When I was a kid, writing wasn’t considered a full-time career. You could be a doctor, an engineer, an architect, and also be a ‘writer’, but couldn’t exclusively be a writer. Thankfully, in my growing up years, there was a media boom and ‘mass communication’ emerged as one of those ‘alternative’, ‘less-treaded’ career options for those who wanted to pursue a career in communications & associated fields. However, in 2006-7, when I set out to pursue a degree in mass communication, it was a relatively lesser-known academic stream.

Opting‌ ‌for‌ ‌an‌ ‌unconventional‌ ‌career‌ ‌path‌ ‌of‌ ‌content‌ ‌writing.

For me, pursuing a career in mass communication didn’t only mean choosing an uncharted path, it also meant letting go of my education in science. I had studied science till senior secondary and done fairly well for myself. People, back then, told me ‘science is the only way to make a stable career’, ‘choosing humanities over science would be the biggest mistake of my life’, and much more. But thankfully, at 17, I had a greater appetite for risk than I have now. I took a leap of faith and appeared for the national/state entrance tests of almost all the universities that offered mass communication in and around Delhi. I secured a double-digit rank in the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha university and from there it has been a joyous journey so far.

The biggest challenge that I faced while pursuing a slightly offbeat humanities career was that there was no success formula that I could follow. It wasn’t like one could crack the national entrance, top the universities exam, get the best placement offer and graduate with a great package. In retrospect, I am glad it wasn’t like that. Many students like me, who came with no background or associations in media industry, went from offices to offices looking for internships right from our first summer break. I did 4 internships in the 3-year-long graduation program and had a placement offer from a content outsourcing firm where I was supposed to start as an editor (trainee). I let go of the offer because I got a coveted seat in the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC).

Path‌ ‌to‌ ‌become‌ ‌an‌ ‌author.‌

IIMC has certainly been academically the most enriching experience of my life. It’s a packed 9-months PG Diploma program. I got to study with crème de la crème and was mentored by the best academic faculty and industry bigwigs. But from there on, I have chartered a path for myself. All my batchmates have done the same. Unlike many academic streams, a degree in mass communication opens up multiple avenues for careers in media & communications domain. I never wanted to pursue a career in TV or Radio. I was very clear that the glamor didn’t appeal to me, I was happy to toil in anonymity if I got to write and strategize & design in the background, and I followed my heart. With arrival of digital platforms – the avenues for people like me exponentially grew.

When you love what you do, you don’t really know how long you have been working. I started working in mid of 2010. It’s almost been 9 years. There has been no career break, but I have the energy left to go on more next 30 years. I have worked with big brands in pharmaceutical, mining, IT, and social sectors. One thing that I have learned from my experience is, whether you are a corporate communicator, a training designer, a marketer, or a writer (roles that I have played at different stages in my career) – there is no better approach than clear, to-the-point, and upfront communication. And of course, a dash of creativity never hurts.

My debut novel “Puma: A Soldier’s Dog” was recently published and many people have asked me about the route to become an author. The answer is, there is not set formula. At least, I don’t know of a set route or formula. For me, the unique experiences I had in life so far as a corporate girl and an army wife helped me put the story together. Of course, my training in writing and public relations have also given me an edge over ‘writers who are not marketers’ and ‘marketers who are not writers’.

I have relentless energy to pursue writing and much more because that’s what I love to do. I wouldn’t put my heart into my career if I pursued something that wasn’t aligned to who I am as a person. That’s why the only advice I can give to someone who wants to pursue an offbeat career is to follow one’s passion. You have to be deeply passionate about yourself as a person and identify your strengths as a professional to be successful at what’s not conventional. The hunger to learn and the appetite for negative feedback are another important aspect when there is no set route to success. Hear what people say, see if it makes sense to you. If it doesn’t, forget about it, and if it does, make the best of the criticism/advice.