Mystory@Aarooshy Srivastava: How I chose my course and career path

Mystory@Aarooshy Srivastava

I had interest in Science and this is why I chose to study PCM with Biotechnology. I loved to solve Mathematics questions in which I indulged so much that I started spending most of my time solving questions and equations. Science is actually an interesting and a brainstorming subject and it divulges all the chemical, biological and physical aspects of life, which appeared intriguing to me. Apart from all of this, I realized that I could do much more than all this. I never wanted to be a sheep in a herd. I always wanted to be a wolf. And this decision made me choose Mass Communication because I knew I had good communication skills and the talent to do well and be different from students in other courses.

Being a student of Science stream, people always want to know why I did not apply for BSc, BTech or any other course and my reply always is that being a Mass Communication student doesn't make me less than an engineer or a professor or anyone else. I love being an NIMCian and that's because my institute gives me opportunities to evolve myself and enrich my communication skills and other talents that need to be developed. Pursuing Mass Communication doesn't mean that a person doesn't need to study, it just simply means that I need to gain more practical knowledge rather than theoretical terms. Practical knowledge is a must for this course.

Currently, I am studying in National Institute of Mass Communication (NIMC), Delhi where I took admission online. It was a simple examination based on one’s knowledge of current affairs. It was a different experience but not a difficult one.

I took the entrance exams for Indraprastha University in Delhi, Lucknow University, and Isabella Thoburn College in Lucknow. I cracked all those exams for BSc but I did not join any of those colleges because I had more interest in Mass Communication. I did apply to some of the most reputed colleges i.e. Symbiosis University, Delhi University and others as well but I didn't get admission there. Just because I don't possess knowledge of other fields doesn't mean I don't have knowledge about anything. I might not possess knowledge of a particular thing but I do have knowledge about my field.

How I made the most of my college years

I would like to spend my free time doing some brainstorming and productive work so that I can grow more. I don't like spending my time sitting idle. Thus, I have enrolled for BA English (honors) from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) because I thought that it would be an interesting course combination and will enrich my vocabulary and fluency in English. When it comes to Mass Communication, a person has an option to choose any language he/she is comfortable in. I am comfortable in English more than I can be with Hindi and thus, I thought of applying to this course.

When I came to college, I became a new person. Instead of wasting my time on phone, I spent that time researching on things I want to do, things I should do to grow more and improve myself. I’m a member of the cultural society of the institute and various other societies for journalism, print media, public relations and photography. Photography is one subject I like after journalism. I have done an internship in public relations and that has really enhanced my communication skills. I got an opportunity to work as a photographer as well for the same company. These small things add much more to my portfolio and that makes my experience even better.

Journalism and photography can be a good combination as it can be helpful for photojournalism. Photojournalism can be taken up as an interesting job as well. NIMC also has various societies for students like Shutterbox (Photography), Newseum (TV Journalism), NIMC Diaries (Print media), Cinegram (Production house) and Dastak (Theatre), to make themselves ready for their future and also learn to work under pressure. NIMC always does its best to keep students busy in field work and make them understand the media lifestyle and how people work in the media sector.

About the Author:

I am Aarooshy Srivastava from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. I am a student of Mass Communication at NIMC Delhi. I am an extrovert when it comes to communicating with people. I have interest in writing and reading. I possess very good knowledge of gadgets and other technical concepts. I have interest in sports as well as academics.