This isn’t Nikhil Rajagopalan’s first rodeo abroad. A former medical writer, Nikhil has lived, visited, and studied in Dubai, England, Scotland, and the mid-west United States before working in Bangalore. He’s lived in Canada for 2 years and is pivoting to creative copywriting roles and has also started his freelance business, helping newsletter writers think about their growth and content strategy on the Substack platform.
1.Before being a copywriter, you were in academia. Do you find any similarities in the process between these two varied fields?
To me, they’re as different as night and day (never the twain shall meet). STEM academia is couched in structural rigidity; even when you are creative, it’s because you deviated from an established protocol within limits. The true ‘aha’ moments are buried within theorems and locked behind learning curves. Copywriting is writing from the brand’s soul for everyone. If you colour within the lines, you aren’t doing great work. Respect the craft but aim for the fences.
2. How were the initial months in Canada?
It was awe and anxiety, in a 30-70 mix. I’d landed in Fall 2020 when there were quarantine requirements and no vaccines on the market. I was very proactive in learning to market myself and building relationships online and offline. I experienced severe seasonal affective disorder during winter because I’d lived most of my life in tropical South India
3. What was your first job here? How did that shape you?
I was a medical writer, which was a continuation of the type of work I’d been doing previously in India. It finally made me listen to my gut and helped me realize that my creative potential wasn’t being realized in this career choice. I had to try something else that got people to read my words. I’d wanted to write witty headlines, essays, build an audience and try my hand at creativity. Rather than remain where I was and stagnate, I decided that I’d listen to my gut for once and take the path less treaded.
4. What surprised you most about yourself in Canada?
I’m not a carpe diem guy. I’m known in my inner circles for being the disciplined guy who methodically plans for every outcome with surgical precision—to have a plan C for my plan B. I would be very uncomfortable without a plan; naked almost. After coming to Canada though, I’ve left a job and a role that longer serves my creative goal. For once, I don’t have everything planned out, and six months ago, that scared the hell outta me. Now, I embrace that off-the-road experience and know that everything I do is leading me somewhere. I try not to stress where that place is.
5.How do you think that migration has changed you?
I think it’s made me appreciate short-term wins more than long-term wins. In India, I always used to think in decades: save, invest, re-invest, figure out accommodations, and how to die with a modicum of dignity. In Canada, I came at a time when the world was in crisis, and there was a very real chance that I could die even before I did anything of consequence. 100% remote working destroyed my ability to make connections in a new city. I was doing jobs that paid something and grateful as I am for those gigs, they weren’t making me happy. These days, I appreciate the smaller wins—like if submitted a job application that I’m proud of, if someone left a message telling me that I was an inspiration for them.
6. What led to the leap of faith in starting your freelance work?
At the end of the day, we live in a callous society where your worth is tied to the job you have, the salary you earn, and the image you project. Companies ignore you, drag you through hiring, but fire fast. You are fungible. You can celebrate a new job on LinkedIn, only to post that you were let go in the latest round of budget cuts. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still looking for full time work in non-medical, even as a junior creative copywriter, because that’ll allow me to hone my craft and try something new. But everybody needs to have something that they can truly call their own—and freelance is one way of doing that. I registered my own business in Ontario and I’m providing strategy consultations for newsletter writers on Substack to help them grow.
7.Any tips for newcomers to Canada?
Think about what else you’re passionate about and build a portfolio around that. Plant seeds all the time. One day, you will wake up to an existential crisis, a job loss, a sudden realization that the things that made you happy never actually did. And then, you’ll be in a new country, with little or no support system and in monetary distress. Therapy is expensive in this country and depression isn’t fun. Think as broadly as you can: photography, social media management, blog writing—and build a portfolio. That’ll save you time and give you a talking point for marketability. And please learn to cook. Please.
Subscribe to Nikhil’s music recommendation newsletter ‘What’s Curation?’. Follow him on LinkedIn and learn more about hiring him here.
All images belong to Nikhil Rajagopalan.
Thanks for having me on Tabula Rasa!