Mohammed Zeeshan is the CEO and Co-Founder of MyCaptain, an online mentoring platform. His vision has always been to impact Education and bring a societal mindset shift when it comes to Careers in India and all across the World, and MyCaptain is a step towards this. He comes from a B. Tech Mechanical Engineering background and has a keen interest in Policy, Education, and Impact.
Until a few years back medicine and engineering were the only two professions that promised a secured future. Even commerce and accounting weren’t given much importance by schools and parents. The classes were designed in a way to push students in these mainstream fields only, forcing students with other interests to be part of the same crowd.
Now, times are changing, thanks to the technological advances and growth of ed-tech platforms.
While the mainstream paths are still significant and valued today, the Indian job market has transformed a great deal and welcomed new career opportunities and possibilities.
People have started exploring and pursuing different career paths. Acceptance towards the fact that a secured future can be achieved through non-mainstream career options has also increased by bounds.
This has impacted the need for online e-learning platforms as they provide learners with a plethora of courses, unlike schools where you are forced to study the same subjects as everyone else. According to technavio, the year-on-year growth rate of e-learning platforms in the year 2020 was 19.60%.
Some of the alternative career paths
Content creation
Social Media has gained a lot of traction in the past few years. Multiple new social media platforms have entered the market as well. This growth has given a rise to influencer marketing, and marketers are increasingly looking out for influencers to do product placement.
Someone with good material, creative talents, and a significant following can become a digital sensation overnight.
Designing
Be it UI/UX designing, graphic designing or social media designing, visual content has taken the front seat in the content world. Visual content has become a quick way of communicating with a large audience, as the attention span of people has grown shorter over time.
AI, Machine Learning and Data Science
AI, Machine Learning, and Data Science careers are at an all-time high. Those with a background in technology, mathematics, or science can enhance their abilities and seize this opportunity as firms fight for top talent in this industry. In the end, everything is about numbers and if you are good with them, everybody will want you.
Freelancing
It is no longer necessary to work for a corporation or “the man”; if a person possesses any market-required skill set, they can provide it as a service and earn a living while working on their terms.
These are just some of the off-stream professions in the market. With the right set of skills, anyone can readily break into any of these professions. Social Media Management, Game Development, and Digital Marketing are in high demand, according to LinkedIn, with some of these industries seeing a 400% increase in demand.
Ed-tech platforms
The increasing interest in off-beat careers has increased the demand for courses and workshops which lets them explore different career paths without a full-time commitment.
This is where Ed-tech platforms come into play. Ed-tech is the intersection of education and technology to create an engaging, inclusive and individualised experience for the learners. Through a collection of tools that work together in providing a student-centred learning experience by bringing together educational theory and practice, technology, and content, ed-tech platforms provide a 360- degree learning environment to the learners.
The Ed-tech industry has seen a significant increase in market size during the last decade. The market is currently valued at $700-800 million. It is expected to grow to $30 billion in the next ten years, according to a report published by RBSA Advisors.
Impact of Ed-tech on Off-beat careers
If we look closely, this is how ed-tech platforms are impacting and helping learners in following their passion
Higher Engagement
One of the most significant advantages of e-learning platforms is their practicality. On top of online classes, students are given live projects to help them comprehend the practicality and application of the subject matter they are studying.
Even if you feel stuck somewhere, there is always an option for you to go back and revisit a topic.
Customised Classes
It is not possible to create a customised learning plan for each student in a typical classroom. Every student has their own set of objectives, preferences, learning styles, and limitations. Even with a smaller class size, teachers can’t give one-on-one supervision to each student.
Here’s where e-learning platforms help the learners, students have an option to select the course of their liking depending on their personal goals. Projects, checklists, and videos can assist them in gaining the expertise they require.
Better time management
Ed-tech platforms help you in learning and growing at your own pace rather than striving to keep up with others. Students get to complete activities and projects at their speed.
This makes the learning environment more adaptable for the learners.
Conclusion
With ed-tech platforms coming into the picture, making your dreams a reality and building a closed knit community with like-minded people has never been easier. Working in a field of people’s choice has helped them in staying motivated, continue learning, be on their toes and discover new opportunities.