The Unconventional Journey of Arpit Golani : From Academic Struggles to a Creative Career

What began with poor academic performance, family concerns and an uncertain career path eventually turned into a journey across graphic design, photography, VFX, 3D and music. Arpit Golani’s story is not about someone who had his career figured out from the beginning; instead, it is about discovering his interests along the way, learning new skills whenever opportunities came his way and gradually turning those skills into a profession.

A Student Without a Clear Career Plan

Born in Agra on December 9, 2000, Arpit Golani completed his schooling at Agra Public School. Academics, however, were never an area in which he felt particularly confident. He struggled with studies, often scored poorly and, like many young students, had little clarity about what he wanted to do after school. His lack of direction naturally became a concern for his parents, who initially hoped that he would eventually choose a conventional career such as engineering or medicine.

Arpit had taken science in school but could not continue with it successfully and eventually moved to commerce. The change reflected not just an academic shift but also the uncertainty he was experiencing about his future. At that stage, when the question of what he wanted to become came up, he did not have a clear answer.

A Family Decision That Changed His Direction

Arpit comes from a middle-class family in which his father runs a business and his mother works in a government job. He also has a younger brother, Rachit Golani, and grew up in a joint family. Seeing that he needed a different environment in which he could focus on his future, his parents decided to send him outside Agra for college.

A top private college was financially difficult for the family, so GLA University in Mathura became the choice. It was comparatively accessible and close to home, allowing Arpit to pursue higher education while staying within the family’s financial limitations. He moved into a hostel, beginning a phase of his life that would eventually expose him to interests and career possibilities he had never seriously considered before.

The decision also came with considerable sacrifice from his family. Arpit particularly remembers the support of his mother, who took loans to help finance his education. At the time, neither he nor his family could have known exactly where that investment would eventually lead.

Discovering Creativity Almost by Accident

College gradually gave Arpit an opportunity to explore areas beyond conventional academics. He had always enjoyed technology, experimenting with different things and working creatively, but he had never considered these interests as possible career options. That perspective began to change around 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic created financial and personal uncertainty for his family.

Wanting to contribute in whatever way he could, Arpit began looking for opportunities, although he was unsure about what he could actually do. As restrictions started easing, he got an opportunity to help someone with photograph editing. His experience was limited, but he started experimenting with Picsart and gradually learned enough to complete small editing assignments.

The work was modest, but the experience gave him something more valuable: the realisation that his creative abilities could potentially become a profession.

The Advice That Changed His Thinking

During this period, the person Arpit was working with told him that he had a creative mind and should consider building a career in editing. It was a simple observation, but for Arpit it opened up a completely different way of looking at his abilities. Until then, editing had simply been something he was experimenting with; suddenly, he began considering it as a possible career.

He discussed the idea with his mother and told her that he wanted to become an editor and designer. Rather than discouraging him or pushing him back towards a conventional career path, she supported his decision. That encouragement gave Arpit the confidence to explore the creative field more seriously.

From College Activities to a Creative Career

Arpit began becoming increasingly involved in college activities related to photography, editing and graphic design. He participated in different events, earned certificates and received prizes for his work, while continuing to develop his skills through practical experience.

What had initially started as experimentation gradually became a serious interest. By the final year of college, Arpit had taken on greater responsibility as a senior graphic artist and was also working as a photography teacher and mentor. His involvement in these activities helped him realise that the creative field could offer him a genuine career path rather than simply being a hobby.

Moving to Delhi in Pursuit of VFX

After completing college, Arpit decided to take the next step and move to Delhi with the ambition of entering the film and visual-effects industry. He enrolled at MAAC (Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics) to study VFX, hoping to build on the creative skills he had developed during college.

The move to Delhi was not easy. Financial limitations meant that he had to live with very little comfort and manage his daily life independently, including cooking and washing his own clothes. However, the difficult circumstances did not stop him from focusing on learning and developing the skills he believed could shape his future.

For Arpit, Delhi was more than just a change of location; it was an opportunity to take his creative ambitions more seriously and test whether he could turn them into a sustainable career.

When Music Became Part of the Journey

While studying and working, Arpit was also drawn towards hip-hop music. He often listened to the genre and eventually found himself asking a simple question: why couldn’t he create his own music?

He had no formal background in music production, but that did not stop him from trying. Instead of immediately enrolling in another expensive course, he turned to online resources and tutorials and began teaching himself the basics of music production. In 2021, he created his first beat and released it on YouTube.

That first release gradually introduced him to another creative community. Arpit discovered that several artists around him were interested in rap and singing, so he began approaching them and sharing his beats. Some of them liked his work, leading to collaborations and giving music a more significant place in his growing creative career.

From VFX to 3D Through Self-Learning

As Arpit continued learning VFX, he also began looking more closely at the industry and the challenges faced by VFX artists. His curiosity gradually shifted towards 3D, but there was one obvious challenge: he could not afford another professional course.

Once again, he chose self-learning.

Using YouTube and other online resources, Arpit began studying 3D independently while continuing to work on music and other creative projects. Rather than waiting for the perfect financial situation or another formal course, he continued building his skills with the resources available to him.

Over time, this process helped him develop an online portfolio that reflected his interests across both visual creativity and music.

A Career Built Through Experimentation

Arpit’s career did not follow the conventional path of choosing one profession and pursuing it from the beginning. Instead, each new skill led him towards another area of creative work. His interest in photography introduced him to editing, editing developed into graphic design, graphic design opened the door to VFX, and his experience with VFX eventually pushed him towards 3D. Alongside all of this, his interest in hip-hop developed into music production.

This unconventional journey gradually helped him build a professional career in the creative and music space, including work with major Indian brands. He also began teaching 3D and music production online, allowing him to share the skills that he had largely developed through his own learning journey.

When Others Questioned His Choices

The unconventional nature of Arpit’s career was not always easy for his family to explain to others. Some relatives questioned his decisions and told his mother that he was choosing the wrong path. For them, creative work did not necessarily appear to offer the same security as more traditional professions.

Those doubts were difficult for Arpit at times, but he continued to focus on improving his skills rather than trying to convince everyone around him that his decision would succeed. As his work developed and he established himself professionally, the perception around him gradually began to change.

People who had once questioned his choices started looking at his career differently, while children of relatives and neighbours began showing interest in pursuing creative careers themselves. For Arpit, seeing that change was one of the most satisfying outcomes of his journey.

More Than Just a Career

Today, Arpit Golani’s journey represents more than the transformation of a student who struggled academically into a creative professional. It reflects how career paths can develop through experimentation, curiosity and continuous learning, particularly when someone is willing to explore opportunities instead of believing that their early academic performance defines their future.

 

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He did not begin with a perfect plan. He learned one skill, discovered another, faced financial limitations, changed direction when necessary and continued learning. Over time, that process itself became his career.

For Arpit, the most important lesson from his experience is that not knowing something does not mean being incapable of learning it. His journey has taught him to explore, experiment and give himself the freedom to start again when something no longer feels right.

His journey is still continuing. He continues to work in creative fields, produce music, teach others and explore new ideas. There may still be no single destination or fixed job title that completely defines what he does.

Perhaps that is what makes his journey different. For someone who once struggled to answer the question, “What will you do with your career?”, Arpit Golani eventually found his answer not in one conventional profession, but in the freedom to keep creating, learning and moving forward.