Indus Valley Times

By Payal Banerjee

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 18: Three professionals from Odisha with backgrounds in civil engineering and technology have moved into digital marketing and advertising after reassessing their career choices and acquiring new skills.

Their career transitions—from iron ore mining and infrastructure construction to website development—reflect the growing movement of experienced professionals towards digital roles, driven by changing career aspirations and interest in new-age businesses.

Somesh Biswal, a B.Tech civil engineering graduate from the Institute of Technical Research & Education, Bhubaneswar, began his career as a site manager with Adani Enterprises. His work involved supervising construction activities inside iron ore mines, often requiring 13–14 hours in the field.

“I never really enjoyed field work. Civil engineering felt more like the path I had ended up on than the one I truly wanted,” Biswal said.

He eventually resigned and returned to Bhubaneswar before enrolling in Kraftshala’s marketing programme. After completing the programme, he joined Dentsu as a Display Analyst, moving into advertising platforms, consumer behaviour and campaign analysis.

Another civil engineer, Anil Agasti, made the transition after six years in the construction and infrastructure sector. His experience included working on national highways and high-rise building projects.

Agasti said he had considered changing careers in 2023 but was initially hesitant about starting afresh after spending six years in civil engineering. Encouraged by his wife, he joined Kraftshala’s Sales & Business Leadership programme.

The programme exposed him to practical business assignments, group presentations and campaign-related work. He subsequently moved towards digital marketing and sales.

For Sephali Sreyasmita Sahoo, the transition began while she was working as a UI Frontend Developer. A B.Tech graduate in Electronics and Communication Engineering, she had worked with CGI and eTeam, building and maintaining websites.

Her interest in digital advertising developed after she began noticing the advertisements appearing on the websites she worked on. She subsequently explored how digital advertisements are targeted, planned and delivered.

Unlike Biswal and Agasti, Sahoo continued working while undertaking Kraftshala’s programme. She later joined MediaMint as a Media Planner, working on areas including audience targeting, media planning, budgeting and campaign strategy.

The three professionals have retained elements of their earlier technical experience while moving into roles involving digital platforms, data, consumer behaviour and business strategy.

Their journeys also highlight an emerging feature of career mobility: professionals are increasingly able to shift sectors without discarding their accumulated skills and workplace experience.