Among millions of other ‘what path do I take for money/employment’ I come with the same question.

Do excuse the typos

As the title says, I am a 24F not sure about what to do for money/employment. I don’t see this as a ‘what do I do in life’ because I feel like that’s a whole different thing. And I am not too bothered about that at this point (even though I know that in the systems we live in the two are interconnected) I am at a point in my life where I don’t know what I want to do for money/employment/career which isn’t absolutely soul crushing too. Which path to go.

A point to note – I come from good privilege, so everything I say and feel comes from that context too. Eternally grateful for it.

Small intro: I studied arts post 10th, then did a BA in media and comms, came to know about advertising and copywriting, decided to go in that. Interned at an ad agency as a copywriter, got into another agency full time, and left after 1 and a half year. Currently 8 months into leaving the job, back home.

If there’s one thing I’ve loved since I gained slight adult consciousness was visual arts and movies – and for a good amount of my highscool I did exclaim that it doesn’t matter if I am even just the person that holds a light as long as I am in a movie set or doesn’t matter I’ll just click photos.

That is until I learned about the functioning(s) of the world and how something you admire deeply should probably always remain separate from ‘work’ because the system isn’t going to ever satisfy it. It’ll change it. So keep it to yourself. Now, I know that this isn’t the case always. There are exceptional cases, they do exist, but I don’t believe that it’s worth going into that. The struggle. And at this point I am not passionate about it to the extent where I am willing to struggle. It isn’t that I can’t do anything else at all. Deep down probably yes, it still exists that oh I wish I could be a creative somedays it does feel like that. But most days I just think – its not that deep. And that it’s not the thing to bring me the greatest joy. Because over the years i guess my ideas of joy, and what life is about and how I could maybe have a pretty satisfying one has changed. I guess it’s one of those things you’d wish but not necessarily yearn and need.

Post my degree I thought okay let me try out copywriting because advertising marketing and all things related to media was kind of hot at that point lot of young people were/are going that way, ‘youths going the unconventional paths’ like the oldies say. And I also knew it’s a route people take to the actual destination which is into cinema/more non commercial forms. that was terrible. Even at my internship, in my gut I knew that this stuff did not make any sense to me, the work environment was really bad, but I thought maybe a new place would change it but it wasn’t going to change. To top this off, somewhere around the end of my degree I also begin really learning about our systems, and how basically capitalism is responsible for almost everything we endure today. So at the peak of my new job, I also began having a complete aversion for this field, because advertising = consumerism. The situation of the field also did not help. My understanding of the systems and my leaning towards socialistic values began even before I got into the job but getting into the job really put everything right in front of my eyes. I just didn’t believe in advertising anymore, and most of what media is now. Knowing I have a good amount of privilege (or at least until I have it) I’d like to do something for money/employment that goes at least at some level with my values. Advertising is completely against it. And most of the things people get into with my degree example: marketing.

1. advertising and most things in media don’t seem to anyway be creative, it is just labelled creative 2) goes against my beliefs. Even the alternative of copywriting or marketing for NGOs isn’t practical. Or maybe it is? Honestly not even interested in writing anymore because it isn’t something I am naturally great at, and my experiences in the field have created this really bad image of it.

At this point I tell myself maybe I should have taken up something more mainstream, have a job just for money to survive, and seek joy in the outside life. And that is how I think of a job, it’s for money because the system requires you to have it, so something that’s at least slightly close to my beliefs because that’s the best I can do as an individual. I understand the idea about 'no ethical consumption/working under capitalism' but yeah i guess i still want to know what i can do.

Because it’s not like I don’t want to do with media just because of my beliefs. It is genuinely at a bad place now. All time low in terms of money, work life balance, everything.

So now comes practicality. Because no it isn’t that I am not aware of the day to day living. If I do have to start afresh, where do I even start?  How do I start? I’d like to know if there are any roles out there – any specific stuff that could work with my degree and is not advertising marketing commercial media related or has me to work in the big 5’s. I heard about a job called instructional designer. It’s very niche I guess but sounded okay. I wouldn’t mind. So maybe stuff like that

Actually I had an interest in biology. Biology was my highest scoring in school along with the social sciences. Environments interested me, they still do, whenever I take a career test like those random ones online my tops careers are – wildlife conservator, photojournalist, drug abuse counselor (oh yeah that too, things in psychology), and other environment related things I wanted to be a veterinarian too at some point, and I wonder how it would have been now for me to take that path. Thanks to beautiful diverse options of the Indian education system, I could not have survived chemistry, math, and physics. That’s one more thing maybe I could work in something related to sustainability (not corporate sustainability) I believe the world’s going to be in need of it in a bit too.

So yeah – does anyone know any roles or fields or paths or anything that I could try? Even studying further is okay, within India as I don’t aspire to go abroad.

I know I sound utterly confused and just stupidly rambling and I feel like sylvia plath’s fig tree analogy rn (minus the ambition) But yeah I’d like to figure things out. Parents at home are also concerned, naturally, telling them that one of the reasons for not conutning what i was doing is because that thing hurts society in the bigger picture would send them flying. I'd be declared commie right there n then lol. Either way that is something i'll figure out and doesnt have to be disclosed anytime soon. They do know that the industry is bad. Love the young 20’s /s

TDLR: Would like suggestions on career paths that I could do with a degree in media and comms that are not in the commercial media space OR suggestions for something completely new.