New career pathways for humanities students

For too long, Indian students have veered away from a humanities education, often because of misconceptions about career opportunities, and the pressure to pursue medicine, engineering, or other professional courses. However, a changing society and job market trends have led to a new interest in a liberal arts education, with new career pathways opening up for humanities students, especially those willing to capitalise on shifts towards interdisciplinarity and applied studies. Apart from their specific disciplines, well-educated humanities students often have excellent skills in communication and story-telling, analysis, creativity, critical thinking, ethics, cultural literacy, collaboration, and an ability to see the big picture, which can be leveraged into multiple emerging sectors. In this webinar, our panellists will explore the career options available in the Indian and global market. They will share what colleges offer in terms of the ability to mix and match subjects for effective interdisciplinarity, as well as applied studies, and suggest what choices humanities students should be making within and outside the classroom to achieve career success.

Rachita Rasiwasia is a graduate of IIM-Bangalore and a certified career counsellor, with over 18 years of experience in the education sector. She is the co-founder and director of Career Express, based in Surat, and has counselled thousands of students across India and the Middle East.

Priyanka Chandhok is the vice president of career development at Ashoka University, one of the country’s premier institutions in a liberal arts education. She is responsible for placements, internships, career preparation and corporate and student engagement activities at the Sonepat-based university. She has almost three decades of experience in the corporate sector, especially in executive search and recruitment.