What Drives Indian Students to Explore Off-Beat Courses Study Abroad
A Life Beyond Medicine & Engineering:
There were times in India where, along with several other things, the profession of kids would get decided at the time of birth! And among professions, medical and engineering were the only ones that seemed worthy of attention and pursuit. In fact, it was a double honour to study abroad as an engineer or doctor. Commerce and Arts were subjects for the also-rans.
But that has changed to a great extent as the experts at Career2Life, an overseas education consultant in Delhi, have observed. It was the millennials who started thinking differently. Gen Z began speaking differently. Today, Gen Z has the courage to act differently as well! Long gone are the days when medicine, engineering, law, business management or technology were probably the only subjects to study abroad for Indian students. Now students travel abroad to study for careers in Oceanography, Banking, Artificial Intelligence, Analytics, Virtual Reality, Styling, Fashion and Moviemaking. But what is the reason for this paradigm shift?
Rise Of Gen Z:
Indian people born between 1996 and 2010 - Gen Z - are truly digital natives. Having been exposed to the internet, the social networks and mobile telephony throughout, they are hyper-cognitive and they cross-reference multiple information sources while integrating offline and virtual experiences. They hate labels and value individual expression. They are keen to improve the world and are highly analytical and pragmatic. To do that, they are ready to take Robert Frost’s ‘road less travelled’.
Is it any surprise that they rebel and move away from ‘established’ education and career choices? ‘Off-beat’ is something they love - in their music, their food choices, their vacation plans, their relationships and, yes, their education and careers as well. So, to study abroad for Indian students means greater opportunity for adventure and exploration because advanced countries are more amenable to such a mentality.
Passion Over Preservation:
Indian students have increasingly begun to give priority to passion and look for combining it with their careers. Passion in the Indian students has also seen in the rise of entrepreneurism. As of June 2022, India has birthed 103 unicorns with a combined valuation exceeding USD 335 Billion! Indian students no longer want to be followers. They want to lead and the best step to put forward is passion.
Having gone through such entrepreneurial cycles in the past, many western nations are better set to guide and mould these journeys. As study abroad consultants in Delhi, we have seen that the variety and quality of programs offered by foreign universities and their teaching methodologies are attractive. Off-beat careers also have greater acceptance in foreign lands. So, it is no surprise that Indian students choose to study abroad.
Rise Of Machines:
The Industrial Revolution saw machines take over almost all physical jobs from people and animals. The Technology Revolution at the turn of the millennium has taken over many mental jobs too. Today, a top lawyer does not need an army of legal assistants to go through past cases; a single computer suffices! There are apps today that almost replace a doctor in many cases. Honestly speaking, many traditional careers have shrunken or are dead.
In this scenario, students have to pick ‘off-beat’ courses that a machine cannot replicate or out-do. This can be seen in the exponentially rising percentage of careers in the entertainment industry because machines cannot compose music or play soccer - not yet at least. The customer too is ready to pay more for these personalised products and services over the machine-made standardised ones. Here too, the customer in foreign countries is more demanding of personalised products/services. Another reason why Indians choose to study abroad.
Don’t Hold Back:
This is a wonderful time to be a student in the world. Daring to be different is appreciated and there actually is a relevant course in some foreign university waiting to be discovered by you, to nurture you! Don’t allow your reservations and inhibitions of travelling abroad come in the way of your dreams. As Study Abroad consultant, let us assure you that it is not as difficult as it seems. Get in touch with us and get, set go!
