Mom, dad, let us choose our careers: Teens

Step into the first 'board year' i.e. class X, and the pressure of choosing an appropriate discipline starts mounting. The million-dollar question, that haunts children and parents alike, is: which option to take from science, commerce and arts. While some give their children a free hand in choosing their careers, others pressurise their kids to take up the career that they (the parents) deem right.

However, child counsellors and psychologists are unanimous in their opinion that these choices are best left to the students, since the child knows best what he/she will be good at. Some also feel that instead of telling a child he/she is incapable of making the right choice and they should let an aptitude test decide. "An aptitude test points out the child's strengths and weaknesses clearly. This way, not only is the parents' confusion sorted out, the child can also make the right selection and not waste precious years later on", says clinical psychologist Iti Shukla.

Many schools and colleges also have their own dedicated counseling cells that parents and students can approach together, to have their career-related queries answered.

The counsellor's role becomes all the more important after class 12, because that is yet another juncture where parental pressure manifests itself. Over and above dictating specialisations, parents often also want to decide which college their child should go to, adding to the stress.

"The parents' job is to guide. They should simply help the children in choosing their path, not force them into anything", opines Sonal Yadav, head of the collegiate women's development cell at HL Institute of Commerce.

In the meanwhile, children who have been given the freedom to make their own choices, testify that it has really helped them. Priyanka Menon, who has passed out from Prakash Higher Secondary School, says her dreams were nurtured by her parents.

"I always wanted to be a fashion designer, and now, I have made it to NIFT, Delhi, where I will be joining soon." She says it is her parents' constant support and encouragement that have brought her this far. "Everyone performs best in the area of their interest. Parents should therefore encourage their children to follow their dreams", is the final word from her.