JOIN USA lot has been written about unconventional careers and out-of-the-box choices being made by Gen Y these days. But making and arriving at these choices is a job in itself. Youngsters still face a lot of pressure to explain their choices.
Parents for one always question and interfere – for they think they know the best. Add to that, the trend of going to counsellors and taking ‘aptitude tests’ which only serve to confuse the individual, and to some extent peer pressure which does influence choices.
It’s a pity that a person, standing on the threshold of adulthood, is bombarded with expectations and pressures and is not thought fit to take matters in his hands. The choice lies in picking one of the following two - guilt of not being able to live up to others’ expectations or regret not fulfilling one’s own dreams. Metrolife talked to youngsters to check out how much they are in control of their lives.
Says Akanksha Kalia who just gave her entrance examinations after Std. XII, “The more people you ask, the more confused you get. This is the conclusion I have drawn after the tiresome work of filling forms and choosing streams. I changed my branch choice thrice after listening to friends and family!”
Parents, unlike what most people think, still play a very important part in children’s decisions. Says Anubha Bisht, who just joined a college in Bangalore and is pursuing triple majors, “I had decided on History but had to reset my goals when my parents convinced me to pursue Science.”
But there are those like Chinar Sharma, a student of Commerce in Std XII, who says, “My parents do advise me and I listen to every point they have to say. But the final decision will be mine.” Gauri Singh, another student of Std XII is in the same boat. “There are too many people telling me a lot of things. It’s too confusing. I’ll be able to decide only after my boards in 2013.”
The already difficult scenario becomes tougher because the youngsters want to make choices which will yield not only financially stable lives but also highly paid jobs. Unlike the previous generation, it is not enough to land a ‘secure government job’ anymore. More and more kids are pursuing their dream careers with the goal of a secure future, and not just a good job as their parents would want.
Peers also significantly influence the decision-making process, but students are wise enough to take the ultimate decision on their own. Anubha feels that her peers and best friends are more the happy-go-lucky kind.
“They aren’t goal oriented and I’m more focused than them.” Gauri is quite clear that she wants to do something very different from her peers. “Most of them are opting for chartered accountancy or Economics and I’m not really interested in these subjects. I want to do something that very few people do.”
Dr Sanjib Acharya, a counsellor in Delhi, says that only about three per cent of students come for advice to counsellors. “Most of them are influenced by their peers, though they refuse to admit this fact. Out of the three per cent, only one per cent comes to us at the right time.”