Advice for 10th, +2 students

Entering high school is perhaps the most crucial phase in the life of a teenager. This is The time when he/she has to make concrete plans about his/her future. This in turn will determine the course of the rest of his/her life.

The moment a student enters XI standard, he/she ought to make a judicious choice of subjects. An ideal thing to do is to consult relatives and guardians. Moreover, one must give due considerations to his/her circumstances, social status, priorities of one's family, a person's physical attributes, his own limitations and capabilities and so forth.

Consider a few examples. If you are a young boy of average health but are rather short, the Armed forces or the Police services are out for you, as these require cadets above a certain height. On the other hand if you are very tall, burly, well built possessing a good physique, then certainly these jobs are for you as are merchant navy, coastguards, detective services and so forth. Those of you young girls who are tall, possess slim figures can try your hand at being a model, classical dancer or even an airhostess et al.

You career choice is determined by your temperament, physical strength, energy levels etc. If you are indolent instead of active, then go in for some sedate job or the other. There are plenty of them going around. These include library science, school l teaching, lecturership, medical transcription, dietician, psychiatrist/ clinical psychologist, all sorts computer related jobs and so forth. On the other hand, if you are an extremely creative person, then why not try your hand in journalism, copywriting & advertising,TV production, multimedia, fashion or even jewellery designing?

If you happen to hail from a well to do family that has been successfully running more than one business ventures, then it would natural on the part of your parents/elders to expect that you join in the family business. Your desire to become a doctor or engineer or a professional singer or actor would hardly be appreciated. In that case you could change your mindset and opt for MBA, MBA, CA and such like

Then of course, psychological and emotional factors too play their part. If you happen to be an only child/only son, then your parents would prefer to see you settled in a suitable profession, where you can be in proximity with them. If this is your case, then it would be advisable to give up the idea of joining any branch of the Defence forces, Paramilitary services, Intelligence services, Sales & marketing, Travel & tourism jobs which are likely to take you away from your home and family for long. You may argue that your career is important, but you still have a duty towards your parents and family.

Coming to proficiency in subjects, if you are strong in sciences, mathematics etc, then architecture, medicine, various disciplines of engineering, besides modernistic subjects v.i.z. biotechnology, biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, genetics are surely going to be good for you.

Now for some deviations from conventional education ending in reception of formal degrees. As an individual make up your mind as to what you really want to do and what your capabilities are. For instance if you are adept in cutting tailoring and stitching jobs, go in for a vocational course, rather than a formal BA or M.A degree. Similarly if you are deeply interested in becoming a beautician or hair stylist, join one or more of these vocational courses after you finish high school.

Always bear in mind that you have got to fight your own battle and the onus of convincing your parents lies entirely on you. You are likely to face stiff resistance no doubt, but you must put up a brave face and take everything in your stride. However, ultimately you are the one who is to take the final decisions about your career.