It’s not all that difficult to kickstart a start-up. The only things you need are the right setting and oodles of determination, recommends Shoba Fernandes.
In these difficult times, when work environments are gettings increasingly stressful and working hours incredibly longer, there are many who have made a conscious decision to move away from a nine-to-nine job, for it gives them the freedom to do what they love the best in life. These trailblazers have gone ahead and set up their own consultancy, their own business – in short, they have decided to be their own boss.
Listed below are a few careers which have been profiled exclusively for the flexibility they offer. After the initial three to five years of hard work that one needs to put in to establish these careers, one can start one’s own business or even become a consultant in the field.
Information Technology/Programming:
This is one field which allows for flexi-timings or even allows one to work on an assignment basis. Srushti was working in a consultancy firm as a programmer handling several client’s requirements. But with her first pregnancy, she developed several health complications and had to quit her job. Says she, “When my child was four years old and no longer needed me so much, I decided to pick up from where I had left off. I brushed up my skills, and approached the same company. They gave me the opportunity to work from home. Now, I only go to office when it is essential and when there are any client meetings scheduled.” Then there is computer hardware and network management. People with non-engineering backgrounds who possess good knowledge of computer fundamentals can also enter this field. In addition, however, global certifications are needed. John decided to break away after five years of experience in a company. “Now I serve more than 10 to 15 clients through annual maintenance contracts. This way, I take home a cool packet, and at the same time, have ample free time to do what I want. However, in today’s competitive environment, it is best to possess software as well as hardware skills to give you that extra edge.”
Designing:
Designing may include jewellery designing, web designing, or fashion/dress designing, footware designing, furniture desining, murals, etc. All these fields offer ample scope for freelancing or starting your own set-up. This is one field where the creative types of the entrepreneural cadre achieve amazing feats!
Writing/Journalism:
Soemone proficient in English and a passion for writing can become a writer or a technical writer. Writing for niche markets is an important skill and is likely to see maximum growth. Even today, financial writers, economic journalists, as well as entertainment writers, are in great demand. Salary scales in web writing are much higher than those in other media – some companies offer content developers as much as they do programmers! Journalism is yet another field where once someone has acquired some experience, he or she can easily turn into a freelancer. A course in mass communication helps too. As writer Shanu Subramaniam puts it, “My ten years of experience as an entertainment journalist stood me in good stead when I decided to return after I had quit my job in favour of looking after my two growing sons.” This was during the dotcom era, when websites were mushrooming and content developers were in great demand. A smart entrepreneur, Shanu established her own company where she trained aspiring journalists and contributed content to many websites on a contractual basis. “At present, because of my contacts with the publishing groups, I contribute to newpapers in Mumbai and outside Mumbai, I contribute content on entertainment and other news,” she says.
Beauty and Hair Industry:
The beauty business is booming like never before. A course in beauty treatments from a reputed institute with hands-on experience of about three to five years in a leading beauty salon can make one capable of starting their own beauty parlour in one of the extra rooms at home. What started off as a hobby for Sarah Geller is now a big business with her swanky ‘Liona Salon’. She remembers,”I started out from home, with a minor investment. Then I went on to start my own salon in New York.” With training from London and Paris and 20 years of experience to back her, Geller is now a creative hair dresser for L’Oreal. May be that is what prompted 19 year old Anne to follow her mother’s footsteps – the teenager too has been chosen as a creative hair dresser for L’Oreal.
Architecture:
Zubin Zainuddin, architect and interior designer, had worked with Hafeez Contractor and ABM Architects for a few years before forking out in his own. “I found there was ample demand for the kind of work my wife and I do – i.e. Contemporary Architecture and Interior Designing. So we decided to start off on our own. Innivation rather than duplication goes a long way in this career. Though there is ample money in this field, I would say any career choice should be driven by the heart rather than by the money it can get you,” he says.
Teaching:
Clemy D’Souza, senior teacher at Sacred Heart High School, says, “Teaching offers you that extra time to be with your children when they need you the most. It allows you time to take up any extracurricular activities. Then the month-long summer holidays and the Christmas holidays that we get also give us the much needed break and the privilege of going on long vacations.”
Law:
Rajiv Thakur, advocate, putting forth his view adds, “One should be focused about where one wants to be in life. Once you complete your LLB, you can join a senior lawyer or a firm. You can also do LLM, part time. But be sure to pick up a field you are interested in and specialise in it. Once you have three to five years of experience, you should be able to set up your own practice. You may start from the basics, from the lower courts, then go to the District Court, then the High Court, and slowly rise to the Supreme Court. By this time, you will certainly become an expert in the field and would have established a name for yourself.”
Ups and downs are but a part of life; the important thing is to take them in one’s stride and forge ahead. For, at the end of the day, it is the satisfaction that one achieves, which will be the reward for the hard work that one might have to put in initially.
In the waking hours of a devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile, Salvation Army emergency services were immediately mobilized to provide support and supplies to the effected and displaced Chileans. Salvation Army’s International Headquarters has already pledged financial assistance to assist with these efforts.
