There are four matters very fundamental to make human life to make fully functioning and effective; a belief system, a family, a career, and a community. Therefore, it very important to be wise enough to choose right course and career. It shouldn’t be based on mere so called passion or motivation alone, but it should based on individual’s ability and opportunity around us. Otherwise, most of them will experience frustration about their career in future. Critical understanding of ourselves are great matter in life, because unbiased evaluation and acceptance of strengths and weaknesses help them life long. Unfortunately, around us, we hear in loud voices to follow your passion with inflated and unrealistic motivations from celebrities, parents, teachers, experts, leaders, coaching institutions, advertisements, social and mainstream medias, motivational speakers, influencers etc. They are silent about one’s ability and opportunities around them. This causes to drain parents’ money in vain and most of youngsters fill their youth with frustrations. This overwhelming issue of our contemporary society need to be addressed.
There are fundamental and add on factors in decision making of right course and career. Factors under ‘Should Not Be’ not include in fundamental factors, but can be considered as add ons. Factors under ‘Should Be’ must be fundamental criteria for determining right course and career.
Should Not Be
Choice of course or career should not be based on various factors; such as not based on comparing with others, by following passion alone, by excitement gained from motivation, promises of advertisement of coaching institutions or depending on educational loan. If you compare yourself with others for your career path, there are high chances to end in frustration. The best comparison in your academic or career life that compare your today with your previous day.
1. Immature Passion
In our society, we can hear anywhere that ‘follow your passion, follow our passions’. Also, the word ‘dream’ utilized in this regard. Passion and dream help only tiny fraction of people, those who have abilities and opportunities. So, it is better to say follow your ability and opportunity, not passion and dream.
2. Unrealistic Motivations
There are plenty of motivations around us. Most of them are unrealistic and impractical. But, they make us instant excitement to our mind to do something spontaneously. Decision making based on motivation alone will not be a rational decision and not help in the long term. Problem of motivation around us is the lack of consistency. Uncomfortable truths are always better than a comfortable lie. So, it is better to accept reality and consistently work hard for having a better life. Advertisements of coaching institutions are always based on rarest or exceptional stories, but they present as anybody can do. This is perfectly misleading students and parents to make right choices. Most of the competitive exams are having very low success rates, such as Civil Service Exams, CA/CS, Medical/Engineering Entrance, UPSC/PSC exams, bank tests etc. This fact must be considered before joining to coaching institutions and critically analyze your abilities.
3. Other side of Education Loan
Education loans of large amounts are ruining their life after education, because of very high interest rates, unemployment or under employment problems, so many stressful years for repayment after education damaging younger years of life. Students are secondary beneficiaries of education loans, but primary beneficiaries are banks, colleges, government etc. So, it must be very careful in decision making of course or career based on education loan.
Should Be
Our performance and productivity in a course or career majorly depends upon cognitive abilities/intelligence quotient and personality traits. Proper understanding of these parameters and evaluation on ourselves and our children help us to meticulously plan a right course and career. It is very important to make thorough understanding these as early as possible.
1. Cognitive abilities/intelligence quotient
Cognitive abilities/intelligence quotient can be easily explained and understand by monitoring rate of learning. Rate of learning is higher in people having high cognitive abilities/intelligence quotient and vice versa. This assessment can be easily carried out by analyzing scores in the school between age of 12 and 15. Intelligence can be classified into Fluid intelligence and Crystallized intelligence. Fluid intelligence is defined as reasoning ability, and the ability to generate, transform, and manipulate different types of novel information in real time. Development of Fluid intelligence stops at age around 16 to 20. Crystallized intelligence based on facts and prior informations. It increases with age.
Therefore, assessment of scores received at high school helps a lot to plan a course or career. If a student scores high in mathematics or good at arithmetic operations, there is very high chance to have high in intelligence. If a student score high in language or arts subjects, his ability orientation towards creativity. This very important in the matter of understanding cognitive abilities/intelligence quotient. Anybody can easily do it by going through high school score card.
Here, Cognitive abilities/intelligence quotient levels and examples of suitable jobs. Some jobs and entrance/recruitment exams needs higher Cognitive abilities/intelligence quotient, such as Attorney, Research Analyst, Editor, Manager, Engineer, Executive, Auditor etc. At above average level of Cognitive abilities/intelligence quotient, jobs such as Programmer, Teacher, Nurses, Sales, Supervisor, etc. At average level of Cognitive abilities/intelligence quotient, jobs such as Designer, Assistant Manager, Secretary, Computer Operator, Technician etc. At below average level of Cognitive abilities/intelligence quotient, jobs such as Receptionist, General Clerk, Cashier, Meter Reader, Data entry etc. At lower level of Cognitive abilities/intelligence quotient Delivery man, Security Guard, Assistants, Welders, Messenger, Assembler, Packers, etc. People with lower Cognitive abilities/intelligence quotient are more suitable for jobs with repetitive nature. Competitive exams are mostly suitable for students with higher Cognitive abilities/intelligence quotient. Students having lower Cognitive abilities/intelligence quotient struggles a lot in competitive exams.
2. Personality Traits
Secondly, temperaments/personality traits play a major role in productivity of a person. Big 5 personality traits help us to understand temperament of a person. They are Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. Basic knowledge about these temperament helps to understand ourselves and our children, and harness better.
Openness is willingness to be open to new experiences. They are having wide range of interests, being imaginative and insightful. Conscientiousness is a kind of orderliness. They are dutiful, hardworking, obey rules and orders, reliable, having structure and integrity. Extroversion is a trait, more sensitive to positive emotions such as curiosity, joy, hope, interest etc. Extroversion includes traits as talkative, energetic, assertive, sociability and high amount of emotional expressiveness. Agreeableness is a temperamental disposition to be agreeable. It characterized by the adjectives kind, sympathetic, cooperative, warm and considerate. Neuroticism is trait, more sensitive to some negative emotions such as fear, anxiety and emotional pain. Women have higher in Neuroticism, Agreeableness and Extroversion than men. There is no significant gender differences among Conscientiousness and Openness.
Here, personality traits and examples of suitable jobs. Openness people are more fit for Tour guide, Travel writer etc. Conscientiousness people are more fit for Accountant, Manager etc. People with Extroversion are more fit for Sales, Event planner, Personal Trainer etc. Agreeableness people are more fit for teachers, Human Resource Specialists etc. People with Neuroticism are more fit for social work, psychiatric nurse etc. Combination of these personality traits help people to excel in various career fields.
3. Opportunities
Opportunities are play good role in having right career. Some careers have high opportunities for certain period of time. Some careers have less opportunities for longer period of times. Some prestigious jobs only have very small number of opportunities. It is very important to understand thoroughly about available opportunities of your desired career in present time.
Majorly, occupations can be classified into STEM and HEAL jobs. People in STEM use their knowledge of science, technology, engineering and mathematics to try to understand how the world works and trying to solve problems of the world. HEAL jobs include fields of Health, Education, Administration and Literacy. In broader terms, HEAL occupations can be seen as the opposite of STEM. They are more focused on people rather than things. Mostly men want STEM jobs and women want HEAL jobs. Therefore, course and career selection must be based on their abilities to fit for either STEM or HEAL jobs. Generally, STEM jobs have higher pay than HEAL jobs.
All choices have it’s own consequences. It is a matter of life in courses and careers. Therefore, students and parents must be wise enough and use common sense rather than diving into fantasies and dreams. Nowadays, we can see many students and parents are filled with frustrations and unmet unrealistic passions and ambitions. So many people are working lower than their education qualifications. Trap of education loan is destroying peaceful years at younger age of many people and their parents. So, set your goal meticulously and critically rather than mere feelings or thoughts. It is better to have meaningful and purposeful life than lifetime peril.
Nithin A.F.
Consultant Psychologist
SUT Hospital, Pattom, Trivandrum.
Mob: 9496341841
Email: nithinaf@gmail.com
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