As the stress of Board or Annual exams gets over, parents and students start wondering what lies ahead in the future for them. Some keep their career decisions to the last moment, and then start rushing around for admissions in whatever courses seats are available. The wiser ones start planning well in advance.
Since career guidance is not part of the curriculum, a few schools do take up the initiative on their own to inform students about various careers available, how to select etc. But given the large numbers and the time consuming process, they can only give students a general overview from where the individual has to work further. Thus the onus falls on parents and concerned adults to help the student take the right decision right from the beginning.
It is very useful if parents start exposing a child right from primary school to the wide variety of careers around them. Just show them how professionals in different fields work, what skills they need, what sort of lifestyles they lead, and what level they need to attain to entire into any specific career. Subsequently it is imperative to closely observe the progress of the child as he or she comes to high school. Some children actually start performing better as they come to higher classes, some struggle a bit and need extra coaching etc. Some others find their grades going down year after year in high school.
The last category, it is often seen, start performing badly primarily due to math and science scores. Some also falter in languages, but that is often due to less significance being given to languages and social sciences, sometimes lack of good teachers, and also due to very dry and monotonous syllabus. Some children score badly even in their own mother tongue which they speak so fluently at home all the time!
Anyway most parents are not unduly concerned if their child is not excelling in languages or social sciences, because they presume that his future lies in science and math. As the student goes into higher classes, private tuition becomes the norm. While some students are sent for coaching in the basic subjects, many others are sent for ‘IIT’ coaching, presuming that the child is going to study science, then go in for engineering – and of course he has to aim for the best (read IIT).
In reality there are many students who are what we generally refer to as “right-brained” i.e. they do not think mathematically, logically or analytically. They think outside-the-box, they are creative, they understand emotions and relationships, they are intuitive, and they have good spatial or kinesthetic skills. But very few adults understand that these skills could actually be nurtured into lucrative careers. Quite often a child who is excelling in art, music, sports, writing or team work is blindly pushed towards the supposedly safe world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
There is also a notion that if a child is not able to cope with academics and is getting very poor marks or is failing, then he should be put in the ‘easier’ stream of commerce. Many adults think that Arts/Humanities is the last and poorest alternative. Even if this thinking had some credibility a few decades ago, it is absolutely untrue now. The fact was that earlier we did not have pioneering and outstanding institutions in commerce and arts as we had in science. Professional four-year courses like engineering firstly attracted the toppers, and these courses provided a more rigorous education unlike the three-year degrees which only constituted a few hours of plain lectures. Thankfully the scenario is much brighter now.
Innumerable reputed universities and institutions offer excellent professional education in diverse fields. The National Law Schools, National Institutes of Fashion Technology, National Institutes of Design, Music Universities, Institutes of Hotel Management, Sports Universities, Institutions offering Liberal Education, reputed schools of Economics, professional Mass Communication institutions, and various other courses in psychology, teaching, languages, social work, management are just a few examples. Also, after the great rush for corporate jobs, many aspirants have started realizing that civil services and military offer very stable, paying and respectable careers, and students from any stream can aspire for them.
The important factor is that one should evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each student systematically, understand which career (or at least which group of careers) would suit the child, and accordingly select the optional subjects. Students who are struggling in math or science, who are not very logical, analytical, mathematical or sequential in their thinking, will have to struggle at every stage if they select courses that require the above skills. If a child has a high IQ and is willing to work hard, he or she may actually score good marks in science subjects, which may give an illusion that science would be the appropriate choice. But often that is not so. A good teacher can ensure that a student works hard, memorizes well, practices thoroughly in preparatory exams, and then score very high marks. With the advent of internal marks, many students are awarded almost full marks in the 20% of internals, further enhancing their overall score. Hence 10th standard scores are not the right parameters for selecting courses and subjects at higher levels.
I come across many students who have scored very well (even 10 CGPA) in their 10th standard, and have gone down drastically at the +2 level, and have fared even worse if they have taken up courses like engineering. This is often because of the blind belief that an engineering degree is a passport for ‘campus recruitment’ and good salaries hence push the child into an engineering course wherever available. The days of every engineer getting good employment are gone. Many students who pass out with average marks in engineering and related courses are not only finding it very difficult to get jobs, but are also heading for a burnout just a few years after they start working.
Many schools do offer the choice of dropping math or science from the 9th standard itself (particularly through Boards such as ICSE, IGCSE and NIOS). If a student is struggling in science subjects, and if grades have gone down from 6th to 8th standard, one can seriously consider moving away from those subjects – but with a clear focus on what type of non-science career the student would like to take up in future.
Studying math and science till 10th is certainly advisable for students who can cope with them without distress, because it gives a stronger foundation. Students who are above average and willing to take up the challenge can even study science up to 12th with an understanding that they will not get into the rat race of JEE, CET or NEET, but will subsequently move into careers they are more suited for. After completion of 11th standard /1st PUC, there should be clarity on which degree course to take up, because many commerce and arts related degree courses in reputed institutions also have entrance exams that need systematic preparation, and some of them start the admission process before the 12th Board exams are held.
If students and parents are open to the idea that there are equally good opportunities through science, commerce or arts, and if they systematically identify which suits them most, they can find careers which are not only rewarding, but also enjoyable.
One of the most eminent agricultural scientists of the country recounted when he was visiting a village to observe some field trials and model crops. A 12 year old girl started following him closely, and whenever he stopped to look at any plant or tree, she would immediately start reeling out all information about it. She even enlightened him about seasonal changes, insect attacks, mini-irrigation etc. in every field that he passed by.
Very impressed with the child, he told her, “You must study science and become a life scientist, you are so good at it.” The girl shyly replied, “No, Sir, Science is one subject in which I always fail…..”
