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Reams have been written about how much time teens spend online and on various social networking sites. But contrary to popular perception, youngsters today aren’t using their blogs, personal websites and networking sites just to interact and have fun. The more enterprising ones are also using them to get the kind of work opportunities they want in the future, as well as making some spare cash along the way.

A case in point is 20-year-old Nikita Singh, who recently started her own website with the help of a friend. Apart from a profile and her contact details, Nikita has included links to and scans of articles she has written, that were published in various newspapers. Having taken a course in voice modulation, she has also uploaded audio links.
“I attended a course on freelance writing and our instructor told us that the first thing to do is create a website. It’s a great way — when people are looking online — for them to come across your profile and a sample of your work. It makes things so much easier,” says Nikita. “I’ve been asked to write content for the brochures of several art shows that were held recently, after the person in charge saw my website,” she adds.
Other teenagers are making a “collective” professional move online. Says Nikhil Balaji, a BMM student, “A bunch of our classmates got together and started a blog. We’re creating profiles and putting up our work so that we’ll be more marketable to prospective employers.”
Then we have teens who have been inspired by friends who struck it big with their online acumen. “I used to post pretty regularly on my blog, but of late I’d become lax,” says 19-year-old Sharad Pillai. “Then my friend, who is also an aspiring writer, called and gave me quite a earful. The editor of a Delhi magazine had seen her work and asked her to write a couple of articles for them. She was paid quite well. So now, I’m going to be very regular too,” he avows.
Success stories like Pulkit Mohan Singla’s may give further impetus to teens who are chasing their dream careers in innovative ways. This 19-year-old student/artist regularly uploaded his charcoal sketches and other artwork on his blogs. A dealer saw his work and Pulkit is now finishing his 25th painting for his first major exhibition in Delhi.
All of which proves that for net-savvy teens, where there’s a will, there is most definitely a way.

Rohini Nair
The Asian Age