Barathkumaar Ravikumar, 15 y/o, from Sivakasi Jaycees
Matriculation Higher secondary school, Sivakasi, is a digital
marketer, website developer, and entrepreneur. He speaks about his
experiences and journey with Hasini Lakshminarayanan, Social
activist, founder of The First Step and Guiding Young Minds which
features interviews with young achievers.
Q- Internships have been an important occurrence in your life. Please
share your experiences about how internships have sparked you and
why they are necessary for the youth.
A- Internships have been an essential sparkle in my career. I had my
first internship in 2018. I was first appointed as a Sales Manager,
which I had yet to learn of as you would have expected. The venture
I was looking into was highly new, and I was stranded in its aspects.
I was determined to do something anyway. Though I had no
idea what would occur, I was sure that finding an opportunity was
no easy task. I was arched to go onto it. Whenever a person assays a
new undertaking, they initially encounter challenges and struggles,
and I was no exception. Being a sales manager, it came with its own
sets of challenges and struggles. For example, I was extremely
anxious to talk with a client. Though it had been a struggle, I had
always had people who supported me whenever I was within an
affray.
After going through all the struggles I had as a sales manager, I
was promoted to Social Media Manager in the same company where
I had been assigned work relating to the social aspects and media of
the organization. As a manager tasked with social media results, I
gained much knowledge and experience. I learned how to handle a
client and studied deep into the algorithm of different social media
sites, which had an important part later in my career. After my
venture as a social media manager, I was appointed as an intern in
an IIT-based online learning company. As you would have
expected, I had learnt how to create content, post, etc. I had a team
working under me where we collaborated to create the best content
and designs possible. Later, I started my own company called
Digital Barath Consulting, with which I am working to date. I also
got an opportunity as an intern in the US, where I learnt about SEO.
Q- You have been an inspiration to many teenagers and youth. What do
you instruct them to do? What’s your advice for them?
A- As a social media platform, Linkedin has been another sparkle in
my career. It has provided me with tons of opportunities and
thoughtful ideas. Starting an account on Linkedin is so simple and
rewarding that it might benefit you one day and help you identify
your true potential. You are more prone towards opportunities and
offers. Linkedin is a platform where you can post, interact with
others, and network yourself. People won't judge you by the money
or fame you have; they believe you by the skills and knowledge you
possess. That is my advice for all teenagers and youth.
Q-Your opportunities have not only provided you with skills, but it had
also provided you with lots of awards. You had received one from
the Education Minister of Tamil Nadu himself. What was your
experience when you first met him and received your award?
A- Getting an award from the Educational Minister was a challenging
task. I had not thought I had such skill. This award was a great
pleasure for me and my family and relatives. I met many thoughtful
people and inspirational celebrities with whom I talked, which
taught me a lot. It was a wonderful experience connecting with
those people. The Educational Minister honored me as a social
media expert, which I am grateful for.
Q- Digital marketing is a new medium with endless possibilities and
opportunities. What do you think Digital Marketing will change, and
what will it change in society?
A- Digital Marketing has endless possibilities. The only limit is your
imagination. It can evolve and revolutionize the world and change
many things in society. Many need to be made aware of the concept
of a Digital Marketer and see it as a nuisance, but behind it is a
whole new world with endless ideas. In the current developing
world, everything is digitizing. People should adapt and work on it
to facilitate a better future. Digit Marketers play an essential role in
promoting society.
Q- Teenagers these days are getting influenced by various social media
sites. You used it in productivity and thought out of the box. What is
the advice that you give to them and their parents? How did your
parents support you in engaging social media sites?
A- Social media has both its advantages and disadvantages. Teenagers
must be guided towards the benefits of social media by being
productive rather than its cons. It initially influenced me, but then I
realized it and started improving my skills rather than wasting time
on it. I started documenting the time I spent being productive on
social media. The one piece of advice I would give today's teenagers
is to use technology for valuable things such as education and
learning skills rather than being unproductive. That is how I learned
app development and ran my own company. Social media is
required and valuable only when you use it correctly. Parents should
give their children space to explore the vast knowledge social media
can offer and guide them accurately. Prove your parents that you are
capable of it!
Q- We have learned a lot about how inspirational your works are and
how you have been a sparkling teenager everywhere you go. Let us
know a few words about your inspiration. This person initiated you
to be who you are today and about your hobbies.
A- Parents have always been an inspirational figure to most of
children. I am a person who my parents also inspire. Talking about
other inspirations than my parents, I would like to talk about the
Google Man, Sundar Pichai himself. His speeches and his
interviews have always inspired me. I had always wondered how
people like Sundar Pichai had become so successful, and I had
always wanted to be one myself. Initially, I had always dreamt of
becoming the next CEO of the company Google when I realized I
should build an organization where I could strengthen my ambitions
and dreams while giving job opportunities to others. Whenever you
come across a successful person, they are always associated with
reading books. I wanted to implement it in my life and get
associated with it so that I may become successful in life. Reading
books has been one of my hobbies for a while now. It will help you
not only to learn a ton of stuff but also to implement them in your
day-to-day life. I possess a vast interest in physical games and co-
curricular activities.
Q- Is there any advice you wanted to convey to other teenagers struggling to manage their time?
A- As you mentioned, time is a crucial one to deal with. I find time
management to be highly diligent and hectic. Managing academics
and the career that I wish for at the same time is a challenging task
indeed. Multitasking has never given me positive results. Hence, I
have always stuck towards doing one job at a time, no matter what it
takes. During schooling time, all I concentrate on is academics.
On the other hand, During the time I spend working in my business,
the only thing I focus on is business. During my leisure time, I used
to complete my left-out stuff, such as homework and learning.
During the weekends, I learned a lot from various online sources
and from other successful people to strengthen my abilities in my
organization and Digital Marketing.
Q- Is there anything that you want to change in your society? What are
your plans? Let us know!
A- Empowering people is a great way to develop. I always wanted to
empower people so that they can recognize themselves and know
what they are capable of. I wanted to be a big inspiration for them
and motivate them to become an inspiration for others. I wanted to
create more courses for people to explore and develop their
ecosystems. I wanted to establish my own company and make it
bloom to reach more people.
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