Edited by Oishiki Ganguly
If falling fort clickbait was a crime, I’d be willing to bet all the money I’ve ever earned on the fact that every person reading this would be guilty. And this isn’t because I’ve earned a grand total of roughly ₹100 in my entire life and don’t really have much to lose, I’d honestly be willing to make the same bet if I were a billionaire. Especially now (amidst a pandemic) where the internet is all you have to grasp of the world, you crave to learn the “31 things that will make you say OMG!” or just check if you actually will believe what they think “you won’t believe”. Much like the rest of us, Anushka found herself in the same situation a few months ago. A 3rd-year Literature major forced to spend the summer before her final year in quarantine, Anushka was craving productivity. Unfortunately, most of her days were also restricted to surfing the net and it was making her far too restless. This was until one day, while she was scrolling through her feed, she came across an article titled “15 jobs you never knew existed!”
Although this was a well kept secret , Anushka had always dreamt of being a zip-line instructor (1000 points to you if you’ve ever heard that from anyone before). The thrill she felt from gliding across terrains suspended from a wire wasn’t one she ever got from studying (obviously) or from anything else in her life. The mere thought of pursuing a job as wacky as this one urged her to click on the article. Immersed in the world of these endless prospects, she decided to look at a hundred other such articles with some of the most unheard-of jobs she’d ever come across. “This is amazing. Why don’t more people know about this?” It was then that she decided to take on the responsibility of letting the world know that contrary to popular belief, jobs can be immensely fun! She promptly decided to search for others with similar interests in the hopes of forming a team. Overwhelmed by the responses she got, Anushka knew this was going to be the start of something great.
This was the story of how JobberWacky came into existence. So what exactly is it? In their own words, “A virtual exhibition of the coolest jobs out there!”. From mentalists and foley artists to whiskey tasters and lipstick readers, JobberWacky has interviewed professionals from a wide range of eccentric jobs (who they refer to as JobberWacky Mentors or “Mavericks”). Unfortunately (or fortunately – you decide), money is the powerhouse of the world we’ve created for ourselves today. Of course, it’s important and we can’t do without it, but this team of ambitious individuals strives towards breaking the stereotype that money lies only in conventional jobs, such as those in medicine and law. While these jobs can be extremely rewarding for those who genuinely enjoy them, a scary amount of people go into these fields solely for financial safety, especially in India. I can say from experience that most of the people I know, including myself, spend years studying subjects not because they’re particularly interested in them, but because it feels like there’s no other option. That’s where we’re wrong. The world we’ve created is also one where you can transform just about any passion into a career. In fact, the overwhelming options we have are a large part of why JobberWacky was created! Their aim is to provide us with a platform that gives us information worth knowing, whether we choose to act on it or not. The significance of such a resource lies in its ability to help us make an informed decision, whatever that may be.
I understand that passion is a risky hunch. Sometimes it works in your favour, but sometimes it’s just not enough (not to disregard the fact that any effort put in to pursue your passion is an absolutely admirable action). When I turned to Anushka about this, she said, “Even if your passion can’t be your career, you shouldn’t stop it from being at least a hobby.” She then proceeded to tell me about the Adventure Company co-founder that they’d interviewed. Originally an engineering student, he decided one day to ride his bike to the office as a workout. Despite rediscovering his love for biking, he didn’t realise at that moment that his entire life was about to change. While continuing his day job, he was only pursuing biking as a hobby. Soon, he became more well-versed with the adventure lifestyle and made his presence prominent in the network. After that, opportunities simply presented themselves to him. This just goes to show that you never know where life will take you, but as long as you’re doing something you love, you’ll always have somewhere to go.
“It’s scary for anyone to jump out of a comfortable job, even if they don’t enjoy it. The best thing, in that case, would be to just experiment, keeping in mind that any job, as glamorous as it may seem, does come with its challenges. Simply put, you have to be realistic about what you want. More importantly, you have to figure out what it is you want to begin with.” These were Anushka’s relevant two cents on how to go about doing something that doesn’t always make you feel content. JobberWacky is a way to help us with exactly this process of figuring out what we want, no matter the quantity. The purpose with which you do something you wholeheartedly love is very different from the purpose with which you do something you feel the need to do. The tricky part is finding the balance. In my opinion, that’s all an ideal professional life is – weighing out your passion against your opportunities and equally dividing your resources into both. This notion, of course, comes with its prerequisite of a certain amount of privilege and a whole lot of determination. Yet, these dozens of great stories can help widen our horizons beyond the conventional. Thanks to JobberWacky, we can now insert a pinch of faith in the idea that what once seemed euphoric in your mechanistic world, may one day become your reality. Just a pinch (or maybe more – you decide).
Check them out on Instagram! – @jobberwacky