for graduates who are just learning.”
Music is yet another growing off-beat profession and one of the reasons for the increasing number of musicians in the City is the growth of spaces that encourage artistes and bands. Lyle Rodericks, a musician, says that technology has had a positive impact on live music and music production.
“Most of the softwares are easily available nowadays and modern technology encourages freeware, promotes creators and allows them to create share-worthy content. Social media directs viewers to the content and helps artistes share their work. ‘YouTube’ is a great platform for musicians to experiment and get in touch with others as well. Also, ‘YouTube’ pays those who upload videos, which allows them to invest in newer and better tools.” He adds that once a musician gets recognised, he or she can attend festivals, tours, and work on films and documentaries. Wesley Newton, a full-time musician, says that music as an art has become a lot more respected with many taking to teaching music as well.
Ranji David, the artistic director of ‘Yours Truly Theatre’, says that almost 70 plays are staged in the City in a month and the number of full-time theatre artistes has increased.
The cosmopolitan culture of Bengaluru has also helped many theatre artistes thrive. Abhishek, of ‘WeMove Theatre’, says that apart from theatre festivals, it is the audience that has helped many artistes grow as it is open to new subjects.
“So there is always something for everyone. This has helped theatre artistes take to their passion full-time. Corporate and government sponsorships have also helped theatre grow and today, I can safely say that Bengaluru is considered as the ‘Mecca of Theatre’ in South East Asia.”
Kishore, a full-time professional photographer, feels that a person has to be street-smart in order to pursue these professions. “In the end, it’s always your work that speaks rather than the following that you have,” he sums up.