Fr J. Manipadam Rector and Principal, Don Bosco Siliguri

Q. How does one make the right career choice?

A.The decision regarding the choice of a career is usually made at a time when a young boy or girl is neither an adult nor a child. In fact, the decision made by a teenager during the adolescent period accounts for his success and sense of fulfillment in life. Considering the choice one has to make early in life, one needs help from counsellors, parents and teachers so that the choice is made after considering three important factors — assessment, exploration and decision making.

Assessment calls for an impartial and comprehensive look at one’s own academic achievements — considering the performance in each of the subjects in terms of grades / marks right from Class VIII onwards. This gives you the first indication as to your academic inclination and strength. Then you need to assess your own area of interest and liking. So, you are basically considering here your academic achievement and aptitude.

Exploration is searching for the institution that gives you the possibility of pursuing higher education in the subjects in which you have an aptitude or interest. Consider the type of job or career opportunities such higher education is likely to offer in the future. This exploration will include finding out about the type of preparation required for admission, number of seats available and career opportunities.

Once you are through with the exploration part of it, you need to decide on the higher education you want to pursue. Well, that is decision making.

Biprodas Bhattacharjee Senior Teacher, Ramakrishna Mission High School, Narendrapur

Q.Should I choose the subject which I really like, or the one which my parents want me to take up?

A. The results are out, now is the time to make a choice. Which stream should you choose? Which subjects to keep, and which ones to drop? If you have already made up your mind, you are among the lucky few. Most students find it hard. Should one choose the subject which she really likes, or the one which her parents want her to take up? Or go for the courses offered at the best, or the nearest college? Here are a few thumb rules.

If you have a deep interest in a subject, literature perhaps, or biology, or history, such that you have found yourself reading up on the subject even outside the syllabus, you should definitely try to keep it as one of the subjects. Reason with your parents that conventional ways of thinking about careers are obsolete now. Almost every subject, from finance to fine arts, has bright prospects if you plan out your career well.

If you have a certain profession in mind, such as working as a computer engineer, fashion designer, physicist, photographer or tour operator find out what subject combinations are best tailored for that job, and even whether there are courses especially offered for such a career. Before making the choice, talk to a person working in that profession.

If you are undecided about the future, take the subjects you are comfortable with. You may consider taking an aptitude test to select the best option for you. A good bachelors degree is valued even in professions like IT or banking. When making a decision, do not surrender to parent pressure or peer pressure. Think of your long-term goals. What do you want to achieve in life? What contribution do you want to make to society? Let these thoughts guide you in your choice of a career.

Devi Kar Principal, Modern High School for Girls, Calcutta

Q.Should priority be given to an institution or the subject of study?

A. The admission season has begun and it is inextricably associated with anxiety. Apart from deciding on the course to pursue, there are other pressing concerns. Should priority be given to the institution or the subject of study? How does one choose between two equally reputed colleges? Then there are societal pressures, peer influences and overriding strictures from parents. Although there is no simple formula to resolve these issues, what is of vital importance is an awareness of one’s own temperament and strengths.

It is not always logical to take up the subject that one has scored the highest in. Examination scores can be misleading and do not always indicate aptitude. Many students have had the experience of obtaining unexpectedly high marks in subjects they disliked or neglected. In higher studies it is imperative to pursue a course that will offer enjoyment as well as enrichment.

So far as colleges are concerned, the factors to be considered are quality of faculty, facilities, nature of student population and perhaps the political climate. Students who are keen on a particular branch of study must give priority to the quality of teaching in the related department, whereas those who wish to graduate from a prestigious college would do well to choose the college first and accept any course that it offers. The student should, however, be comfortable studying the subject.

Regarding the central concern of a career related to a given course of study, field experts and career counsellors with proper credentials must be consulted. Finally it is important to remember that while there is no harm listening to all and sundry, the ultimate decision must be one’s own. Once the decision is made, it is unproductive to agonise over the road not taken. It would be a good idea to just look forward to some of the most rewarding years of one’s life.

Uma Dasgupta Senior academician and former professor, ISI, Calcutta

Q.What should be the method of selecting a subject?

A. This is the season of admission, therefore a time of excitement and anxiety for the students. Both are understandable. What is the anxiety about? It is usually about the choice of subject. The questions inevitably asked by students are about which subject will be better for a career, and which will fetch more marks.

Here are some ideas which might help. When choosing a subject for further study, the thing to ask yourself is whether the subject appeals to you or whether you have found an interest in it when you have studied it in the lower classes. This is true of the arts, sciences and commerce streams. Any other method of choice may land you in difficulty. Higher studies are all about a feeling of involvement. That comes only if you have developed some sense of the subject you are planning to study further, and are able to make a connection with it even if in a small way.

An encouraging thing to remember is that prospects will be good in almost any subject provided you do well in it. That is true of today’s outlook and environment when there is a greater diversity in the careers you choose from.

Let me end with an illustration. You may be told to take up economics because it ensures good jobs. But if you are not proficient in mathematics, further study in economics will become limited and therefore not good for future prospects. Mathematics is almost basic to all economics. That is the kind of decision you need to make about a subject in order to benefit from it.