Depends! On what? In a rather serious tone, he said, “I’ll decide about my career after the general elections next November.” Elections? How can one’s career depend on elections?
“If Mayawati becomes the Honourable Prime Minister of India, I am leaving this country for good!” he promptly replied.
This brings us to an interesting aspect of career decision-making. Usually, it is not very difficult to decide upon a speciality postgraduate course after a basic university degree, if you are well-informed and aware. Obviously, some homework needs to be done in order to find out your own aptitude and what part of the profession you like. (Here, let us not get confused and lose direction talking about merit and competition.)
Now is the difficult part. Often there are professions that do not have a good scope and a remunerative future in one’s own country/state. This is often looked upon as a hindrance and it drives people away from taking up something they probably would have loved to do. Do such people really think it through before rejecting the idea of permanently leaving one’s country? If they do so, what goes on in their mind? Leaving one’s country forever sure is a big commitment. I respect those courageous individuals who plan to stay back and strive to improve the domestic scenario of the profession of their choice.
Once, a senior told me that a few people decide whether to leave their country or not depending upon their boyfriend/girlfriend’s decision. Another gave me a textbook-ish answer; decide ‘what you want and what you need’ first. Few make decisions based on knowledge obtained from television, films, their far off uncle or their peers. Of course, there are few others who come up with innovative ideas, such as general elections and exit polls.
The other issue is, coming back to one’s own country after spending sometime abroad. This may sound good, but not always feasible. For starters, your degrees must be recognised in both the countries. Often it is extremely difficult to get admission in certain streams abroad. Whether this is a fact or a wrong estimate, we don’t know. As I mentioned earlier, I don’t think this should be the criteria for deciding your line of study. If you love genetics and end up with psychology just because you want to go to the US, you have probably made a bad decision.
I’m in a similar phase in my life – undecided and looking for answers for certain uncertain questions. Here are some of my personal considerations that have haunted me over the last couple of weeks:
1. Do I really want to think about this now?
2. What do I like?
3. Can I imagine myself doing what I like after 10 years?
4. Is it feasible? Costs, duration of the course, et al? Do I have half-knowledge?
5. Can I stay away from my country – temporarily/permanently?
6. Is there a scope of going outside my country/coming back in future?
7. Few personal questions to myself – it varies for every individual
8. Did I consult my head and heart both? Am I being honest and trust my intuition? Do I deserve better?
This questionnaire needs revision, review and re-evaluation. All of us must create our own questionnaire and answer it truthfully, taking our own time. This effort on our part is required so that we don’t have to depend upon Kumari Mayawatiji for our future career decisions.
Eventually, each one of us would be in a position to decide the road ahead; most people on earth have ultimately walked towards some success in life.
(Serious comments on this post would be appreciated)
8 comments:
I think the more we worry, the more muddled up it gets. I have always believed ( a little too optimistically) that no matter what decisions u take for the wrong reasons, the decisions somehow turn out to be right. I honestly think take each day as it comes and don't worry too much about what ideas people who are too sure of themselves have.
It is not possible to muck up one's life and even if you do its your life, you have every right to jeopardise it!
Hey good one!The questonnaire is really pertinent-the 8-fold path to career salva(ge)tion. But then like always, answering questions is difficult. At this point of time, i don't really want to go beyond the first question. i agree that is is an extremely parochialway of thinking and i am likely to end up like a frog in the well while others have forged ahead with all plans in place...but then i beleive it is best to take a day at a time without getting too stressed about the future..and i believe in destiny...jo hoga to hoga...u just have to accept whatever happens and live with it...it may turn out to the best thing for u in the long run! Anyway abt sam's comment, i think the wheels of jeopardisation(is this an actual word? Never mind)were set into motion when i made the fateful decision post XIIth.
great article ani...i love this one....as for me,if the govt continues to add on our worries and our age of course at this rate,tampering with medical education and making it a not so lucrative career to be in....i wouldnt mind venturing into something else....like people in your gosumag 2008....who followed their heart...im one of them man...i know ,im here for somethin else.....and i know what it is....
This post of yours reminds me of some words in the song, 'Sunscreen' by Baz Luhrman. The words go as thus, "Dont feel guilty if you dont know what to do with your life...the most interesting people I know didnt know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still dont".
Let's not make leaving or staying in your country as huge a decision as it is usually hyped up to be.
Let's not decide about tomorrow every night we go to bed.
For once, at least, let's enjoy the spontaneity of life.
And let's stop thinking of the 'present' as some minor,
insignificant preamble
to something else in future.
i'm tired and bored of life here. i want to go as far away as possible to put the first 20-odd yrs of life behind me and the US seems to be a decent choice - good chance of getting in and good career options. I don't mind choosing my field of study depending on what is available there bcoz my main aim is to get away and i'm willing to compromise on most other things for that. no second thoughts in my case.
Would you consider it wrong if a Mumbai medical student joined AIIMS for his residency? Would you consider it wrong if a Vidarbha farmer's son came to Mumbai in search of a job? I think most people will agree that there's nothing wrong with that.
I think there is nothing wrong in moving in search of the opportunity best suited for oneself. Sometimes, a lot is made about "leaving the country." I think it is merely an extension of the examples above. Everyone eventually chooses their own path, and there is a good justification for each. Nobody is more righteous than the other.
(deleted the previous comment because I had to correct a typo)
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