Choosing a Career
K S S Pillai
All members of the family were happy when my grandson got admission to the medical degree course. It was the end of our sleepless nights dreaming to see him with a stethoscope on his shoulders.
The euphoria was dampened by the remarks of a friend who visited us that evening, and gave the example of his relative who left the profession for something else. He said that when an epidemic exploded, sometimes without a known cure, it is doctors who came into contact with the patients first, increasing their chances of getting infected.
Even in day-to-day life, a doctor cannot have peace of mind, as he may be summoned to treat a patient at any time. Later, when I brooded over his comments, I had to admit that he was right.
Today, most parents dream of their school-going children becoming doctors or engineers. If a student is considered bright in his studies, his parents send him to join a coaching class or force him to attend an online class to improve his score. In most cases, it is the parents who decide what course their children should pursue, irrespective of the students’ interest or capacity.
A doctor couple would expect their son to become a doctor and marry another doctor. The risk is higher in some states, as the treating doctor is considered responsible for the death of a patient, whose relatives beat him up even though he may be innocent.
There is a competition among coaching institutes, which spend a lot of money on advertisements. Parents pay not only for coaching at these centres, but also for the accommodation and other facilities. Candidates are prodded daily to get a high rank in the entrance examination, so that he will gain admission to a prestigious institution with a lower fee.
Some cities in India are famous for the large number of coaching classes for entrance examinations. Those places have also become notorious for suicides by students from different corners of the country. Students who are sure not to get the desired grade, and frustrated at failing their parents, then shorten their lives by committing suicide.
In a popular film, a student who is interested in wildlife photography is admitted to an engineering college to fulfil the whims of his father, who spends a lot to purchase even costly gadgets out of his meagre income. He understands his mistake and mends his ways only later, when a classmate of his son convinces him that his son’s interest should be taken into account while making the decision.
It is not the interest of the concerned student but the desire of his parents that decides the course he studies. Sometimes the culprit is the competition among the parents.
A medical student told me that his roommate was interested in business, but studies medicine not because he likes the course, but to satisfy his parents. Both his father and elder son are doctors, and they want him to follow in their footsteps. Obviously, he will never become a successful doctor as he has no interest in the profession.
Is it reasonable to expect a student who is weak in mathematics and physics to become a good engineer? If one advises the parents of a child to let him choose the course in which he is interested, he is considered a persona non grata and looked upon as an enemy.
Since most children are financially dependent on their parents, it is of no use to seek their consent to pursue a course of their liking. The student is forced to chase success to fulfil parental expectations. A doctor’s son often marries a classmate from another state, instead of the girl he loves, to enable them to earn more. Even if one is a good-looking, natural actor and a convincing speaker, an essential quality of politicians, he is often forced to adopt a career in which he is least interested.
There was a time when students were admitted to these courses based on the marks on the qualifying examinations. That is no longer the case. I have often felt happy that there were no coaching classes when I passed the qualifying examination and could choose the profession of my interest.
(The author is aA regular contributor to ‘Kashmir Vision’. He is a retired professor of English. His articles and short stories have appeared in various national and international publications)
