Confused between analytics and aspirations

“Hello ma’am, I am utterly confused. My parents want me to enrol in an analytics programme, it’s the current trend, you know. But, my true desire is to teach mathematics to underprivileged school students”. She spoke with both fear and determination. I took a deep breath. Aah, the confusion of youth!

This brief dialogue illustrates a common situation that many Indian families face throughout the year. Young people are forced to choose between two strong influences that lead them toward either secure professional paths or their genuine life purpose.

The financial hardships and social ambitions of parents drive them to direct their children toward studying analytics, engineering, medicine or management. These fields offer job security, financial stability and social validation that indicate professional achievement.

However, the young heart speaks out when they find no inspiration in corporate boardrooms or predictive dashboards, like this one. She felt drawn to teach mathematics to schoolchildren who lack access to basic numeracy education in their schools. Education held a special meaning for her because it represented the power to empower disadvantaged people through knowledge acquisition.

The tug of war between what parents want their children to do and what young people truly want to do has only intensified with time. The combination of economic stress and social expectations drives young people toward secure careers; yet, their exposure to fresh concepts, social activism, and inspirational figures encourages them to seek lives with greater significance. The internal voices get suppressed during their youth until they experience professional dissatisfaction in their middle age.

“Many of my final year students are torn between the desire to step into the professional world and to pursue their passion. They now have access to many stories where following passion has led to success, albeit a bit late. But parental pressures are strong; therefore, the dilemma,” sums up Karthikeyan V, who teaches Computer Science in a well-known city college.

A degree in a proven field provides students with a sure path to a good income and excellent worldwide career prospects. Parents view this educational path as a safeguarding measure because it provides their children with financial security, shielding them from the hardships they experienced during their youth.

However, their inner passion also requires acknowledgement, and it cannot be disregarded forever. A person who wants to teach math to disadvantaged students may experience discomfort when working in analytics, as it feels like wearing someone else’s professional role. The position provides stability, but it lacks the sense of contentment. Society faces negative consequences when people are forced to suppress their genuine interests and desires.

Our society faces a fundamental problem because we have not established clear standards for what constitutes success. There is a need to establish equal worth for service-oriented careers alongside corporate positions.  Many Indian parents evaluate their children’s success through their income levels, professional designations, and international work experience.

However, youngsters today base their evaluation of success on meaningful accomplishments, and the opposing views about success between traditional and modern definitions produce deep emotional pain, as my student demonstrated.

Time might provide the solution to this problem. Modern career choices lack the enduring nature that previous generations experienced when selecting their professional paths. A delayed pursuit of passion does not necessarily mean the passion will be lost forever. I took up music and the Veena after completing 33 years as a faculty member, and by transitioning into a visiting faculty role, I can balance both. But I definitely couldn’t have taken this decision in my early career, as that would mean giving up one.

The student required support to understand that her teaching aspirations were honourable, while her parents’ worries about her future were also legitimate. I told her as much and that she could pursue both paths in her life. She will eventually find a way to unite her two interests, demonstrating that present-day uncertainty often leads to future understanding.

Our society stands at a crossroads between pursuing financial security and creating opportunities for meaningful service and service to others. The confusion of youth prompts us to confront the essential question about our societal values.

(The author is an academic)