I’m confused about my career
I have completed my Std X board examinations and am eagerly waiting for my results. Students of my age have a particular plan about their career, but I’m confused about it. I can’t make a thorough decision about how to go ahead in my career. I’m stuck between choosing science and commerce.
Tehseen (15)
Dear Tehseen,
A good career choice is based on a mix of what you enjoy doing, how good you can become at it (your aptitude or potential to build your skills by doing a course), and whether the money you will earn from it will be sufficient for your needs.
Even if you are already aware of the things that you enjoy doing or have a passion for, do sit down and make a list of these and mark the top five. This should make it easier for you to clarify your thinking. Only some of these will be suitable to be made into a career, others may remain as hobbies.
Subsequently, it would be great if you could consult a career guidance counsellor — there are many who have begun online guidance sessions. To help you understand whether you have the potential to develop your interests into a career, they will administer a set of aptitude tests. They will also administer an interest inventory and perhaps a personality test. Based on the results and on your interests, they will guide you about the career options open to you and the potential for earning — and which stream you should choose.
Nasreen Hashambhoy is a Counsellor, Life Coach and a Facilitator of training programmes for schools and corporates. Through a combination of coaching, counselling and facilitation techniques based on cognitive science and positive psychology, she helps clients achieve their true potential. She is the author of the series Values In Action published by Better Yourself Books.
