Indspire Me

Interview by Gehna Sharma & Akanksha Sharma

Today, we are in conversation with Ms Varsha Rebello, ex-corporate professional, presently a career counsellor extraordinaire and one of the most generous individuals that Indspire Me has had the pleasure of being associated with. Indspire Me gets career counselling queries from people every month, as our series of articles on ‘Inspiring Careers’ are being widely read and have generated a lot of curiosity towards unusual and unique careers. For a while now, we have been passing on these queries to Varsha who has been so kind-hearted as to answer them free of charge. Her work has helped many people to get more clarity regarding their futures, and this is something priceless indeed. Varsha’s passion for helping children and exploring Indian cities like a local has inspired her to continue her globe-trotting expeditions even after her retirement. Here are excerpts from a candid chat with this Mumbaikar, who is simply in love with her city.

Were there any personal experiences or instances that inspired you to take this path and invigorated you to help others for a living?

After tenth grade, I went into science because I got the marks for it. The trend of choosing the science stream after securing high marks is changing nowadays. However, the majority of people still choose a stream as a pathway to a safe career option. I realised after twelfth grade that sciences are “not my cup of tea” and shifted to humanities. Then I studied English literature in college and ended up becoming a lecturer in a Mumbai college afterwards. It has been a happy story since then as I got my niche there.

What is the most common problem underlying the queries about career counselling that you receive on a regular basis?

Career choices are being made based on what somebody has told the kids nowadays to pursue. In other cases, on the basis of what their peers have said. There is a lot of outside influence and pressure.  Those who have made the decision to pursue a certain profession most often do  so under the influence of others.

I am associated with iDreamCareer.com which is a career counselling venture that works with millions of students across the country. It uses a number of tools like psychometric tests and aptitude tests to provide commensurate career guidance to students through personality specific reports. A plethora of information is available on the portal about the right course and colleges that students can study from.

What is the one advice you’d give to students or working professionals who are still trying to figure themselves out and have not yet found their calling?

Start exploring vocational skills to supplement with your education. You will be exposed to better opportunities when you learn a vocational skill that complements your current education. However, I see that most parents doubt the authenticity of this plan.  Explore all career options in detail and take enough time exploring your options. Take a break year to figure yourselves out.

My advice is to take the skills relevant to your education and your field of interest and invest them in your career. The resulting opportunities will be endless.

A lot of time is wasted when students decide to take a gap year. How can they make the most of this period?

While preparing for an entrance like IIT-JEE or NEET (for example) enrol yourself in a B.Sc. college, so that your gap year doesn’t go wasted. There is still so much useful knowledge you can gain from studying a subject of your choice. Always have a backup career as strong as your original career plan so that you can make the most of your preparation period.

Please tell us about some of the latest and upcoming career options that many are not aware about. 

Geography is the subject that will create a lot of job opportunities in the near future. Social studies and agricultural sciences are providing excellent career opportunities. Not many are aware that agricultural science courses are government sponsored.

There is huge scope for innovation and thus jobs are being created in biology and mechanics industries.  Prosthetics and cosmetic surgeries are constantly undergoing many reinventions and modifications. So, these are the jobs to watch out for.

How do you deal with cases of parents whose children want to pursue their hobbies as their career but the parents are not convinced?

Uncertainty is very high where hobbies want to be pursued as a career but my advice  is to keep nurturing the hobby while you finish education as both can be done in parallel to each other. Keep attending workshops, hobby classes and keep exploring!

Considering career counselling options are still not that widespread in India, how can we help people without access to it?

Though there are free workshops for students, people are still not turning to career counselling. In most cases as the challenge lies in convincing the parents to trust the process. Their mind sets are such that they still rely on conventional subject choices to choose a safer career option. They don’t really venture into lesser known domains no matter how promising the employment opportunities.

What has caused the priorities of young people to change? They have bucket lists and travel goals instead of plans to settle down and have a permanent home.  

The other generation wants to fully explore all things our world has to offer and they definitely do not prioritise settling down. Lack of family pressure and financial independence are some factors. These factors provide young people with a lot of independence to explore their passion and to travel. Trends have changed for good and there’s so much to do and to see and they are setting their goals so clearly. There is no scope for compromise.  Mapping of things is being done so well by young people. Career counsellors play all the more important roles in making their dreams possible. They help young people in seeing a projection of themselves for the next seven to ten years.

The readiness to think beyond a traditional learning mind set and taking a detour whilst being willing to take risks has really benefited them. They know from an early age where their safety net lies.

What are your hobbies and what activities do you pursue when not working?

I read a lot and would impulsively read anything that comes in front of my eyes. Hindi movies and songs are also my favourites.  Whenever I travel across the country for work, I always take a day or two extra to look at something local.

Editor’s Note

To conclude, we would like to express our gratitude to not just Ms. Varsha for agreeing to guest feature on our story but also to our ever-so-loyal readers for reaching out and showing such overwhelming support. Our endeavour at Indspire Me will always be to share and spread knowledge as we seek to inspire you with the next most ingenious idea. To quote William Shakespeare, “Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.” Read more such Inspiring Interviews here.