Forget The Risk And Take The Fall. If Its What You Want Then Its Worth It All..

Two of the younger generation in my family took their plus 2 exams this year.. Once the stress of exams is done, I personally think this is the most magical time of all of our lives... We are finished with the two hell years of rigorous studies and endless tutions and we finally feel free. The future lies ahead with endless possibilities and our life is like a blank canvas , waiting to be painted . So I waited with excitement to see what my niece and nephew would take up.. So when my niece called me up and told me that she has taken up computer science in a so called prestigious university in town, I had to hide my slight disappointment and instead mouth the mandatory oh great,congratulations speech.

I was disappointed not because we as a society are churning out software engineers like a factory production but because she doesn't have any real interest in the course she is going to take . She took it up because it was a "safe, assured " path. A lucrative package as soon as you are out of college and then a steady climb up the ladder ensuring that you have a 2 bedroom house in an up coming development far from the city and 2 kids studying in an international school , by the time you are 40 , by which time you will be finally considered "settled".

I understand this "follow the crowd and you will be safe" mentality. I was once there too. Its so ingrained in all of us who grow up in Indian society , that we barely even notice this. Take 90 percent of the people in any group and you will find they have similar lives, similar goals. Anyone who wants to do anything differently will have 20 people around dissuading him/her from doing that . Our society is afraid of unconventionality . Any one who is not in a assured money job , not married by 30, doesn't have kids by 32 , doesn't have a house by 35 becomes a social outcaste . Few people think beyond pursuing engineering, medical or commerce related professions .

Easy to tell people to follow their passion, but what if that passion doesn't earn them enough ?.. I have always had this argument thrown at me, when I advise people to take up only what they really want. Yes, I understand how complicated it is to take up a course in journalism , when you have two parents who slogged their whole life to fund your school fees eagerly waiting for you to grab that general merit free seat in computer science . Nope its not easy , you have to walk a path of thorns. But as someone who did walk that path, all I can say is that its worth it, totally worth it. If you love your career path and job, if it makes you jump out of bed everyday excited , then you are way ahead than anybody else, no matter how much they are earning . And If you are passionate about what you do, no matter how hard or long it takes , you will definitely make something out of it. So to all young people at their life's crossroads, I only have this to say," Forget the risk and take the fall, if its what you want, its worth it all".

 

@GoneGirl , for an ambivalent kid who is not sure what he/she wants to do the default option should not be to push them towards a mainstream course. There is a probability that they might not go on to like their course and their career path and end up burning out soon( which is bound to happen if you are doing something you dont care much about) They should be exposed to many other fields, who knows , something there might pique their interest. In some schools that following an IB curriculum its mandatory after 10th grade to do 3-4 one week internships in fields of their choice so they are aware of them. If its not part of school curriculum parents should introduce them to different professional fields.

 

@anika987 i have seen this video, huge ted talks fan! But with Tedtalks if you have one episode with a speaker saying sugar is bad for you , the next one will say sugar is the best for your health.. AT the end of the day tedtalks is all about different perspectives!