Education and Career: Avoid Unnecessary Constraints.

I sometimes come across notions such as:

1) One should go to a college "near home" (particularly women!) so that one stays close to one's folks even if one needs to compromise on pursuing one's interests or the quality of education.

2) One should seek career opportunities "near parents" so that they don't have to relocate even if one has to compromise on working in a field of interest or be in a work environment that doesn't allow you to express your talents fully or exploits / frustrates you.

All this is nonsensical flubber!

Schooling near home is (generally) sensible but college education, regardless of gender, firmly needs to be about studying what you want to study and in the best possible institute you can.

And when it's time to pursue your career, unless your parents are unable to get a visa during old age and/or a serious extended illness, please, please, do what you are passionate about and find yourself the best possible work environment you can. If this means that your parents need to relocate, then that's fine. No one gains anything if you waste your talents and pursue a listless mediocre career.

And here's some more nonsensical flubber that you'll hear from time to time:

3. Sons should be taking up the same profession as their fathers, women should follow their mothers' footsteps (and stay home!), etc . Worse, phrases like "our tradition", "Indian system", "sanskaar sanskriti" are used to justify such notions.

All this is utter rubbish. Absolute nonsense.

Each individual *must* pursue his or her own interests. If you want to be a mathematician you can't become a mechanical engineer just because your father is one, or your parents or some other relatives say so. This way you will neither become a good mathematician, nor a good mechanical engineer, nor be happy. Such notions only take the individual and society to mediocrity. And if you want to be a musician or a writer, it's best you don't allow anyone to force you to become a computer scientists.

Likewise for women: If you want to be a mechanical engineer and you take admission in a Home Science course because you are told that that's what women do, you're being a fool! The world has changed! You have as much of a right to be an engineer as any man.

[But yes, with independence comes responsibility! We have to take complete responsibility for our decisions and their consequences. We cannot want independence but hold others responsible for how our lives turn out. That would be hypocrisy.]

Here is a more detailed article that I wrote on this theme that I recommend reading: Strike a Pause: A Few Misplaced Notions (In My Opinion) On Culture And Sanskriti (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)

[I also invite you to read the following posts:

1. Strike a Pause: Your Blossoming Is As Important As Anything Else! (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)

2. Strike a Pause: Choosing A Career Path After 12th Grade (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)

3. Strike a Pause: On Changing Career Paths And Academic Directions (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)]