There was a time in Pakistan when the boys were encouraged and pushed hard to become electrical, mechanical, or civil engineers. The others either went for civil services or joined the armed forces of the country. On the other side, girls were either allowed to become doctors or study arts as their major and later on focus on their social responsibilities as a wife and a mother. But, time changes and so does the context. We do not belong to the same age as our parents and grandparents.

Choosing Art Major as Your Career

The advent of technology has opened new avenues and top career choices for an individual who has chosen Art as a major domain. It might have taken a few of you by surprise but for the others, it will be great news. Indeed it is as if you no longer have to search for vacancies announced in different organizations related to your field of interest. Your passion and commitment would determine your success on the path which you have chosen as your career choice. 

Successful Career as Art Major in Pakistan  

In this article, we shall dive deep to explore all the career choices for you as an art major to have a successful career in Pakistan. 

Stop Seeking Government Jobs

The first piece of advice for you is to stop seeking and searching for vacancies in government organizations. The reason is the overcrowding of applicants for a single post. In other words, the likelihood of you getting appointed for a position would drop down despite being eligible to have sufficient qualifications. This consistent rejection of each application would affect your morale and motivation to become a professional. Few of you may find government jobs to be secure in the long term, however, consider joining the private firms requiring similar qualifications and set of skills.

The private sector does not ensure long-term benefits but would certainly offer good packages which is why many people ignore the idea of considering these career options. This negligence is your opportunity to apply for the job of your interest. No need to think of the future. You will have plenty of savings to invest in different sectors and end up earning a lot more than the usual pension or provident fund for which you have to wait till the superannuation period of your services. 

Related: Private vs Government jobs: What is Best for Your Career?

Graphic Designing

Graphic Design, Fine Arts, College

If you have always received moons and stars on your drawing book from your teachers, have you realized that there is an inborn artist hidden inside you waiting for the right budding season? Unfortunately, the artist never realized the true potential of the inborn skills and got deflected into other career choices and started losing innate abilities. The good news is that now you can pursue a full-time career as an artist.

Graphic designers are earning hundreds to thousands of dollars from a single order from an international client through their Art. All you need is the basic knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Canva or just a few as there are multiple tools available in the market. Pick the one that seems user-friendly. Master the essential skills and start earning locally by becoming a photo editor, logo designer, making cards and so much more.

If you wish to go international then make a good profile on different freelance marketplaces such as Upwork, Guru, Fiverr and freelancer. You will find yourself earning dollars in a couple of days by this art as long as you stay polite and professional with your clients. 

Book Writing

Career, Art, Writer

You are always fond of reading books of varying genres but never realized that there is a writer inside you too. Some of you have already started laughing concurring with the thought. Well, it’s true because today’s readers turn out to be great writers of tomorrow as they acquired sufficient knowledge, skills and expertise to start their own writing careers.

Choosing the Right Platform for Publishing

Unfortunately, many budding writers are not provided the right platform to publish their first writings and they end up demotivated and reconsider trying something else. Their inborn writers go wasted. This indeed is so unjust that no individual should withstand such restraints in the way of becoming a renowned writer of the future.

If you have already had a good piece of writing written for months, you have already wasted a lot of time for not getting it published. In case you don’t trust the local publishers for getting a printed version of your book in the market tries out Dastaan, Pakistan’s renowned self-publishing platform.

Dastaan, Pakistan’s Renowned Self-publishing Platform

Syed Ommer was one of the many budding writers seeking some good opportunities to publish their works but had a hard time finding any good publishing house. As a result, he came up with an idea to launch a startup where other writers like him can easily publish their works of varying genres. The forum was launched in 2014 and initially provided consultancy services to guide young writers in understanding the basic guidelines to follow for publishing a book.

In addition, Dastaan also acted as a freelance marketplace for young writers who wish to help others with their writing abilities. Now Dastaan is well known for its publishing as well as a freelancing service provider.

Qissa: A Sub-branch of Dastaan

The former exists as Qissa, a sub-branch of Daastan whose purpose is to provide self-publishing opportunities to young Pakistani writers. In case some of you are aware of Amazon’s CreateSpace, Qissa was developed on similar working principles where you sign up followed by uploading your work on the dashboard. You will receive some quick tips from the editor after a comprehensive review of your draft and your work is ready to publish.

Your manuscripts will be shared on multiple platforms. Innumerable books have been published and read multiple times through this platform booming at a rapid pace. Multiple authors have gained widespread attention through their writings and were interviewed on electronic, print and social media platforms. Therefore, you can become the next influencer writer sharing key tips of a successful writer. Imagine the scenario and start pursuing your dream, converting it with hard work into a reality.

Kindle and Amazon

If you are searching for alternatives, you can always find some distributors who would submit your manuscript with renowned retailers reaching a widespread audience. Furthermore, you can also make your book available on kindle through KDP. It is all a matter of providing a little contact and tax-related information and you will be signed up to publish your book on amazon. Good luck with your writing career ahead.

Related: Dastaan – The Self Book Publishing Platform from Pakistan

The Voice Talent Art

Voice Over, Art, Talent

You love to talk and are always admired by your family and friends to crack a joke at close gatherings. You are getting it right as you possess the voice talent of rocking on stage as a voice artist. It does not matter if you failed the audition of becoming an RJ. Technology has opened so many avenues that you just require some time, commitment and attention. You will start earning in no time.

Becoming a Voice-over Artist

To begin with, record some voice samples of different tones such as casual, conversational, narrative, etc. Next, create a profile on freelance marketplaces offering your services as a voice-over artist. Identify the niche where you can fill in and start earning. You won’t believe it but many video creators will start contacting you to record a voice-over in the background for their videos to be published on youtube.

If you have the experience and have attached some impressive voice samples, consumers would be anxious to hire you at the earliest. Make sure to offer low rates at the outset. Once you have built a strong portfolio and upgraded your profile, you can move ahead with increasing your rates and packages.

Start a Podcast

An alternative way of fulfilling your dream is to start a podcast. Get some basics from the online resources. Create an account and make your podcast stand out on Spotify and other forums. Just remember to stay consistent. Come up with unique and interesting topics. Interact and engage your audience and you will start getting the ads from different organizations. You can always start the passion as a part-time job and move ahead with working a full-time professional. 

Blogging

Blog, WordPress, Major

If you have a passion for writing and already started writing books, another path would also offer you wonders if you are following the key steps. Blog posts are consumed extensively on the internet. Many readers are seeking solutions to their problems. If you possess a skill and know all the essential details, you can talk about it in your blog. You can talk about the basics, step-by-step guide and content for beginners to gain the attention of general readers as they are looking for a site where they could gain maximum knowledge in the simplest possible manner.

If you know WordPress, blogging will be a piece of cake for you. Think of some good and interesting problems to provide their solutions. Search for the right keywords with large search volume and low competition and connect your blog with AdSense. You will start making money with your writing based on the organic traffic visiting your landing page. One important piece of advice before we move ahead. Make sure to stay consistent and post a blog post on a regular basis. Your followers would be anxious to learn something daily from your posted blogs. If you go lazy, you will lose your traffic. Keep rocking the art of learning and continue earning.

Read more: How to Select Blogging Niche in Easy Steps?

YouTube

Youtube, Artists, Videos

There was a time when you got aware of a search engine other than google where you can learn a lot more than just written content. You can see some real persons performing actions and teaching, training and entertaining their viewers through engaging videos of diverse subjects. Suddenly, a thought came to your mind to start preparing video content on your own. However, the fear of coming before the camera keeps you away from recording the first video.

Working on Your First Video

The sad news to break is that everyone’s first video is a failure as it is part of gaining a new experience of facing the camera. We have been watching seasons and movies but never acted as one of the characters. Of course, those guys would be professional actors for years. But that is not the case for the budding YouTubers. Your journey would have some challenges at the outset. However, you don’t need to feel disappointed despite all the criticism and negative feedback that you might get in the comment section of your videos.

Be Consistent

Keep going creating new, interesting and engaging content. As long as you are consistent in uploading videos on your channel on a regular basis, Youtube algorithms will start optimizing your content to read a wider audience. You will start getting discovered and would be super excited to receive positive and real-time feedback from the people who wish to see you grow and share even more interesting videos to help them solve their real-life problems. Never stop dreaming and believing in yourself.

Identify Your Niche

Identify the niche of your interest. Analyze the comments section of your competitors to identify what the people are asking for. Start producing videos on subjects that are providing answers to those questions found in competitors’ comment section. 

Buying the Right Equipment

You might be thinking of buying video equipment such as a microphone, professional camera, tripod stands, lights and hard drives. A short way to get started with your YouTube journey is one smartphone with a good camera and a tripod stand. Use the lights of your house. Identify a time when there is pin-drop silence in your house. Record a video and review your own performance. The first one would certainly have some errors. Your next attempt would be a lot better and you will continue improving with every new video.

Focus on Keywords

Try to answer specific questions in your video and name your video in the same way. Use long-tail keywords in your video description alongside their integration in the title.

Make sure you are including the primary keywords in your video thumbnail as well. These factors would determine the click-through rate of your videos. Try teaching some skills or art to your viewers. They will return to learn something new every time you publish a new video. If you like the product review style, you can start with the products that you use at home. Talk about it in the camera. Once you have sufficient subscribers, apply for the Youtube Partner program. Agencies will start contacting you to become their influencer. You can review and promote their product through your channel. 

Related: YouTube Shorts and How to Make Money From it?

In a nutshell, an Art Major has plenty of options in Pakistan as long as one is firm, committed, hard-working and is well aware of all the strengths and abilities which can be converted into a career. Wishing you all the best.