Mystory@Sakshi Srivastava: How I chose my course and career

Mystory@Sakshi Srivastava

As we neared the end of class 10, I knew that I would be choosing Science as my stream because Commerce was just not my thing and Humanities was an absolute no for me because it had History and Political Science which I absolutely detested (ironically enough, they are my core subjects now). So, that’s how I chose Science in class 11 and 12, also owing to my scientific temper. I took admission in the FIITJEE section of the school, which was an integrated program for those aspiring for IITs only, and hence began my journey for being an IITian.

Life always has unexpected turns. All was well till my Pre-Boards in January but due to personal issues, my preparation went down and we lost hope of me cracking the IIT exam. So, we started looking for other options and shifted our focus to Architecture, wherein I could use Science as well as my creative skills. There was one back-up option that focused just on my creative writing and expressive abilities (as I used to write from a very young age) and that was BA Journalism Honors at Christ University.

I was preparing for NATA (National Aptitude Test in Architecture) and did pretty well in it. However, there was a twist. My NATA results were due one week after Christ University started with its session. So, to save the seat, I joined Christ University and decided that we would pull out if I score well and stand eligible for one of the top three Architecture colleges in the country.

I succeeded in securing a great score in NATA and was eligible for the top three colleges for Architecture, but by then I had gotten used to Christ routine and started to like the campus, activities and away- from- home feeling, hence I decided to stay back and pursue Journalism Honors and shape a career in it.

How I cracked college admission

The entrance test that I took for Journalism and Media Studies was quite easy, except the history part (as I was never good at it). I passed and was interviewed for the final admission.

I had also applied for BBA Honors (just in case I couldn’t do well anywhere, so we had applied in almost every field possible) at Christ University, SIMC (Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication) and several other colleges.

Apart from that, I was preparing for NATA as well as JEE (Architecture part) and was taking coaching classes for the same and kept my main focus on that only.

Once I got selected for the Journalism and Media Studies course at Christ University, I dropped all other entrance tests and focused on preparing for NATA, because I had an admission and back-up secured and wanted to perform well in the Architecture test.

What I learned in college

Cars are my passion. Even though I’m not in a field that supports or paves way for making a legitimate career out of my passion, I believe in using what I have with me and pave my own path to pursue my passion. Hence, I use my course of Journalism and Media Studies and fuse it with my love for cars and pave out ways to follow them both.

Right now, I am freelancing and exposing myself to the industry. I shoot and write about different cars and people related to them, with a perspective which is different from the conventional ways writing. I like to do things differently. I bring out those aspects and angles of the car, person and their story that no one generally thinks of when it comes to automotive stories.

The things taught to us in college help me in writing and shooting effectively but at the same time, I choose not to depend entirely on the college to teach me the part where I must work things out technically- be it writing or shooting- I learn things on my own. And, hence college has very little role to play when it comes to my career. It has definitely given me the base, but the building is entirely mine.

As the contacts and the talks of my work increase through word of mouth as well as digital platforms in the dense circuit that the supercars and bikers have in Bangalore, it becomes a bit hectic to go around and manage college work as well. But it all boils down to effective time management and becomes a matter of priority when there is a tie between the two. There are times when I let go of the cars for something important in college but maximum number of times I either finish the college work and studies in advance so I can make time for my work in cars or I shift college to second priority (but then I make sure I make up for it).

I am stubborn for my passion, but I make sure I am stubborn in the right manner, and I am still in the learning process to balance everything perfectly.

About the Author:

I am Sakshi, currently pursuing BA Journalism from Christ University, Bengaluru. I am an absolute petrolhead and have an ardent love for automobiles and even though I am not studying a course that syncs well with this passion. I aspire to pave my own career path which will not be one of the conventional careers and intend to travel, explore and enrich myself with knowledge and passion that would translate into a livelihood full of wisdom, happiness and success.