Sadaf VidhaIf you were to picture the Indian Education system as a parent and student then studying Arts will make you feel like a black sheep! Studying Arts is synonymous to weak student with no future. But is that the reality? Of course not with no iota of doubt! For clarity sake, Arts here is referred to the study of humanities or social sciences. Please do not confuse it with Fine Arts which includes painting, sculpture, design and so on.
With a little give or take, almost all humanities careers require the following abilities:
Articulation
You need to develop skills of the written and spoken word, and though your graduate studies will help you do so, you also need to have a leaning towards developing it.
Critical Thinking
More often than not, there is no right or wrong answer in Humanities. It is more about looking at the problem for all possible angles and generating working solutions. There’s no LHS equals RHS.
Divergent Thinking
Studying arts continue to reinvent themselves and to survive in the field means to be a divergent thinker and involves a lot of branching out – be it in terms of borrowing from other fields or be it in terms of updating old theories and solutions.
Reflection Skills
Social Sciences study aspects that touch our daily lives: our society, our economy, our media, our mental and emotional health, how our ancestors lived and how that affects us and so on – it is not simply a matter of amassing knowledge but also of looking at how it affects us. This requires the ability to be able to reflect on what was learnt and to be able to analyze it well for its usefulness.
Given that you have these skills or at least lean towards them, there are many careers within the Arts that can be both fulfilling and lucrative.
Languages
Studying Literature or Foreign Languages can be useful when working with the Diplomatic Community, Bureaucracy and Consulates. Translators get paid very well. You can get a job outside India too as a mediator. Media/Writing is also an option with a BMM degree or a Masters in journalism.
Psychology
An upcoming field for students who are studying arts is Psychology. A psychologist contribute to mental health and wellness at many sites: schools, workplaces, hospitals, clinics and in private practice.
History and Geography
There’s a lot of scope for research and academic writing in History, or you could branch out into art restoration, excavation and archaeology. Geography can pave way into studying geological sciences, climate change and habitat studies, and even environmental studies.
Economics
Studying the economy is very important, especially given inflation and falling markets. Economics post-graduates can get jobs in the Bombay Stock Exchange too! Or you could work with RBI and other government agencies on financial policy making.
Sociology and Social Work
With basic lacks of education and problems like housing and poverty, India needs dedicated people in these fields. Both the government schemes and NGOs are generating a lot of jobs in this sector.
Further, civil services, police services, CSR and teaching are open to you regardless of the subject you chose, and are easier for social science graduates given their verbal nature. So don’t let the herd beat you down!
P.S: Did you know, 75000 engineering graduates recently applied for the post of 30 peons? It’s better to follow what you’d like to do rather than have a mundane degree that takes you nowhere.
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