Education and Work for Neurodivergent Learners – 1

2014: Thinking about careers
In 2014, I used to wonder whether I could be a dancing judge. I love dancing, and I also wanted to be a judge. I was upset about juveniles being in prison, because I thought juveniles should be rehabilitated and not punished.
After 10 years, I narrated the robbers in Ramana thatha’s ashram story. I was intrigued that Ramana had told the devotees not to beat the robbers up even though the robbers hurt Ramana thatha. I asked Ujwal anna why Ramana thatha was angry when the devotees beat the snake, but he told the devotees not to beat the robbers. Ujwal anna said, that Ramana considered robbers to be misguided, but he thought that the devotees should have known better than to hurt living beings.
When I thought of the idea of a dancing judge, I thought being a judge would be my career whereas dance would be my hobby.

2024: Discovering a career
While I did not actually become a dancing judge, I am on my way to becoming a dancing developer. Recently, we launched Ananth’s adventures content development lab. I work on the following projects:
1. Ananth’s Adventures YouTube Channel
We record lessons by my dance teacher, Sri Ujwal Jagadeesh. Sri Ujwal Jagadeesh is a senior faculty at the Ramana Maharshi Center for Learning. I also record my stories and performances

2. E books and Newsletters
Recently, we released an e book on movement and storytelling activities for parents and children. This e book included my activities from the YouTube channel. I am going to be working on more e books next year.

3. Website
I have been learning coding and web development from HashHackCode since 2020. Recently, my mother and I created the LIFESMART 100-Day website. I will continue to continue to build and maintain the website in 2024.

4. Blog
I have been blogging for Special Saathi for more than a year. Initially, I was blogging about my experiences when I was young. Now, I have started blogging more about education and work experiences.

5. Database
I am also maintaining the database for LIFESMART parenting groups and projects. I did my diploma in Medical Records and Hospital Documentation. While I am not working in a hospital, the data skills are useful in any setting.

Do what you love and love what you do
Mr. Boaz Santiago who did the entrepreneurship course used to say, do what you love and love what you do. I love dancing and storytelling. I also enjoy using tools like Canva and learning web development. Data bases are also interesting to me. A job that combines all these pieces will be the most enjoyable for me. I am going to explore this possibility in 2024.

About Ananth
Ananth Raghunandan is a student ambassador for (Ramana Sunritya Aalaya) RASA and Theater Arts for Holistic Development (TAHD). Ananth Raghunandan is doing a diploma in Bharatanatyam.

He enjoys folding circles and created Fold, Color, Talk with his mother Dr. Dasaratha Rama during an entrepreneurship camp. He is excited about his content development and digital storytelling journey.