Seemingly relatable, no? And how many of us have not heard that ‘Sharma Ji Ka Beta’ dialogue from our parents? (Sharma Ji may be replaced by Gupta Ji, Bunty Uncle, Seema Aunty…, but the purpose the same: their kids are born to outshine you!) And how often do we get taunted with every other kid of our acquintances becoming doctor/engineer? Well, Let’s have a look at a world beyond medical and engineering!
If you are born in India, you have to follow the educational norms set up for you:
• If you are the topper, you’ll have to take science, whether or not, you want.
• An average student?- You still have to opt for science but work really hard or otherwise… Bwah-hah-hah! (Sharma Ji will be back) though some understanding parents may allow you to take up commerce.
• Not getting enough marks?- Okay, Dad’s shop always welcomes you. But still, due to no particular reason, you are made to study arts/humanities.
After 12, the science students are constrained to become doctors or engineers. You must have heard a pertinent joke: In India, a person completes engineering first and then decides what he wants to do in life. Ha-Ha!
Be it due to parents’ pressure, friends’ influences, or any other reason, I bet most of us have at times in life had the thought of becoming doctors or engineers. Ask a small kid about what he wants to become in life and there are 60 percent chances that he will answer you ‘DOCTOR’. (Maybe more!) Does a small kid have knowledge of what actually a doctor is and how much it takes to become a doctor? No. But still, they want to become doctors because that is all they have been taught as they grow.
Indian parents and Indian society bring up kids in such a way that they see their future in white coats or in big offices from an age they can’t even pronounce engineer correctly. What an irony!
Now, are medical or engineering the only career options? Of course not. Then why are they considered the only choices of professional education? Why is no ‘future’ considered beyond them? Why are parents too obsessed with making their kids doctors and engineers and nothing else?
The Answer
It is India and the Indians are the master conformists. They saw few success stories and closed their eyes and fixed it into their brains that nothing could be better. (Pardon me for criticizing bit more than was required) But, this is the sad truth of our India.
Lack of encouragement for other professions combined with the hype which has been created in our society about engineering and medical courses, adds to the cause.
We don’t believe rather don’t have guts to try something new. The misconception of a ‘secure life’ that the aforementioned career options promise ensures, in common parlance, that the kid is ‘set for life’, whatever that means. And so, who doesn’t want to make their kids set for life?
In actuality, the people have forgotten that success is flawed when one is forced into a career against their choice. I guess it is time for them to unlearn the social norms and relearn their interests.
Suggestions
All this will start with YOU. Yes, because you are the only one going to be affected so it should be your decision to choose your career. Introspect yourself. Look deep into yourself. Talk to yourself. Realize your inner self, your inner dreams-what you want to be, and which profession excites you the most.
You need to stop hearing people with sugar-coated disruptive ideas or the pseudo-intellectuals, who themselves are never satisfied with life. Listen to yourself. Don’t just be a part of the mad rat race. Keep the courage of following your dreams, even if it means standing alone.
Simply saying, explore your career options based on what you’re truly good at, and gain as much knowledge about different careers as you can. By spending quality time on realizing your interests, doing internships, try to understand new options. After all, you need to find a career, not merely a job.
Here are some interesting fields that you can consider:
- Digital Marketing
- Product and Industrial designers
- Data Sciences
- Digital Arts
- Waste Management
- Economist
- Cultural anthropologist
- Robotics engineering
- Market research analyst
- Behavioral Sciences
- Psychologist
- Sports and Athletics
- Soft Skill Consultant
- Animator
- Public Affairs Consultant
- Cultural strategist
- Agricultural and food science technicians, etc.
You can still expand the list quite long. Read professions other than engineering and medicine. Now, it is upon you to recognize what is best suited for you and then, JUST.NO.LOOKING.BACK…
Change happens when fear leaves. Change happens when the fear of falling leaves. Remember, you are the epicenter of change and so, ‘You must be the change you want to see in the world.’, as Gandhi put it decades back.
Resting the article with these potent words of a great philanthropist ‘Sudha Murthy’-
“It doesn’t matter how intelligent you are, how well off you are, or how well connected you are. Your perseverance, your courage- if you keep that intact, only such people will always be successful.”
|Extra Read| Refer to my article- Career Choices after 12 to know about all the major career options available once you pass your class 12.