Alternate Career

Are you tired of your regular 9 to 5 job? Or are you at a stage in your life that you are forced to take care of your priorities at home. Whatever be the case, if you are looking for a change from your regular job, this article may be of help to you.  11 alternative career options for you to choose from…

  • Teaching

Most of us remember our teachers from school who shaped us. Some of their mannerisms may have been ingrained in us. Their quirkiness brings a smile on our face even now. Teachers have an everlasting impact on their students.

It could be the most gratifying job especially when you realize that you have helped shape up the next generation.

Teaching can have many flavours like Creating courses, Online teaching, Training, Admissions and advising etc.

Alternatively, if your passion is to be an entrepreneur, take up a franchise of an established teaching institute or set up a training academy of your own.

Those in IT who have certifications in various courses can conduct trainings or prepare course materials for the same. PMP, Six Sigma, Agile, Programming courses like Python, SAS, R have been popular for many years now.

If you are a major in Science, Maths, Hindi, Sanskrit there is an ever-growing demand of online tutors in these areas.

If you have nimble fingers, plan to set up Painting/Drawing classes, Classes for Crochet/Embroidery/Clay modelling/Origami…

If you can articulate well in English, set up an academy for English language training.

Everyone understands the need for soft skills in their Personal, professional and social lives to succeed. Take up a soft skill training with International certification to become a soft skill trainer.

If you are a fitness expert and your day does not end with a dose of yoga or swimming, take it up as your profession. You can opt for a Fitness training course, Yoga trainer course, learn Acupuncture, learn Reiki etc and set up your own fitness center.

  • Translators

Alongside with technological revolution, and the world shrinking into a global village, proficiency in local Indian languages or foreign languages are being appreciated more than ever.

A translator can work through an agency or freelance. There are many translation software’s available online. Irrespective of however sophisticated they may be, you will be needed to ensure that the final piece is complete and readable.

A Business analyst who has translated business requirements well will be automatically tuned to do the same with languages as well. However, proficiency in the language is the key here.

There are two major types of activities to be done – Interpreters are people who involve in translating a speech into text as it is being spoken and Translators work on any printed material which could be legal, business related, documents, novels etc.

  • Trading

If you are a very disciplined person with good analytical skills and have a thirst for research and information with an aptitude in finance, you can look at being a professional trader.

  • Gardening

If you are an avid nature lover, taking up gardening as a career could be the best thing that could ever happen to you. There are many short-term courses on Home gardening, Roof top Gardening which are conducted by Horticultural society of India in various cities.

Setting up roof top gardens for neighbouring communities, and or even schools or corporates could be an attractive option. A mere glance at the website dailydump.org could entice many a green lover to take a leap in this direction and make an imprint in the green revolution.

  • Blogging/Content writer

Though majority of blogs are personal blogs, Technorati estimates that 39% of blogging is done for money. In addition to writing your own blog, contribute as guest blogger for other popular blogs and publications.

A lot of companies do pay per article. You can opt to do freelancing or be a part time content writer.

  • Cooking

For those who find pleasure in cooking, there are innumerable avenues available. You can plan for conducting classes in your “niche food area” to your community or even kids. Setting up a bakery or juice center or hotel does need good amount of investment. To start off you can try taking up small orders before branching out on your own.

Personally, a friend of mine became a great hit in her community as she provides simple home cooked dinner at doorstep.

If you love cooking traditional food, you could be attaining instant celebrity status as “healthy”, “organic” is the new mantra.

  • Counsellor

To be a counsellor, you will need to major in psychology, social work or counselling. Those who have good communication skills, listening skills and an ability to develop a relationship with many different types of people can give a shot at being a counsellor.

Depending on your interests, there are various fields in which counselling can be done – Career, Marriage, Relationships etc.

  • EthicalHacker

If you are die-hard techie and codes fascinate you, there are companies that you pay handsomely for hacking their websites and reporting security issues.  White hat hackers are in great demand by Government institutions, Educational institutions etc.

  • Eventorganizer

Anyone who has not heard of Event Organizing as a career can watch the Hindi movie “Band Baaja Baarat” to understand the nuances of it. A fun-loving person who has a penchant for details would do a great job as a marriage organizer.

There are requirements for Birthday organizers, Funeral organizers, Party organizers etc.

  • Recruiter

If you have a sunny disposition and are a people person with strong decision-making skills, recruitment is the right job for you. You will need the ability to conduct different types of interviews and should be able to attract candidates from various sources.

  • Online Marketer

To be successful, almost every business today needs an online presence. Many opportunities exist in the areas of Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, Google AdWords etc.  You will need to hunt the net for relevant information.

You just need to find your niche and your passion and follow the 3P’s principle of life  – Be Positive, Be Patient, Be Persistent – to attain your goal.

You may like to read other articles written by this author ‘The power of assertive communication‘,9 effective tips for writing a resume’, ‘Important interview skills to land your dream job‘, ‘10 Easy Tips to Staying Motivated’, ‘Knowing yourself will lead to true success‘.

About the author:

Sudha Divakar – A Proud stay at home mom. She has worked in the IT industry for 15 years and has taken a break to take care of her priorities. She is an avid reader and enjoys watching movies with her tiny tots at home. She believes that life is full of beauty and must be lived one day at a time.

(The author is a guest blogger at Her Second Innings. The opinions expressed are those of the author.)

You can reach our guest bloggers by mailing us at support@hersecondinnings.com.

Her Second Innings, helps capable women professionals to find their calling in their second innings. Women looking to get back to their careers, or needing advice to pursue alternate career to become financially independent Sign up with us and complete your profile. Feel free to connect with us at support@hersecondinnings.com after completing your registration formalities, our career experts would be happy to have a conversation with you and assist you to take the assessment to gauge your current knowledge level to restart your career.

 

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