Hobbies Can be your Profession Tomorrow..

It takes a lot, to do what you like. In most of the cases, it's either a compromise or the Regrets.

Hm… My brain is absolutely blank. Wondering where to start from, what to start about. Really? Looks like I’m tongue-tied for words. And Perfect!! The very next minute.. I am, now, wondering about the ocean of topics crossing my mind. Debating myself, which one should I pick on?

Well, looks like I’ve decided one. And you are gonna have a head-ache(for few of you) reading this one. But answers are well appreciated.

Um, well it is an issue, every student of Andhra Pradesh faces.  I wouldn’t really say every student of India, because I can see some nice progress in the northern parts, and ofcourse west as well. Though I really have no clue of students over there. J

Well, let me generalize the life of a Andhra Pradesh student( oh come on, typing entire state name every single time sucks, let me just put it as AP, Gee feels much better the very first time, :D). Okay. What ever.

So, as Raj Kumar Hirani said in his film 3 idiots. Bachcha paida hote hi baap ne kaha ki “mera beta engineer banegaa..”. Seriously. Though it is not for the movie, which has this thought provoken my mind. But you know.. Every single student, right from their childhood, has this thing for engineering.

“Maths, Physics, Chemistry” are gonna be the answers of students in 90% of the cases while 10% would add biology as their favorite subjects in school. Ofcourse, you wouldn’t expect a 13-15 year old teenager to answer he/she wants to become a lawyer or a politician or something like that. But, you know what, these so called favorite subjects occupy the space of the students. The students eventually end up taking either MPC or BiPC, after their schooling, in their +2.  MPC students eventually land up in one of the hundreds of engineering college, under a single university JNTU. While the BiPC students struggle carving their niche.

Right, the engineering colleges standards sucks. Seriously, are you kidding me? Hundreds of engineering colleges. It looks like more of a big time business to me, rather, the management of those colleges really want to provide education to students. Looking at the course work of engineering, and the standards provided to students, especially the new-born colleges, it has no match. Not in a tiniest way.

Even the well, well reputed colleges of Hyderabad doesn’t offer the minimum facilities to students. If that is the case then what is the point of so many colleges. This is all to an extent. Now, let me focus on the students from their point of view. Once they join the college, are they really justifying the course work? In a way, yes it is difficult to, with so many subjects and on the flipside less number of working days(with the bunks, holidays, gf/bf issues, hangouts in canteens.. :P). Ofcourse this deserves a special thanks to the “T-Issues”, their bandhs, protests and other fucking things they are doing, which are still going on and no clue for how long it’s gonna be. Few students sacrificed their lives in the Osmania University Campus, does any  one ******* politician has anything to do with this. Students sacrificed for what? Nothing? Really? Anyways, I am not gonna talk about that filthy issue(No offence to telengana people, now this doesn’t mean I’m from Andhra). And coming back to students, yeah, I wouldn’t really ask everybody to score great. Because I’ve been from the same thing and I know how it goes. But still, some un-answered questions.

Once the students graduate, there are so many options. That’s a good thing. Students can either opt for Masters program (regardless of the country) or few take up their dad’s/family’s business whilst few get placed in MNC’s/IT’s. Now, the question is, to what percentage does these students account for? 10, 15,20?? Okay.. the imaginary number 50%. Yet, what about the rest of them? Are there any employment opportunities for the lakhs of the left over students? Seriously, lakhs? How pitiful is the situation? Hard even to imagine. If engineering colleges has so much to offer, why does thousand, lakhs of people still have to hang around institutions for all the software courses in Ameerpet, Dilsukhnagar.

Now, the tragic part is, though this is the scenario prevailing, there is still an intake of students for engineering and people keep opening more and more engineering colleges.

It, really, has to be this way? Is Engineering the only professional course. Yes, looking at the above scenarios, it is the only one. Is it because of the lack of exposure of other professional courses. Well, frankly, how many friends of you are(or still pursuing courses in) either a professional photographer, a dance teacher, a musician, a lawyer, a cop, or all those high profile government jobs. You compare for yourself and think about the ratio. All of them on one side competing against the percentage of engineering/medicine background guys. Is it 10-90%, or 20-80?? I can bet you it’s not gonna be more than that. Why is it so?

Why cant one focus on this? I, lately have been thinking, what if I had considered it seriously when my dad asked me to give Civils, or take up MBA or even journalism. I am serious, my pops asked me to consider them. I just laughed at it. Whilst I consider it seriously now. It is not that I am regretting, but I could’ve gave it a thought atleast. The answer I can feel is. There is no proper scope for all those professions. It is so evident if one peeps at the scenario prevailing in Hyderabad/AP. But, is there any way that these are gonna be considered? How many people are really doing what they want to? Okay, now even if one want to, it is the same insecure feeling that haunts everybody. But how does choosing engineering/medicine gonna help you with so much of scarce? Nobody really know that you can build a career in the professions I spoke about.

Atleast, thanks to few of the reality shows being aired in televisions these days, exposing the talents. And I really see lot of talent from the short movies which are doing rounds these days. Ofcourse, I hate most of them. But really appreciate for the brave attempts. I could actually see nice camera work in many of them. Nice editing, and nice concepts too. Good that atleast few out of millions are coming out of their cocoon. Ofcourse I don’t really say it helps, but atleast they are giving it a shot.

One more point I would like to mention is, from something I have seen and I know is, the Americans or who so ever I have come across here in Cleveland, they atleast do what they like to do. Its pretty obvious that they fool around in their teens with zero percent focus on career. They slowly start building career in,  like what,  late 30s. But, they do what they like to do. I can see people taking courses even in their 50s. The work place of mine at CSU where I monitor all the social welfare classes. Which deals with the social issues, uni-sex issues and all other issues prevailing. It, ofcourse, is no issue in India. But, I just see people put in their heart. People are so considerate, about what they learn.

How nice it would be if people back in my country, my place do that. Well before that, I do that :P

So, anyways, it’s not that I’m just saying I am superior. Or somebody is wrong. Or people has to do this only. No. I have personal experiences people saying I regret taking engineering. Well, hello(An exclamatory expression). Now it’s not the time to regret. If you do, go ahead and do what you like, else don’t complain. Rather compromise. Which is a best solution as per me. It has been something similar with me. I have realized the importance of few things I have ignored at certain stages of my life so far. When I took up classes in Matrushri in 10^th standard, I dint really know the importance of IIT’s. Rather I realized it in my 2^nd or 3^rd year of my engineering. It took me, two months of my stay in US of A to know what it is to pursue Masters in USA for a Indian student.

Trust me it is not easy to stay away from the city u grew up for 20 years, from the family, and especially the food… :P :P :P damn I miss pani puri so much these days… LMFAO…!!! :P :P But its true. Ofcourse, it does have the good things you know. If only one observes closely, one can realize how grown up you are as an individual when you live thousands of miles away from your home land. I heard people at my work place say, “I can never do that”. “And I have never gone so far either, for a year”(as its been a year of my stay in US, that is when this conversation came up).

So, bottom line, if not for my generation, I would like to see “GEN-NEXT” people come up with bold attempts. Darn the same engineering stuff, and do something which really one would want to. Well and good if one has his/her heart for engineering, in that case ATB, GBY.. :D :D (ATB- All the best, GBY – God bless you :P :P) but still, I’m serious if only, one feels every bit of engineering, they can reach heights, but ‘feels’ is the word to be considered for.. :P

Is this issue ever gonna be resolved? Atleast what one can do? What would you do before you expect somebody else to do? The students will ever have such exposure? Hopefully.

Anyways, I will give in my best to help the confused ones around me.

Just so you know, speaking of my favorite professions are Photography(though I suck at it), Journalism(or something related to writing), Dancing, a dance teacher(Specially Ballroom, Salsa), VJing and RJing. One thing I’m sure of is I’m gonna take courses in these fields for sure. It doesn’t really matter when, but I will for sure. I’m certain of it.

A quote from me.. Pandaga cheskondi.. “Its never late to learn something in your life”… :P :P Damn looks like I’ve seen it some where. But I really feel, if you regret missing on something which you think you should’ve done. Stop regretting and start doing pursuing it.

For what, its worth, Life is Beautiful…!!!

Special thanks if you have read it and felt it. I have spent the longest time ever on writing this one, simultaneously done a lot of thinking and putting it on word document(technically not on paper… :P).

Anyways, ATB, GBY and GBM as well..!! You wondering what’s GBM?? Ping me for answer or wait for it in my next post.. :P

Yours..

Dev..!!