A graduate of Calcutta University, Saurav Jha was always sure that he wanted a master’s degree in business administration (MBA). However, last month he enrolled in a film making institute. Around the same time, in Pune, about 1,600 km away, MBA graduate Nitesh Joshi quit his job to pursue his dream of becoming a film director.
Sourav and Nitesh never met. But apart from their common love for cinema, the two are part of a much larger group. One that includes countless entrepreneurs, professionals, students, who have changed their career paths since the pandemic hit.
Passion is already taking precedence over a regular job before ‘3 Idiots’ made it fashionable in 2009. However, a surprisingly large number of people are taking advantage of it since the nationwide lockdown.
change of plan
It took a year for Nitesh, 36, to convince himself.
“I’m a father and I have a family to make up for. I can’t make impulsive decisions. However, I felt that if I didn’t do it now, I probably never would be able to. I spent years developing contacts, networking, Spent a year attending Zoom sessions, writing my short film and only when I was sure that the plan had a fair chance to work, did I quit my job,” he said.
Meanwhile, this decision was not easy even for 21-year-old Sourav. He had already started preparing for the MBA entrance exam. “I had shortlisted the colleges, told my entire family and friends about it and I was sure that’s what I wanted to do,” he said.
What changed then? “I saw people around me who were MBA graduates. He was working from home, coordinating on the phone, his laptop was always with him and I suddenly didn’t want that life. I wanted to work in an industry that demanded stepping out. I have always been interested in filmmaking but this is the first time I thought of taking it up as a career.”
For many, the decision to quit the job was due to working from home and being constantly glued to their phones and laptops. (shutterstock)
After two months of research and talking to graduates of film schools, Sourav finally got some clarity. He called off his MBA plans. Now he had to convince his parents. “I am an only child and filmmaking did not seem financially attractive to my parents. I had to give them examples of a dozen people. They are not quite sure yet but are fine with my nominations.”
Many psychologists around the world have concluded that one of the major effects of the pandemic is a sense of risk-taking ability. According to a research paper published this year in the Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, authored by Julia and Joby McColle, “Risk-taking can be thought of as a self-indulgent behavior that results in the development of an internal locus of control due to COVID-19. Is. “
According to a survey conducted by Amazon India in September this year, around 51 per cent of job-seekers adults were interested in pursuing opportunities in industries they did not have experience in. And 68 percent of them said they are looking to switch industries. as a result of COVID-19.
pandemic entrepreneur
Naveen Nair, 26, a New Delhi resident, fell asleep when he thought of quitting his secure job at a large software firm. His mind began to weave scary scenarios of everything that could have gone wrong. “It seemed silly to leave a fixed-income job in the middle of a pandemic,” he told News18.
However, the tipping point came when he realized that he was settling for less every day. Their employers demanded doubling of output in return for wages, which had been significantly reduced due to the economic fallout of the pandemic. He knew he deserved better. He left the job.
Presently, he is planning to inaugurate the second branch of his business firm in Trivandrum. “I was always interested in digital marketing and took short courses from Google and Udemy to understand the subject. The dream of starting my own venture was hidden in me for many years. The contacts I made during my previous job helped secure clients. I didn’t have a plan B. I left everything to the Almighty and jumped right in,” says Naveen, Founder, DigiGen Enterprises.
Like Naveen all over the world, millions of people are leaving their jobs faster than ever. So much so that there is now a word for it: great resignation. It was first coined in 2019 by Anthony Klotz of Texas A&M to predict a massive, voluntary exodus from the workforce is here, and it’s quite real.
According to the US Department of Labor, a total of 1.15 crore workers left their jobs during April, May and June 2021.
So did 41-year-old Shweta Donakonda in Hyderabad. A mother of two girls, she calls herself a pandemic entrepreneur.
As offline conversations became restricted, the world shifted online, one business at a time. This marketing manager, who studied retail management at the Indian School of Business, realized that all these new companies would need a marketing plan.
Millions of people all over the world are leaving their jobs faster than ever before. So much so that there is now a word for it: great resignation. (shutterstock)
“Before starting my venture, I was working for an ed-tech startup. I was involved in preparing a growth hacking plan for the company. But the pandemic took a toll on the firm and it started moving south,” said the founder of Vikas.
Inspiration for her came from other women entrepreneurs.
“It always bothered me that only 10 percent of executives above middle management in private firms are women. I have always admired Hyderabad-based venture capitalist Vani Kola, who has been named by Fortune India as one of the most powerful business women in the country. So when one of my partners agreed to be a partner in the new venture, I realized it was the right time,” said Sveta.
The dilemma hasn’t just struck the pros. Students are also part of the group.
Read also | Can burnout breaks help combat the pandemic? Here’s what experts say
traditional ditch
According to a March 2021 survey by the UK’s largest undergraduate careers website, Prospect, more than a quarter of respondents had changed their career plans because of the pandemic and 37 percent said they were still unsure of what they would do.
For Anisha Pandey, a Class 12 student, the availability of more time after the lockdown has triggered the switch. Hailing from a small town in West Bengal’s Hooghly district, her routine consisted of a tight school schedule followed by preparation for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).
He had no time left to invest in fashion designing.
Now, with schools closed and classes online, Anisha finally found time to explore her passion. She quickly set up a social media page to showcase her designs. Gradually, she got recognition and the decision was taken.
“I come from a middle-class family and my father worked very hard to save money for my engineering entrance books. My decision came as a shock to him. My parents are not happy but that is what I want to do and if not for the pandemic, I would not have continued,” said Anisha, who wants to go to the National Institute of Fashion Technology and pursue fashion designing as a career. I want to take
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social calling
On the other side of the classroom, after more than half a decade teaching at a BMC-run school, 32-year-old Rubina Rauna packed all her belongings, said goodbye to the sea, and left Mumbai before the second wave of COVID-19 arrived.
She returned to her home in Birpara, a town in North Bengal’s Alipurduar district, surrounded by tea gardens, hoping to get a job at a local school. But the pandemic had different plans for him. In March 2020, Rubina launched Abhilasha Initiative, which works towards educating tribal children.
“When I returned, the schools here were closed, so I could not apply. it is a small town; There isn’t much to do, so I spent a lot of time thinking. It is a luxury that you cannot afford in cities like Mumbai,” Rubina said.
“I always dreamed of opening an NGO, the same way many people dream of becoming an actress or writer. I had no real commitment to it; It was just a dream, not a goal. However, as soon as the pandemic dragged its feet, I began to feel restlessness within myself, telling me it was time to start over,” she said.
Rubina comes from a tribal family. His mother actively works on local social-development issues. Acquaintances of her mother told her about children of tea garden workers whose education had stopped because many of them did not have mobile devices at home.
“How long ago do these kids forget letters? Or lose interest in studies? As a teacher who had taught slum children in Mumbai for years, I knew this was a real possibility. I also knew that being a teacher is very different from running a social initiative. As a teacher, your sole responsibility is to impart knowledge, but you also need a deep business understanding to run a social enterprise. So, I was scared,” she said.
Soon after, one of Rubina’s brothers helped her meet the local tribal parents of the Tasati tea garden. “Despite their misfortune, they were very warm and welcoming. They promised that they would send their children to study, so I started Abhilasha initiative in March last year.”
Rubina travels twice a week from Birpara by electric rickshaw (Toto) to Tasti Tea Estate. A kutcha road leads him for a few kilometers before taking him to the tribal settlements of the Tasati Tea Estate, amidst perfectly crafted tabletops of tea plants. The road is not safe at night. There are frequent incidents of theft and robbery. A herd of elephants also walks on this path whenever they want. But she likes this road more than the traffic clogged roads of Mumbai.
This story is part 2 of a 4-part series on the aftermath of the pandemic. Click Here To read Part 1 on COVID-19 and its impact on mental health.
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