Demystifying Modern Careers across a Large Spectrum

“What do you want to be when you grow up—a doctor, an engineer, or a lawyer? “What will people say if you choose an alternative career?”—some common questions in India when it comes to asking children about their career goals.

“Youth Commits Suicide due to Parental Pressure on Career Choice”—a common headline even a few years ago, a rampant ramification of these common questions.

The parental role in child development

Even a couple of years ago, a recent survey published in India Today on career option awareness among Indian students revealed that 93% students aged between 14 and 21 were aware of only seven career options—law, engineering, medicine, accounts and finance, design, computer applications and IT, and management—though there are more than 250 categories of job options available in India.

Child development requires close attention of parents in relation to what their child aspires to become, therefore amplifying the role of parents in education and career selection for their children.

Part of the unemployment crisis in the country stems from unawareness among the population regarding a myriad career options out there. The focus is often on mainstream disciplines. However, job roles are now being integrated with several skillsets across domains of expertise. This is a trend here to stay as competition gets tougher in the job market across industries.

Creating awareness to bridge the gap

How can parents help students become aware? School, teachers, parents, friends, and mentors have a major role to play in the decision-making process when it comes to a child deciding on his/her career. Effective career planning stems from children constantly interacting with the environment around them and unlearning misconceptions.

Parents need to be aware of their child's strength which contributes to their career success. Parents and teachers can always enhance their awareness regarding trending and upcoming career options and guide children according to their strength and areas of interest. They would then be in a position to identify children’s strength and align their choices aptly. The current disconnect between children and parents in terms of career choices is primarily because they are unable to understand which area would perfectly suit their child. As per Bhargava, the CEO of Mindler, an online career counselling platform, syncing a student's profile with the right set of activities with their strength, capability, and aspirations is the way forward. He says: “Children feel much more comfortable in choosing a particular career when they are supported by their parents. Thus parents play a vital role in this entire process.” Laying out the pros and cons of making a choice and allowing a child to take independent decisions is crucial for their overall development.

Career counselling: A growing necessity

The ideal age to start considering career counselling is usually 13–14 years when children start with subject exploration and selection and then think of selecting their career and working towards it. This is the time when critical thinking abilities begin to develop. It is important to focus on holistic development through the decision-making process which is not only about choosing subjects, but also about ensuring that children can gradually build an all-rounded profile.

Resolving conflict between children and their parents with regard to career choice

Parental pressure is outright detrimental to the development of a child’s cognitive abilities and consequently affects mental well-being. Demotivation from parents who are ‘not aware’ of new-age career options can cause severe impact on a child’s mind which is highly impressionable, often leading to unproductivity and fatal consequences.

Parents need to upskill themselves to utilise technology and tools available to acquire knowledge on latest careers to be able to guide their children in the right direction. In addition, career counselling can help both parties with the correct suggestions.

Knowledge is power, but what makes it even more powerful is what you do with it. However, this needs to come through effectively from the Indian education system and reinforced by parents. The importance of extracurricular activities is undermined by the belief that securing good grades is the only mandate for college! The stereotype is now being broken by career counsellors.

Parents’ concerns and factors to address them

• It is so difficult to convince my son about what’s good for him. He just doesn’t listen and does what he feels is right.
• I’m so worried about my child’s results. The competition is so tough nowadays.
• I feel worried about the future of my children because as parents we are not as well-informed to be able to guide them the best.
• Nowadays, schools don’t take care of chidren’s well-being. It’s just a commercial business. The future of so many students are at stake.
• What if my child doesn’t rank among the top three students in examinations?

… some common concerns among parents in the present times where mediocrity seems to have no place. It’s all about excellence, thereby leading to mounting levels of pressure and consequent stress among children to perform to the best of their abilities even if they have to go beyond capacity. And it is in this context that parents need to consider certain important factors while guiding their children to choose the most appropriate career option:

• Interest: working in a field outside of one’s comfort zone or area of interest is exceedingly difficult and stressful. Hence, identifying the interest of the child is of foremost importance and considering it while shortlisting career options.
• Informed decision: Peer pressure can often misguide children when it comes to choosing a career. The idea of the majority opting for a career rather than one which is best for him/her leads to the wrong choice that has long-term effects on the career trajectory. Sometimes, even parents get attracted to a trending career choice and this ends up affecting the child’s performance. Hence, being well-informed about diverse options is vital for parents at all times especially with the world undergoing a paradigm shift in the job scenario post the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Scope: Career scope gives an idea about fields and professions that are accessible after pursuing a particular course. The larger the scope, better are the chances of finding the most appropriate role for the child.
• Remuneration: Even if not the most important, financial prospect does hold considerable importance in one’s life. Therefore, the remuneration should be in sync with the child’s aspirations to enable a well-planned and comfortable life

Some very basic and simple tactics that parents ought to adopt in order to guide their children the best can be consolidated as follows:

DOs

• Understand your child’s aptitude, strengths, and weaknesses.
• Help your child discover his/her area of interest.
• Motivate your child in pursuing his/her passion.
• Discuss career prospects freely as part of casual conversation with your child.
• Associate with professionals in the field.
• Protect your child from getting carried away by peer pressure and the bandwagon effect.
• Seek professional help when necessary.

DON’Ts

• Do not impose your own decision on the child; rather help them take an informed decision.
• Do not stress the child with unreal and impractical expectations.
• Don’t lose patience when dealing with children.
• Career scope is influenced by changing scenario; hence, do not dictate conventional or outdated ideas or views that are not suited to such times.
• Do not allow others (friends, extended family, or relatives) to affect your child’s decision in the career selection process.

Addressing the paradigm shift

With the world shifting towards remote ways of operating, whether in schools, higher educational institutes, or the professional arena, it is imperative that we explore career options that suit the need of the hour. In other words, the emphasis should be more on developing skills rather than obtaining high-qualification degrees. The hybrid model of functioning calls for an urgent need to tweak one’s perception when it comes to selection of careers.

Social media has gone above and beyond to recognise alternative careers in the domains of Fine Arts, Advertising/PR/ Communications, Marketing, Couselling, Consulting, Technical Writing, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Heath and Fitness, Nutrition, Photography, Self-publishing to mention a few. In fact, a wide range of recreational activities exhibited through blogs and vlogs have also shown massive growth in terms of generating income among the youth.

Now, with a gamut of options, it becomes even more important for parents ot map the abilities of their children to a career that would be most appropriate.

Takeaways and the way forward

Stress among children multiplies when they feel insecure due to lack of guidance. Children often feel the need to express, which parents ignore and are unable to understand at times. This widens the gap between a parent and the child.

Providing your children with space that motivates them to express themselves and listening with patience are key to bridging any gaps in communication. The child may be immature, but as a parent it is your responsibility to reason with them instead of losing patience.

Keeping a track of your child’s interests that are subject to change, and recommend career options that match their interests is vital. Therefore, it is important for parents to realize their role in their child’s overall development. You can work collaboratively in collecting information regarding your child’s career choice and help him/her decide whether it is suitable or not.