If your percentage of marks isn’t good enough for you to gain admission in a college, don’t feel blue. Here’s a website that will help raise your spirits. Log on to www.careerchoicewizard.com. The site offers a round-up of some interesting courses where marks are not the sole criterion of selection. The website — done up in a slate grey, blue and white combination — has a slightly dull facade but don’t go by its appearance. It’s just a matter of minutes before you discover that careerchoicewizard.com is a storehouse of information.

Careers are neatly categorised and you can take your pick according to your interest and aptitude. The section on art and design is quite a revelation. From florist and floral design, you can move on to cosmetology, creative writing and carpentry. Under the floral design sub-section, you can find a concise description of the career, information on the syllabus to be studied and job opportunities.

The jewellery repair technician diploma course offered online seems equally interesting. If you have an eye for aesthetics and enjoy making fashion statements, then this course is just for you. It promises to make you adept at different skills such as soldering and pickling, enamelling, engraving, embossing and laminating. The accreditation of all these courses is by the Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC).

The section on correspondence law courses is engaging. It talks of a career as a court reporter as well as in homeland security, national security and legal transcription. And if you feel like playing Sherlock Holmes, you could even take up a course in finance crime investigation. You could learn about various types of financial fraud being perpetrated and familiarise yourself with the concept of ghost employees, third party takeover, inventory theft and the more popular and dangerous identity theft. You could even choose to become a crime scene technician.

The section on careers in medicine and therapy throws up interesting options too. Fit into the shoes of a physical therapy aide, relaxation therapist or geriatric care manager. And if you are a hands-on person, you could opt to be an auto mechanic, marine technician specialist, gunsmith or even a locksmith.

The site provides lots of options for someone who hasn’t quite decided on a career path. At times, its US-centric information may be a trifle irritating — for instance, the salary details are in dollars. Nonetheless, the rest of the information is relevant for us.

Take a look. It may just prove to be a turning point in your life. Happy surfing!

Shibani Chattopadhyay

shibani.chattopadhyay@abp.in