INTEREST LIES IN THE MINDS OF THE BEHOLDER
INTRODUCTION
I wondered that why people are so much obsessed of becoming engineers, doctors, or wanted to crack civil services or any other competitive exams. Many times, students opt those careers that are renowned and through which they can live their luxurious lives. Moreover, many times parents compel their children to opt a particular stream, as they believe that these career options can only make their life better. However, they forgot that interest matters a lot, it has a profound impact on individual’s professional journey. Interest serves as a powerful motivator in career pursuits. When individuals are genuinely interested in their work, they exhibit higher levels of motivation, dedication, and engagement. This intrinsic motivation drives them to overcome challenges, seek continuous learning opportunities, and strive for excellence in their chosen fields. As a result, they are more likely to achieve success and satisfaction in their careers.
Sometimes, I think, simplicity phases out with time. Surprisingly, parents are also forcing them to become extraordinary. It is very hard for them to see their child leading an ordinary life. Rather I would say, the focus should be on having a stable career, making their child happy and taking care of their mental health.
Recently, I heard a suicide case; in Kota, one of the city in Rajasthan, a JEE aspirant committed suicide. She also left a suicide note in which she has written “I can’t do JEE, and I am a looser, and a worst daughter”. Seriously, this news is extremely shocking. It has shook me and the whole nation to the core. In fact, in the year 2023 more than 20 students committed suicide due to this unbelievable pressure.
INTEREST MATTERS
I believe that every adolescent deserves a proper guidance from an expert, and not only adolescents, their parents too. Here I am not blaming anybody, rather, I am requesting people, stop forcing your dreams and aspirations on to others. Let them do, whatever they want or like. Being a parent, you should make them understand that what is right and wrong, and let them to become a key of their life. It is the moral responsibility of parents to tell their children that do whatever they like or love, to be there whenever they need. Positive and gentle parenting is the need of the hour as it makes children confident and able to communicate freely. Believe me present and understanding parents motivates them and also prevents them in taking a wrong step.
This incident made me think that interest plays a pivotal role in one’s career. If you are interested in what you are doing then only you will be more productive. If you do something, that does not match to your interest, then that doesn’t matter how much you are working hard, it will always result in a mess mental health-wise.
Furthermore, if you are interested in teaching, that doesn’t mean that you will like each and every part of it, but surely you will like most of it. Research has consistently shown that individuals who pursue careers aligned with their interests tend to perform better and experience greater job satisfaction. When individuals enjoy what they do, they are more likely to invest time and effort into honing their skills and expertise. Interest plays a fundamental role in career selection, shaping individuals’ professional paths and influencing their overall well-being. By aligning career choices with personal interests, individuals can find meaning, motivation, and fulfillment in their work.
RIASEC TEST
DISCOVER YOUR INTEREST
Sometimes, students are unable to analyze their interest or aren’t able to match their interest with an appropriate career option. In this scenario, career counselors aids them in finding a suitable career stream. Through screening and interest test, counselors can able to find the best career option for them. One of the famous interest test, name, RIASEC test, proposed by Holland, is used by experts. Basically, RIASEC stands for 6 characteristics, namely, Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional. This test asks questions about your likes and dislikes, in order to find an appropriate personalities of yours, and then finding out what kind of person you are and which stream suits you well. However, this test should be conducted in a proper manner. It means whosoever is doing this test should provide the authentic answers rather than giving socially desirable answers.
There is no defined time limit, but one should ideally complete this test 1in 10-15 minutes. This test comprises of 48 questions, and you just have to rate by how much you would like to perform each activity or task.
WHY INTEREST MATTERS WHILE CHOOSING A CAREER
Lack of growth: If you are not interested in a particular career path, how can you expect a growth? Remember that stream will never provide you fame, will never give you happiness and mental peace. Just because of lack of interest, a growth mindset is never formulated, thus, lacking self-motivation and the zeal to do better.
Dissatisfaction: Definitely choosing a career without interest only gives you dissatisfaction. It will damage your mental health, so why you want to overburden yourself?
Lack of confidence: Choosing a random stream will also hamper your self-confidence. You might not be able to survive for a longer period of time with that particular career path.
