Following your inner compass.

By Shaan Bajaj

In 2019 I graduated with a Law degree, and yet here I am three years later pursuing a career as a writer. Deciding to change my career path was a decision filled with self-doubt, confusion, and ultimately clarity. During the course of my degree, I stumbled across my passion for storytelling, so I gave myself the space to re-evaluate my career goals and ultimately I chose to pursue content writing and content creation. While the process was not easy, I knew I wanted a career I felt truly passionate about and fulfilled by. To better understand the process, and how there are both pros and cons to the decision to change the direction of one’s career, I spoke to several members of the Thai-Indian community who offered their valuable insight

Sureena sachdev

Degree: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Finance) (Minor: Economics)
Current occupation: Project manager within the Travel Technology industry.

I started my career working at a top tier private asset management firm in the US with a well-revered portfolio manager. I enjoyed my time there and learned a lot about different investment strategies, which strengthened my overall financial acumen.

After moving back to Thailand, I was presented with the opportunity to work in strategy consulting and principle investments. My experience in consulting fostered a passion for identifying and resolving organisation-level issues. As technology becomes more critical to daily function, I was intrigued to test how the skills would weigh in the technology
sector.

My career shift towards technology has been one filled with opportunities, and not one I regret in the slightest. I received a lot of support from mentors in the tech industry throughout the process of shifting from finance to tech.

Nehal Bellani

Degree: Bachelor’s of Communication Arts (Public Relations)
Current occupation: Reiki master, healer, and affirmation therapist at Soulful Serenity

After obtaining my degree, I worked in PR for a while before becoming a wedding planner
but I ultimately changed career paths. I was always into spirituality, and I felt a calling
to start Soulful Serenity, an Instagram page focused on the topic of healing. At that
point, I had no idea where it would lead me but I embraced the journey and went with the
flow. The wellness field was completely different from my previous experience but I
was passionate about my new chapter.
My work pushed me to grow ten times faster and I have learned and grown so much
along the way. I really had to sit with the good and bad. I feel as though the calling I received from within was so strong that I could not shake the feeling and my passion
and love for my work sustained me. When I decided to shift from wedding planning to the wellness industry, I received a lot of support from my parents and my sister so I didn’t feel any pressure. It didn’t matter what people said, people will always talk, but my family’s support was the most important to me, and I knew I was following my heart to do what I love and what I felt passionate about. I have enjoyed every moment of the journey I am on.

Anusha Sethi

Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
Current occupation: Account Management Team Supervisor at an International Insurance
Broker

I studied sociology with the intention of becoming a data analyst and graduated in 2020,
during COVID. Initially I was going to apply for jobs in England, but because of the pandemic, I came back to Bangkok and applied to jobs through LinkedIn and Facebook. As a fresh graduate, I wanted to gain experience so I was open to trying different fields. I do not regret the change because I have grown to enjoy the field of work I am in. I am able to apply the skills I learnt through my degree like data analysis and communications skills to my current role.

Working in a very corporate environment has taught me a lot, including how to handle high-pressure work environments, how to adapt working with a diverse team of professionals, how to manage my time effectively, which are all skills that I find applicable to my day-to-day life, and growth as a person too. As I made the switch, I did not feel any social pressure. Everyone was very supportive, and continue to be as I carry on my journey.

Simran Anandsongvit (Simran Keyz)

Degree: Bachelor of Communication Arts (Public Relations)
Current occupation: Singer, YouTuber, Influencer and Digital Marketer

I studied public relations but currently work within the entertainment and marketing
industries. Alongside my studies, I was posting song covers on my YouTube channel and experienced some success. So in the last year of my degree, I decided to pursue singing and in 2019, I decided to release original music and plan to release more music in the future.

While creating music, I always felt the need to get my music out to a bigger audience and that’s when I discovered the power of digital marketing and branding. After applying what I learnt to my own profile, I became an influencer and it eventually led me to my latest venture, starting my own digital marketing agency Keyz Digital, which is targeted at helping fellow influencers, artists, and brands. The juggle between being a singer and an influencer is challenging at times but I don’t regret any decision, and look at all my experiences as a learning curve. I always knew what I wanted so nothing else affected me. Sometimes you just have to keep going and believe in yourself.