21 Fun & Interesting Career Options in India [2024]

Updated on 14 March, 2024

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Career Options in India

Are you wondering if there’s a career that matches your unique set of aspirations and interests? We are pretty sure there is one. This article will help you find the right job for you by discussing some of the most interesting career options. Let’s get started:

Interesting Career Options in India

Here are some of the most interesting and unique career options after graduation that may be perfect for you.

1. Fashion Designer

Fashion designers create and design clothing outfits. If you have a knack for creativity and clothing, then this is the perfect field for you. Fashion designers are responsible for creating designs for clothing and accessories according to industry demand. They work with clothing companies and luxury brands and help them develop new designs.  

2. Digital Marketer

If you’re interested in online businesses and want to work with them, you should become a digital marketer. As a digital marketer, you’ll be responsible for helping clients establish a robust online presence. Digital marketers create content, manage social media platforms, run paid ad campaigns, analyze the campaigns’ results, and make sure their client’s online presence grows.

They usually work with a team of specialists who assist them in promoting their clients online. You should be familiar with various digital marketing concepts such as SEO, SEM, Content Marketing, etc., to become a digital marketer. You can take a digital marketing course to get started. 

3. Caterer

If you’re interested in cooking and want to start a business, you can enter the catering industry. Caterers provide food for special functions such as weddings and parties. You will have to create recipes and promote your business. However, you’ll get to meet many new people and cook a lot of delicious food in this field. 

4. Event Planner

Event planners plan and organize events for their clients, such as corporate events, birthday parties, etc. They liaise with vendors, handle the budget, find and hire entertainers, and manage the overall event. As an event planner (also known as event manager), you can be your own boss and work as a freelancer. It’s undoubtedly one of the most fun career options. 

5. Staff Photographer

Staff photographers work with newspapers, blogs, or magazines. They click photos of people, places, objects, and events for their publication. What kind of photos you take depends on the type of publication you work with. For example, a staff photographer working with a blog about cars would focus on taking pictures of cars. They must also be familiar with photo-enhancing software solutions such as Adobe Photoshop. 

Read: Highest Paying Jobs in India

6. Personal Trainer

If you have a passion for fitness, then becoming a personal trainer would be perfect for you. Personal trainers create workout plans, diet plans and direct their clients during workouts. They aim to help their clients reach their fitness goals. Personal trainers might work independently or in gyms. You will need a physical training certification to pursue a lucrative role in this field. 

7. Lawyer

Lawyers are responsible for helping their clients with legal issues. They represent their clients in courts and present their case before the judge. If you have strong oratory and analytical skills, then becoming a lawyer would be perfect for you.

Depending on the specialization, there are many kinds of lawyers, such as divorce lawyers, corporate lawyers, criminal lawyers, etc. You can work with a law firm, join a company, or start your own law firm after becoming a lawyer. To become a lawyer, you’ll need to get an LLB degree (Bachelor of Law). 

8. Horticulturist

Horticulture refers to the practice of garden management and cultivation. So a horticulturist manages and cultivates plants in a garden (or a similar setting). Horticulturists maintain and grow crops and plants. They oversee the transferring of plants, till the soil, prepare seedbeds, and perform many similar tasks. It’s an excellent career choice for those who love to work with plants. This is one of the unique career options after graduation. 

Also Read: Best Job Oriented Short Term Courses

9. Wedding Planner

A wedding is the most critical event in a person’s life. To ensure that the wedding goes amazingly well, people hire wedding planners. As a wedding planner, you’d organize the events, set up the ceremonies, meet with vendors, arrange spaces, and handle all the necessary tasks of the wedding. It’s an excellent field for those who have strong organization and communication skills. 

10. Booking Agent

Do you want to work in the entertainment sector along with actors and artists? If so, then becoming a booking agent might be the perfect career for you. Booking agents help artists and performers in getting new gigs and finding work. They are responsible for negotiating contracts on their clients’ behalf. Booking agents work with musicians, actors, and performers. You need strong interpersonal skills in this field. 

Considering your next steps after B.Com? Explore the variety of career options after BCom to navigate your future with confidence.

11. Park Ranger

One of the most fun career options for nature lovers is becoming a park ranger. A park ranger supervises and protects outdoor areas. They usually work in national parks and ensure that the visitors behave appropriately and don’t put the park’s flora and fauna in danger.

National parks of our country have rich wildlife, and park rangers ensure that it remains safe. A park ranger provides guided tours to the park’s visitors too. If you like the environment, it can be the perfect career for you. 

12. Zookeeper

If you like animals, then perhaps an excellent career would be in zookeeping. Zookeepers take care of the animals present in a zoo. They feed and clean the animals, make sure they are healthy, and get them treated if required. Apart from those tasks, a zookeeper might also prepare food for the animal and make their environment more suitable. This is one of the most interesting and unique jobs there is.  

13. Concierge

It’s among the most interesting career options in the hospitality sector. A concierge helps customers of a hotel with their city’s (or town’s) information such as the best shopping places, tourist sites, attractions, etc. They are responsible for arranging services within the hotel for the client as well. Many concierges know multiple languages to help international clients.  

14. Stylist

Stylists help people in getting attractive and desired haircuts. They are adept at styling and cutting hair. Stylists work in hair salons and are familiar with various hair products along with their applications. Apart from hair styling, a stylist might also be an expert in waxing, facials, manicures, etc. It can be a very fun career if you want a creative one. This is one of the unique career options that you can consider if you are looking for an interesting and fresh career.

15. Tour Guide

Tour Guides are responsible for helping tourists explore a specific location. They must have in-depth knowledge of their location’s history and facts as they are responsible for making the tourists familiar with the place. It’s undoubtedly among the most interesting career options as it offers a unique set of challenges and prospects. 

16. Farmer

India is an agricultural country making it one of the best countries to become a farmer in. You’ll need agricultural land and knowledge of farming and irrigation to pursue a career in this field. This field requires a lot of hard work, but it can be highly lucrative with the right amount of effort. 

17. Florist

Florists arrange artificial and real flowers for their clients. They water plans, take care of them, cut and clean flowers, and organize their storage. It would be best if you had a keen interest in plants and gardening for this career. The blend of creativity and gardening skills makes it one of the most fun career options. This is one of the most unique jobs you can consider. 

18. Caretaker

A caretaker is responsible for helping people with their daily activities. They help patients bathe, get appropriately dressed, eat, and move. Apart from these duties, caretakers also plan and prepare meals. It’s one of the best jobs for kind-hearted people or those who want a career helping others. 

19. Cake Decorator

If you love baking and have a knack for art, then you can become a cake decorator. Cake decorators are responsible for modifying the cake through unique artistic designs and additions. You should have excellent artistic and baking skills for this role. Cake decorators usually work with large bakeries or start their own bakeries to serve customers. It’s undoubtedly among the most interesting career options. 

20. Actor

Acting is an excellent career choice for students who want to pursue a career in the entertainment sector. Actors have to play a role in television, film, or stage shows. You should have strong acting skills such as memorization, expressing emotions, understanding drama, etc. This field requires a lot of hard work and patience, but it’s undoubtedly among the most lucrative ones out there.

21. Video Game Designer

A video game designer handles creating and designing characters, art, animation, and levels of a video game. They are responsible for the visuals of the game. They work in teams with other professionals such as video game developers, writers, etc. That’s why they require good communication skills along with excellent artistic skills. Video game designers use art software (such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop) and programming languages. 

More Unique Career Options With High Salary In India After Graduation

Apart from the above-mentioned list, here are some of the unique career options that pay the highest salary jobs in India per month. 

Ethical Hacker 

Numerous businesses hire skilled hackers to evaluate their internal security and find vulnerabilities. Right now, even the government is hiring ethical hackers. Additionally, it offers good income and stability. Out of all the high-paying employment alternatives in India, if you have a technological background, you should surely give this one some thought. 

Salary: Around 1.5 to 20 LPA

Writer

You ought to devote your complete attention to writing if you have the talent for it. There is no need to describe this occupation. If creating poems, short stories, blogs, and articles interests you, the digital world has already provided you with a wealth of opportunities. 

Salary: Around 1.8 to 3 LPA as a fresher

Sound Engineer

Popular job titles in this industry include sound technicians, audio engineers, and music mixers. If you enjoy listening to music, start working on the sound’s technical components right away! 

Salary: Around 1.8 to 6 LPA

How To Choose the Best Career Opportunity After Graduation?

Given that the average individual works for around one-third of their life, you must choose a career that will be a good fit for you. Choosing a job initially includes learning as much as you can about yourself, your goals, and the larger work world. The list below will provide you with all the advice on how to pick the best career option. 

How to pick your best career option?

The culmination of your professional path is your career. Many people start a job because it will enable them to reach their objectives, which may include learning more and learning skills, taking on bigger responsibilities, or earning more money.

But it requires time to identify the profession that better suits your interests, and during your professional life, your career is likely to change. As your interests, goals, and requirements change, you can find yourself switching jobs or sectors among the various unique career options available to you. 

Seven ideas have been gathered to help you start considering your greatest job possibilities. According to Trading Economics, the employment rate in India is constantly increasing. It increased from 40.90% in mid-2021 to 42.30% at the end of 2021. Another report by Economic Times states that the employment rate amongst the Indian youth during 2021-22 is 42.60%. While employment took a hit during the covid years, it is starting to scale again. With new opportunities opening in India as well as abroad, the youth is exposed to opportunities like never before; all they have to do is choose the correct path for themselves. These are the steps and questions that will help you organise your thoughts so you may choose the occupations that will work best for you and further your objectives. 

  1. Understand yourself – What you cherish and what you love doing might serve as useful indicators of how you would prefer to spend your working hours. We’re not talking about identifying and pursuing your passion because that strategy is frequently deceptive and unclear. It’s normal to want to feel inspired and even enthusiastic about what you do, though.
  2. Determine Your Qualities – To choose the right job among the best career opportunities, think about the traits a career requires of you. They may cover everything, such as location, advantages, earnings, and travel.
  3. Understand what motivates you – Once you’ve created a list about yourself, go on to why you want to work. Perhaps you’re looking for a profession that offers a greater starting income than those of similar jobs or one that allows you to work remotely. Knowing your priorities is crucial because most occupations won’t offer everything you’d like.
  4. Think about your future – What does the picture of your ideal existence look like? To understand what it could take to achieve your long-term objectives, both personally and professionally, make a list of them. For instance: Do you wish to rise above the management strata and enter the company’s C-suite? Do you desire home ownership? How frequently do you wish to be able to travel?
  5. Make a list of possible careers – After learning more about yourself and your needs in a job, start looking into positions that sound interesting or desirable to you.

The list you create might also assist you in narrowing your job search strategy. Research which sectors are predicted to continue developing over the next ten years and which you might probably avoid due to other considerations, like, if you wish to work in the same business in ten years.

  1. Do some self-assessment – You may take various tests to determine your personality, your talents, and what kind of job could be suitable. However, examinations may be highly prescriptive, frequently forcing you into groups. Utilise them to keep learning more concerning you and your underlying reasons rather than depending on them to provide a conclusive response. If they provide insightful responses, include that information in the overall picture you’re building.
  2. Make A Self-Evaluation –It is advisable to reflect for a while before making any important judgments. The choice of a career is comparable. You should consider your ideal workplace, your desired industry, your ideal coworkers, and other aspects in this step.
  3. Get advice and update your resume – Once you have narrowed down your selections to one or possibly two career paths, you must decide whether any additional courses or credentials are still required.
  4. Research Your Options Well – Once you’ve looked at jobs that caught your attention, you might want to do some research on each one to come up with a short list of promising career opportunities. The goal is to identify one or two career paths that you are passionate about.
  5. Discover Job Openings and Submit Your Application – You can start looking for opportunities on Indeed using a desktop or a mobile device. To add filters, click the “Filter” button. After that, you can define your search area, experience level, and employment category (full-time, contract, part-time, etc.)

Final Thoughts

This list is undoubtedly exhaustive. However, it shows how many unique careers we have in the world. So the next time you wonder if there’s a career that matches your individual interests, be sure to look it up. Chances are, you’d find one. 

We hope you found this article on fun career options helpful. If you have any questions or thoughts to share, please let us know through the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How much does a digital marketing manager make?

Digital marketing managers have the responsibility of creating and completing marketing projects that are in line with the company's aims and values. Digital marketing managers with less than one year of experience can expect to make an average total salary of ₹3,09,898 per year, which includes tips, bonuses, and overtime pay. The typical total yearly income for an early-career manager with only 1 to 4 years of experience is ₹4,45,242. The average total income for a mid-career manager with 5-9 years of experience is ₹7,28,394 a year. Lastly, the average total income for a senior-level Digital Marketing Manager with 10-19 years of experience is ₹11,31,974 a year.

2. What is the salary of an Indian Fashion Designer?

With less than a year of experience, an entry-level Fashion Designer can expect to earn an annual average total pay of ₹2,99,154. The average total remuneration for a Fashion Designer with 1-4 years of experience is ₹3,46,067 a year. The average yearly salary for a mid-career Fashion Designer with 5 to 9 years of experience is ₹5,17,246. The average total remuneration for a Fashion Designer with 10-19 years of experience is ₹7,89,873 annually.

3. What is the average salary of an Event Planner?

An event planner plans and coordinates special events, huge gatherings, and activities, many of which are celebratory in character. An entry-level Event Planner with less than one year of experience can expect to make ₹3,97,405 a year in total compensation, including tips, bonus, and overtime pay. The typical total income for an early-career professional with 1 to 4 years of experience is ₹3,09,675 per year. The typical total income for a mid-career Event Planner with 5 to 9 years of experience is ₹3,60,000 annually.

4. How much does a digital marketing manager make?

Digital marketing managers have the responsibility of creating and completing marketing projects that are in line with the company's aims and values. Digital marketing managers with less than one year of experience can expect to make an average total salary of ₹3,09,898 per year, which includes tips, bonuses, and overtime pay. The typical total yearly income for an early-career manager with only 1 to 4 years of experience is ₹4,45,242. The average total income for a mid-career manager with 5-9 years of experience is ₹7,28,394 a year. Lastly, the average total income for a senior-level Digital Marketing Manager with 10-19 years of experience is ₹11,31,974 a year.

5. What is the salary of an Indian Fashion Designer?

With less than a year of experience, an entry-level Fashion Designer can expect to earn an annual average total pay of ₹2,99,154. The average total remuneration for a Fashion Designer with 1-4 years of experience is ₹3,46,067 a year. The average yearly salary for a mid-career Fashion Designer with 5 to 9 years of experience is ₹5,17,246. The average total remuneration for a Fashion Designer with 10-19 years of experience is ₹7,89,873 annually.

6. What is the average salary of an Event Planner?

An event planner plans and coordinates special events, huge gatherings, and activities, many of which are celebratory in character. An entry-level Event Planner with less than one year of experience can expect to make ₹3,97,405 a year in total compensation, including tips, bonus, and overtime pay. The typical total income for an early-career professional with 1 to 4 years of experience is ₹3,09,675 per year. The typical total income for a mid-career Event Planner with 5 to 9 years of experience is ₹3,60,000 annually.

Did you find this article helpful?

Sriram

Meet Sriram, an SEO executive and blog content marketing whiz. He has a knack for crafting compelling content that not only engages readers but also boosts website traffic and conversions. When he's not busy optimizing websites or brainstorming blog ideas, you can find him lost in fictional books that transport him to magical worlds full of dragons, wizards, and aliens.

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Only 25% Of Indian Graduates Are Employable, And The Solution Is Obvious

Co-authored by: Apoorva Shankar, Business Development Associate, UpGrad The world today has enhanced productivity requirements. Due to this, the demand for highly skilled labour is growing. China and India are set to drive this demand. Globally, the share of low-skill jobs is likely to decline from 74% of employment in 2010 to 62% by 2020. On the other hand, the shortage of highly skilled workers with a tertiary level of education is expected to reach 18 million by 2020, globally. But due to its demographic dividend, India will have a labour surplus of 47 million by 2020. However, this surplus may only be of low-skilled labour. And while the demand for highly skilled labour is increasing, the supply isn’t quite keeping up. The challenge, as well as opportunity, that India faces is how to train such a large reserve of labour and convert low skills to high skills. One solution that immediately comes to mind is providing higher education for all. But at present only 24% of those meant to be participating in higher education, are actually enrolled. Plus, traditional college or university pedagogy has been increasingly criticized for being outdated and irrelevant to the jobs market. If you attended school or college in India, you will have first-hand experience of the ills that plague the system. Some of the reasons for this are: Absence of a customized or personalized approach to education (necessary as different students have different needs and learning capabilities). Restricted resources due to not-for-profit nature of educational institutes and over-regulation. Lack of technology infrastructure. Poor teaching quality. Lack of skills-based learning. Low focus on research and development. Minimal partnerships with industry/foreign academia. Outdated curricula not reflecting requirements of a dynamic market environment. Skill-intensive industries are expected to contribute more than 90% of India’s GDP by 2030. The opportunity is staring at us in the face. Only about 25% of Indian graduates are considered employable by the organized sector. Further, 48% of Indian employers said they were having difficulty in filling jobs, in 2012. Despite employers expressing difficulty in finding employable candidates, in 2009-10 the unemployment rates in India were higher for those who were more educated (graduates had more difficulty finding jobs than secondary or primary level graduates). [b_color background=”#EDFF3D”] Also Read – Technology will surely kill some jobs, but not all of them [/b_color] So Indian education, in its current form, hasn’t proved to be enough training for the incoming workforce. The numbers also prove that just completing higher education in any field is not all it takes anymore. This pinch is being increasingly felt as the world of jobs is turning upside down; which is why we need skill training. Skill-intensive industries are expected to contribute more than 90% of India’s GDP by 2030. The opportunity is staring at us in the face. It’s not just about the potential but also the responsibility we are tasked with — restoring balance to the global supply of labour. The country needs to invest in skill development and training for a large chunk of its population. Exploiting sheer numbers is therefore one major reason to skill our workers. Secondly, the demand for advanced skill-sets in emerging areas is growing. Knowledge-intensive roles such as finance, business, etc, and those related to information technology and entrepreneurship are gaining momentum. The reality that these skills must be acquired will take root for more and more individuals, including drop-outs from the mainstream education system and those who have completed such education. Currently, the actual supply of these workers falls drastically short of matching growing demand. Hence, the gaps in domain knowledge are another reason to scale up the skilling. You are likely to be at a disadvantage, in terms of skill training and thereby employability, when compared to someone your age in China, USA, South Korea… In China about 47% of the workforce has received some kind of skill training, 52% in USA, 68% in UK, 75% in Germany, 80% in Japan and 96% in South Korea. Comparatively, only about 10% of the Indian workforce received such training in 2008. India is seventh in the category of countries facing maximum difficulty in filling jobs, i.e., 58% difficulty, where the global average is 38%. These figures reflect that just belonging to the young Indian demographic is not enough. You are likely to be at a disadvantage, in terms of skill training and thereby employability, when compared to someone your age in China, USA, South Korea etc. To address these imbalances, India needs unprecedented increase in both education and job creation. At this point, there is no guaranteed advantage for India in the contest for high-skill talent. It will be dependent on skilling. Considering the state of higher education and the skill upgrade required to be carried out in the future, the process will not just be about learning for professionals, but rather unlearning and re-learning.
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by Mayank Kumar

13 Jul'16
7 reasons to watch UpGrad Talks today

5.19K+

7 reasons to watch UpGrad Talks today

There is really no secret sauce for success. Provided you have had the opportunity to view the exclusive online tete-e-tete sessions brought to you by UpGrad Talks. With an amazing roster of world-class speakers, some from the top 1000 companies of India such as Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Sky, Coca Cola, JP Morgan, JWT to start-up poster children such as RedBus, Snadeal, Ola & Zivame and many more, Upgrad Talks provides insights into their formulae for success. The talks also share deep learning from situations that didn’t work out and many valuable nuggets of honest, down-to-earth and practical advice from successful entrepreneurs, experts and industry leaders. While some lip service has been paid to new-age technologies and skill sets, and the evolution of industries because of these, a deeper understanding of what this signifies is missing. Upgrad Talks intends to fill this gap by bringing together thought-leaders from different walks of life and raising the level of discourse in this area, as they share their experiences. Here are the top reasons why you must visit talks.upgrad.com today and make it your daily source of insights and motivation: Get Inspired Inspiration can come from many different sources. You may get inspired when you see a problem that needs a solution, which you are able to ideate, or get inspired when you hear stories of adversity being overcome by sheer willpower. Rarely does the simple existence of wealth inspire us. It may motivate us to work harder, but inspiration stems from a deeper place that needs real stories. Upgrad Talks are stories from the folks who have lived these stories, first hand. Not only does hearing someone’s complete story of challenges, thought process and subsequent outcome inspire, it also gives birth to new ideas and provides impetus to grow in your own space.  Moreover, inspiration also stems from well-put statements such as, ‘attitude will sail you through,’ by Harit Nagpal, CEO of Tata Sky. A key benefit of listening to industry leaders is that it also inspires us to think. ‘What we think, we become,’ is a quote by Buddha that sums up this well. Go ahead, face challenges It does not matter if you are a startup or an established financial organization; challenges, big or small, exist in every level of most businesses. Challenges faced, strategized and overcome is the rite of passage for almost everyone. Not only do Upgrad Talks cover challenges faced by leading industry veterans, it also covers it from various stages of businesses along with discussion of the solutions that helped overcome them. Upgrad Talks speakers’ discuss challenges faced by businesses in different spaces, which makes these talks an interesting listen. Furthermore, is quite motivating to hear the candid conversations of business leaders. So what is the common thought on challenges in the Upgrad Talks? No challenge is too big. It also strengthens the belief that challenges help you grow and become stronger and develops a sense of confidence to take on the next big challenge. Learn from influencers People who can motivate are great influencers. To hear success stories at Upgrad Talks, which have been driven by deep-rooted passion as well as courage of conviction can be a great influence on most people. It is likely to help you push yourself to greater heights and also follow your dreams a bit more diligently. To quote Snapdeal’s Kunal Bahl, ‘ there is a fine line between stubbornness and persistence.’ Upgrad Talks is likely to help you define the lines as an excellent selection of influencers talk also about the key soft skills required to make it a significant mark on the industry that you belong to. Mentoring As you listen to entrepreneurs, business leaders and experts on models that have worked, one can also start drawing parallels to one’s one business or profession. Mentoring of this kind is both subtle and effective as it helps you choose some key takeaways from the shared experiences that are most relevant to you. Follow the series to get premium access to the best mentors in the country as they talk about education, the emerging digital age and its impact on businesses, talent shortages and advice to youngsters. A bit of crystal gazing In the series of Upgrad Talks, one is likely to come across a vast amount of business knowledge which has been converted into digestible insights that can also help you choose the next steps in your career. Speakers’ at Upgrad Talks share their business mantras and what the future is likely to be.  This is crystal gazing of the finest variety and yet another reason to tune into the talks. A healthy dash of optimism One of the unique selling points of the Upgrad Talks is that they also brings out the combined optimism in business from key industry leaders. Apart from that one can learn what is next in the industry, and explore potential future opportunities in the workspace. The upbeat and positive nature of these talks makes them a must-listen. Easily available online Just in case you were wondering how far you would need to travel to listen to such a wide range of speakers, you can breath easy. Upgrad Talks are delivered online and you can listen to them at your own convenience. All you need to do is to long onto talks.upgrad.com and you can access high quality, pre-recorded sessions online. Upgrad is making content richer, bigger and better as it kicks off with 15+ talks delivered by entrepreneurs, experts & business leaders.  You definitely do not want to miss out on the educational transformation that UpGrad is fuelling in partnership with some of the greatest minds. Remember, one can never stop learning. So, if you always aspired to hear great advice and insights from the top Indian business leaders on how you can grow your business, choose a career goal or get inspired, do take a look at Upgrad Talks. They are truly the voices that impact. Join us today and be a part of it at talks.upgrad.com.
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by Omkar Pradhan

06 Aug'16
Evolving online education: Learning Together

5.36K+

Evolving online education: Learning Together

Technologies in online learning have been making promises since early 20th century. From radio to present day MOOCs,  multiple new technologies were seen as silver bullet in revolutionising education. These promises were indeed laudable, to make education accessible to everyone, affordable for everyone and more effective. Yet, the same history of unmet expectations has been repeated every time*. Although a lot has happened over the past decade in terms of growth and expansion of online education, there are many challenges yet to be solved before we can say online learning has truly arrived. We, at UpGrad, believe the following three challenges are the biggest hurdles to the success of online education. Isolation: Online learning is solitary experience   Acceptability: Online learning’s validity in the Job Market   Not Engaging: Interplay of distractions and motivations in learning online The dismally low completion rates and high failure rates are reflection of these challenges [1]. Our goal at UpGrad is to fight these challenges and provide an unmatched learning experience for the working professionals. We believe, with the flexibility of online learning, every working professional can “UpGrade” himself without going back to full-time formal education. Hence, we need to to make online learning mainstream. In this article we would be sharing how are setting the online learning as a ‘Social Experience’ for our students, ie the first of the three mentioned challenges. In 2000s, internet surfing was mainly an individual experience and on the other hand, in 2016 almost all of internet time is a social experience. We do not feel alone in 2016 version of internet. We believe online education will have much higher engagement and completion rates once it becomes a social experience. An average student’s e-learning journey is an individual experience making him/her feel isolated. Learners move through the course with limited interactions with both their instructor and classmates. We at UpGrad, are building a new learning platform specifically designed keeping our students and their needs in mind. We believe this would be key to provide the kind of engagement levels the students deserve. The perception of social presence (or lack of) is a big concern among students and teachers in online learning. Teachers develop courses in isolation and the students take the courses in isolation. Researchers have found strong correlation between the sense of social presence facilitated by the course and student’s perceived learning [3,4,5]. Also there is good re correlation between withdrawal in the course and student’s perceived lack of social interaction and instructor presence [3]. Lack of social interaction in e-learning increases the distraction, since a learner would look for social interaction elsewhere which is usually Twitter, Whatsapp or Facebook. If there is another learner doing the same course in my apartment building, there are limited chances that I would know about him. As learners of online courses, we are oblivious of everyone else’s presence except few replies on the discussion forum. They do form Facebook groups or Whatsapp groups organically, yet the whole online learning format ends up being mostly a solo experience. Here are the steps we are taking at UpGrad in making our online programs a social experience.: Profiles : The first step in ‘social’ e-learning is knowing your classmates. We have learner profiles with education and work history along with other details. Almost everyone is encouraged to fill in their full profile along with a descriptive ‘bio’ section. There are multiple points where learners are nudged to click on the profiles. To improve discoverability of relevant profiles we not only leverage cohort social graph but also use interest graph, performance graph, complementary skills graphs. Combined with other semi random** algorithms like who was recently online, learners bump into each other in interesting ways. In the first month of Data Analytics Program, an average engaged learner viewed peer profiles 110 times. Discussions: We have a discussion forum which is contextual and relevant to the course content. We designed it from the ground up to involve learners during the course. They help each other, solve doubts, ask questions, have healthy debates on the forum. Only when there is no consensus a Teaching Assistant gets involved in clearing the doubts. Last 3 months data shows that on a daily basis 50% of the students who are engaged on the platform, also engaged actively on the discussion forum. As most professionals have different backgrounds, sharing of experiences on the forum is much valuable to everyone in the cohort. We have seen learners fall into three buckets on the forum. First is the majority producers, the top 30% of forum content producers are responsible for around 70% of the discussions. The next 50% do the rest of 30% of the content but continue to voice their opinions through upvotes. Rest of the 20% are mere observers. These numbers are highly encouraging and we will be investing more time in finding out how student-student social interactions can help in overall engagement. Figure 1: Forum topic distribution in one of our programs. Share in the pie is (questions * votes) for each topic. Bigger share of the pie is a proxy for doubts. This lead us to start live sessions on those topics. Thought Leader AMAs: Initiating and maintaining engagement on the forum is hard. To set the ball rolling, we started the discussion forum for a new cohort with getting a thought leader to do an AMA on the platform. This way not only the students got a product onboarding experience but also the social expectation was set amongst the peers. In some months, the total content creation during AMAs ended up around 20% of the total cumulative content. We also observed a side benefit of starting the program with thought leader – that learners are more helpful, behave with more civility and show much more respect for each other. This is not very unusual because it is known that a group’s eventual social dynamics are very much impacted by behaviour in initial few days. In a way, it sets the trend which follows upto the end of the course. We also explored bringing in external motivations to see how does it impact on engagement levels. At times, there were small gifts for top forum contributors and at times we included forum participation in the grading. Our primary observations show that this is to be used cautiously. We are working on establishing a balance between extrinsic and intrinsic motivations for social involvement. Facebook Groups: For all cohorts we have Facebook groups for students apart from the platform discussion forum. We were not very confident how much our forum will be used for non academic discussions and generic social sharing. However, we found more and more discussions of generic nature and sharing of articles & blogs also started happening on the forum. Hence facebook group ended up becoming redundant. We are thinking of doing away with a cohort’s facebook group with this expanded use of discussion forum In summary, having a strong sense of community within the students is a big predictor of learning outcomes. This has been researched multiple times [7, 8]. Our platform’s usage data of course progress and social interaction activity strongly confirms this research. At a time, a learner who is socially engaged on our platform has usually completed 4 times (Figure 2) course materials than a learner who does not participate in social discussions. This high correlation has been repeated across multiple cohorts. Figure 2: At a snapshot of time course completion rates for learners active on forum vs non active. Apart from the student isolation e-learning content creators and facilitators tend to work in isolation, reflecting and sharing of best practices is minimal[6]. We at UpGrad are aware of this problem, and making sure different program teams collaborate and share solutions to common problems. We do not have complete solution to isolation in learning yet. We as a company are focussed on solving this problem, we are testing out few ideas and are willing to share the results with the community. With these changes we are expecting online learning experience to be more engaging, more involving and eventually pushing up the low completion rates of online learning. These are early days of online education and we have miles to go. Bibliography [1] http://collegequarterly.ca/2007-vol10-num03-summer/rolfe.html [2] Online Social Networks as Formal Learning Environments: Learner Experiences and Activities, The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, Vol 13, No 1 (2012) [3] Tello SF (2007). An analysis of student persistence in online education. International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education [4] Herbert, M. (2006). Staying the course: A study in online student satisfaction and retention. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 9(4). [5] Morris, T. A. (2009). Anytime/anywhere online learning: Does it remove barriers for adult learners. In T.Kidd (Ed.), Online education and adult learning: New frontiers for teaching practices. Hershey, PA:IGI Global. [6] Duncan, H & Barnett J (2009) Learning to teach online. [7] Kaulback, B (2015). Learning Together : Community and Network from the perspective of designers of online learning. (Doctoral dissertation) [8] Bernard, R. M., Abrami, P. C., Borokhovski, E., Wade, C. A., Tamim, R. M., Surkes, M. A., & Bethel, E. C. (2009). A meta-analysis of three types of interaction treatments in distance education. Review of Educational Research, 79(3), 1243–1289.
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by Ankit Mittal

08 Aug'16
Skill deprivation: Education alone won’t guarantee a job, in-demand skills need of hour

898.95K+

Skill deprivation: Education alone won’t guarantee a job, in-demand skills need of hour

If you are 25 years old, hold a degree in a traditional arts discipline from a well-regarded institute and are looking for a job, you may not be handed one on a platter any time soon. You may be cushioned within the famous Indian demographic that is supposed to yield a ‘dividend,’ but unlike what you’ve been reading everywhere, this does not guarantee you employment. Between 1980 to 2010, 90% of world labour force growth occurred in developing countries and about 500 million new workers emerged in India and China alone (workers went from 260 million to 470 million in India, between this period). India is all set to power most of global growth in labour in the coming years. Enrolment in Indian higher education is 24% right now. With India attaining almost universal elementary education, and increased retention in secondary schools, the projected demand for higher education and jobs will only escalate. India has finally been placed on the world map with a solid advantage where labour supply is concerned. Impacting Education: My Journey and UpGrad It’s not all good news though. Indian millennials are being touted as the future of jobs and the saviours of the working world. But this won’t hold true if in-demand skills are not imparted to the youth entering the workforce. The world of work is changing and industries are transforming. It’s a fact that we are moving towards a massive labour pool, but we are possibly riding a low-skill, low-wage cycle to get there. The country is on a trajectory that involves a surplus of millions of low-skill workers, whereas most nations, including India, will be demanding high-skill workers more and more. Most industries are replacing low-skill jobs with high-skill ones. Skills relating to upcoming technologies in advanced areas – think AI, robotics, data science and mining – are gaining immense relevance. Unfortunately, our education system is not preparing students well enough to enter the workforce as high-skill workers nor equipping them with skills in emerging domains. Curricula is outdated and pedagogy poorly-developed. Gone are the days when just holding a graduate degree was enough to get employers to clamour to hire you. Education is not enough. The new-age job-seeker must strive to acquire specific skill sets to be considered employable (currently only 43% of Indian youth are considered fully employable). This applies to all sectors of the economy, as most industries and businesses are adopting new-age technologies and going digital within most functions. There’ll Be A Billion-Plus Job-Seekers By 2050! The positive connotation associated with our demographic shift has been taken for granted and assigned the term ‘dividend.’ But if we don’t strategically harness this change, we could easily be faced with a demographic disaster. We don’t want to be stuck in a situation where we have too many job-seekers with inadequate skills, and therefore not enough jobs for them. India is moving workers out of farm jobs at a very fast rate, and this will only add to the burden of providing jobs in other sectors. Realising this, even the government has begun focusing on skill development and training. Creating an entirely new Ministry and launching the Skill India Mission are clear indications of this. Another sign that skill training is gaining momentum is reflected in the growth of the Indian education and skills industry at an average rate of 13% over four years. From Rs 1.21 trillion in 2008 to Rs 2.35 trillion in 2012. However, these measures have not been enough to successfully skill India’s young. Only 2% of the Indian workforce has received some kind of formal skills training so far, and 8% have received informal training. Comparatively, 47% of China’s workforce is skill trained, 52% in USA, 68% in UK, 75% in Germany, 80% in Japan and 96% in South Korea. Almost half of Indian employers find it difficult to fill jobs and a similar proportion of employed youth suffer from some degree of skill deprivation. By 2050, India will be home to more than a billion jobseekers. This means providing jobs for over 12 million new entrants annually. There is also the challenge of finding jobs for the backlog, which reached 60 million by 2014. The pace of accretion to the labour market will keep increasing, given our demographic profile and declining age-dependency ratio. Our working age population (15-64 years) will peak in 2050 and till then pressures for jobs will only become worse. We need a wake-up call and more concerted efforts towards large-scale skill development and training. We may have a situation of too few high-skill workers and not enough jobs for medium or low-skill workers. This needs to be rectified by adjusting the education and skilling system to ready ourselves for the jobs of tomorrow. Article Source: http://www.firstpost.com/business/skill-deprivation-education-alone-wont-guarantee-a-job-in-demand-skills-need-of-hour-3020568.html
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by Apoorva Shankar

08 Nov'16
Why The Growth Of Higher Education In India Hinges On The Private Sector

5.13K+

Why The Growth Of Higher Education In India Hinges On The Private Sector

For the sake of simplicity, let’s say that the public sector’s role in education can be identified as a three-fold one. Firstly, it is tasked with universalizing access to education. Its next responsibility would be to regulate the sector and finally, to ensure quality education for all. In the context of the access provider role, estimates show that just in terms of physical infrastructure, more than a US $100 billion spends would be required in higher education alone, to double enrollment, from where it stands today (24%). Where regulation is concerned, bodies such as the University Grants Commission (UGC) and other higher education regulators are in-charge but leave much to be desired in terms of quality checks and monitoring, accreditation, etc. In fact, the UGC merely acts as a grants disbursing body now for universities and colleges, rather than a regulator. This is despite the fact that about 16% of the Ministry’s budget (2016-17) was allocated to UGC. Regarding quality, the government struggles to set standards and measure outcomes. Accreditation in the country is irregular and sub-optimal. In addition, unlike school education, where a certain level of learning outcomes may be gauged, this is difficult to do in higher education – especially assessing employability of a student post completing such education. So is there a role the government should prioritise? Further, because the government is entrusted with these roles, does it necessarily mean that they are its exclusive mandate? Or should the government act as an enabler and allow external participation if it means better execution and a higher success rate? The education and training industry is extremely large today and has strong further growth potential. With total educational spending of $2.7 trillion, the industry accounted for about 4.25% of the world’s GDP in 2010. In India alone, the spending on education and skilling has touched approximately Rs 74,000 crore. This may seem like a daunting figure but is still not sufficient. India spends about 4% of its GDP on all of education (about 1% on higher education), whereas globally the minimum recommended expenditure on education is 6% of GDP. Most of the public expenditure on higher education is used upon salaries and maintaining existing institutions, leaving very little to be spent on curriculum, research, and technology. However, spending on education still has enormous scaling to do and this is where the private sector comes in. Private players will have opportunities from rising demand in segments not well covered by the public education system (like adult education and vocational training). They bring in additional capital and are able to make huge investments, especially when government spending is insufficient and results in substantial infrastructure and investment deficit. For instance, the government had set a target of achieving a 30% enrolment ratio in higher education by 2020. The enrolment ratio currently is 24%. Judging by historical trends, and the current pace of rising enrolments, this target seems difficult to achieve. We may need a better, plan to succeed. Plus, the demand for higher education is only set to accelerate with growing population, higher enrolment as well as retention of students in schools. The private sector could play a crucial role in plugging these gaps and matching demand. In fact, it is already capturing the market in a big way, as can be seen in the adjacent graph. Enrolment in, and share of, private higher education institutions has surpassed that of government institutions (data as on 2013). Even the online education market in India expected to grow to US $40 billion by as soon as 2017. Unlike the education sector, which is legally mandated to operate on a not-for-profit basis, for-profit skill training institutes can be set up. This, coupled with initiatives of the National Skill Development Corporation, has encouraged the private sector to set up vocational training institutes. Corporate interest has also increased in the skill development space because of the benefits that accrue to businesses themselves, in the form of adequately trained manpower as a ready pool for future hiring. Majority of institutions offering professional disciplines are now in the private sector. There is a tendency of the public sector to view the private sector’s involvement in the education space with scepticism. But the private sector is necessary because of its ability to match industry demand for superior skilled manpower. It supplements infrastructure, facilities, technology and pedagogy and has an added advantage of escaping bureaucratic control and retaining autonomy to a large extent. Private players often collaborate with reputed international universities for faculty and other benefits which can be attractive to prospective students. They are also heavily investing in research-based education. As consumers of skilled manpower as well, the private sector is in a position to understand what type of skill training is to be imparted, and eventually benefit from it. This makes skill-training more efficient and effective. All three education-related roles of the government are equally important. However, while regulation should remain outside the purview of the private sector, nothing should stop them from assisting the public sector in maximising enrolments and improving quality of education. Public needs to work with private and create a level-playing field, in order to uplift the overall quality of education. Article Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.in/mayank-kumar/why-the-growth-of-higher-education-in-india-hinges-on-the-privat/
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by Apoorva Shankar

08 Nov'16