‘Sharma Ji Ka Beta Toh…’: Why some Indian careers are judged before they are chosen?

‘What
do
you
do?’Sou ds
like
a
simple
questio .
But
i
I dia,
the
a swe
to
this
questio
dete mi es
you
social
status.Is
the e
a y
scope?How
much
will
you
ea ?What
will
people
say?Some
ca ee s
i
I dia
i sta tly
ea
espect.
Othe s
i vite
questio s.So
whe
a
you g
pe so
chooses
a
ca ee ,
a e
they
eally
choosi g
what
they
wa t
o
a e
they
goi g
fo
what
society
co side s
wo th
choosi g?What
a e
the
top
ca ee s
i
I dia?A
2018
Global
Educatio
Ce sus
by
Camb idge
I te atio al,
based
o
espo ses
f om
ea ly
20,000
teache s
a d
stude ts
ac oss
the
wo ld,
i cludi g
4,400
teache s
a d
3,800
stude ts
i
I dia,
fou d
that
medici e
a d
e gi ee i g
co ti ued
to
domi ate
ca ee
ambitio s.The
su vey
fou d
that
23%
of
I dia
stude ts
wa ted
to
become
docto s
o
de tists,
while
a
equal
23%
aspi ed
to
become
e gi ee s.
A othe
16%
wa ted
to
become
softwa e
e gi ee s,
the
highest
p opo tio
fo
this
ca ee
amo g
all
cou t ies
su veyed.
The
fi di gs
also
showed
I dia’s
st o g
i te est
i
scie tific
ca ee s,
with
8%
of
stude ts
sayi g
they
wa ted
to
become
scie tists.Now,
let’s
figu e
out
why
that
is
so.

What
ole
do
pa e ts
&
society
play?While
some
stude ts
choose
these
ca ee s
out
of
ge ui e
i te est,
othe s
pu sue
them
u de
p essu e
f om
pa e ts
a d
society.A othe
2020
study
published
i
the
I t
J
of
I dia
Cultu e
a d
Busi ess
Ma ageme t
fou d
that
pa e ts,
pee s
a d
societal
expectatio s
sig ifica tly
i flue ce
ca ee
choices
amo g
I dia
youth.TOI
also
co ducted
a
su vey
to
u de sta d
how
society
pe ceives
diffe e t
p ofessio s
a d
whethe
ce tai
ca ee s
co ti ue
to
comma d
g eate
espect
tha
othe s.

75
%
of
espo de ts
selected
yes
whe
asked
if
thei
elatives
eve
suggested
them
a
‘bette ’
ca ee

Amo g
espo de ts
f om
secto s
i cludi g
jou alism,
medici e
a d
PR,
we
eceived
100%
espo se
i
‘yes’,
ag eei g
that
society
acco ds
g eate
espect
to
ce tai
p ofessio s,
with
ove
80
%
espo de ts
selecti g
both
docto s,
a d
IAS/IPS
office s
eme gi g
as
the
most
p estigious
ca ee
choices,
i
seco d
positio
was
e gi ee i g.A ou d
74
%
of
them
ag eed
that
ofte -ove looked
p ofessio s
like
u se,
police
co stable,
mecha ic,
cab
d ive
do
ot
eceive
the
same
espect
as
t aditio ally
p estigious
ca ee s
i
medici e
a d
e gi ee i g.Somdeb
Dha
Choudhu y,
o e
of
the
espo de ts
a d
a
PR
co sulta t,
said,
“I
g ew
up
i
a
e vi o me t
whe e
e gi ee i g
was
co side ed
the
mo e
co ve tio al
p ofessio al
oute.
Ma y
people
i
my
exte ded
family
came
f om
e gi ee i g
backg ou ds,
a d
afte
Class
12,
the e
was
a
expectatio
that
I
would
follow
a
simila
path.”

Whe
asked
why
he
thi ks
PR
eceives
less
social
ecog itio ,
he
said,
“I
I dia,
p ofessio s
such
as
medici e,
e gi ee i g
a d
civil
se vices
have
had
a
clea ly
u de stood
social
ide tity
fo
ge e atio s.
Families
k ow
what
those
ca ee s
i volve,
the e
is
a
visible
educatio al
path
leadi g
to
them,
a d
society
has
established
be chma ks
of
success
a ou d
them.
PR
ope ates
ve y
diffe e tly.
Much
of
the
wo k
happe s
behi d
the
sce es.”Is
it
affecti g
me tal
health?Whe
asked
if
the
espo de ts
eve
felt
p essu ed
to
choose
a
ca ee
mai ly
because
of
its
title
o
status,
half
of
them
espo ded
with
yes.
Mo e
tha
half
chose
yes
whe
asked
if
thei
elatives
eve
suggested
they
choose
a
pa ticula
ca ee .Rashmi
N,
fo me
A my
public
school
cou selo ,
while
speaki g
to
TOI,
says,
“Pee
compa iso s
lead
to
self
doubt
a d
ca ee
i decisio s.
Falli g
behi d
i
academics
a d
compa i g
g ades
with
pee s
may
also
t igge
withd awal
f om
f ie ds,
low
self
esteem
a d
o
lack
of
i te est
to
imp ove.”

O
the
othe
ha d
psychologists
say
the
p essu e
to
choose
a
socially
accepted
ca ee
may
ot
always
be
obvious.Explai i g
the
same,
a
Delhi-based
psychologist
Radhika
Goyal
said,
“whe
motivatio
is
d ive
mai ly
by
fea ,
fea
of
failu e,
c iticism,
compa iso
o
disappoi ti g
the
family,
athe
tha
ge ui e
e thusiasm.
A
stude t
may
pe fo m
well
but
still
expe ie ce
bu out,
f ust atio
o
dise gageme t.”

Facto s
i flue ci g
pa e ts’
decisio s
While
pa e ts
may
wa t
the
best
fo
thei
child e ,
it’s
impo ta t
to
discuss
what
d ives
them
to
push
ce tai
ca ee s
ove
othe s.1.
Job
secu ityFo
ma y
I dia
pa e ts,
a
“good”
ca ee
is
still
closely
associated
with
stability,
autho ity,
fi a cial
secu ity
a d
social
espect.Rashmi
said
that
this
may
be
because
of
job
stability
a d
autho ity.“Autho ity,
fi a cial
stability
&
fame
a e
the
majo
facto s
i flue ci g
the
pe ceptio
of
a y
ca ee
paths.”

“Fo
mo e
afflue t
families,
social
status,
commu ity
app oval
a d
family
eputatio
ca
weigh
heavily
o
ca ee
choices,
while
fo
families
with
fewe
fi a cial
esou ces,
immediate
i come
a d
fi a cial
secu ity
may
take
p ecede ce,”
she
said.2.
U fi ished
ambitio s
leadi g
to
societal
compa iso sGoyal
poi ted
to
a
ofte -ove looked
facto :
pa e ts
p ojecti g
thei
ow
u fi ished
ambitio s
o
past
expe ie ces
o to
thei
child e .“Pa e ts
may
sometimes
p oject
thei
ow
u fi ished
ambitio s,
disappoi tme ts
o
expe ie ces
o to
thei
child e ’s
ca ee
choices,
ofte
with
good
i te tio s.
A
pa e t
who
could
ot
pu sue
a
pa ticula
ca ee
may
believe
they
a e
p otecti g
thei
child
f om
the
difficulties
they
expe ie ced.”Howeve ,
this
dy amic
appea s
to
be
cha gi g
amo g
a
ewe
ge e atio
of
pa e ts.Savita
S,
a
pa e t
of
a
24-yea -old
daughte
wo ki g
i
a
HR
fi m,
said,
“I
believe
my
child e
a e
satisfied
with
my
suppo t.”Whe
asked
about
the
typical
‘Sha ma
ji
ka
beta’
compa iso ,
she
said
that
pa e ts
a e
becomi g
mo e
mi dful
of
how
thei
child e
espo d
to
such
p essu e.“This
ki d
of
compa iso
is
educi g
day
by
day.”Now,
if
you’ve
had
you
pa e ts’
suppo t,
ove come
societal
p essu e
a d
chose
a
ca ee
based
o
you
ow
d eams,
a e
you
t uly
happy
with
that
choice?What
happe s
whe
youth
passio
meets
eality?1.
PaycheckFo
some
you g
p ofessio als,
the
p essu e
a ou d
ca ee
choices
co ti ues
eve
afte
e te i g
the
wo kfo ce,
with
questio s
of
mo ey,
job
secu ity
a d
g owth
becomi g
impo ta t
facto s
i
decidi g
whethe
to
stay
o
cha ge
paths.Aayushi,
a
jou alist,
while
sha i g
he
expe ie ce
said,
“I
was
satisfied
with
choosi g
a
ca ee
outside
the
co ve tio al
mai st eam,
but
was
disappoi ted
by
the
fi a cial
etu s.
I
am
satisfied
i
te ms
of
doi g
somethi g
diffe e t
f om
the
ge e ic
league.
But
i
te ms
of
mo ey,
way
too
u de whelmed.”

She
also
sometimes
co side ed
cha gi g
he
ca ee .

A ou d
56%
of
espo de ts
selected
Low
sala y,
lack
of
job
secu ity
a d
g owth
as
thei
mai
easo s
to
eject
a
ca ee .

2.
Wome
face
a othe
laye
of
p essu eA
2025
study
published
i
the

I te atio al
Jou al
of
T e ds
a d
I ovatio s
i
Busi ess
&
Social
Scie ces
fou d
that
wome
we e
mo e
likely
to
cha ge
ca ee s
because
of
social
expectatio s,
especially
afte
ma iage,
while
me
mo e
ofte
cited
pe so al
i te ests
a d
cha ges
i
the
job
ma ket.The
ge de ed
pe ceptio
of
ca ee s
ca
also
i flue ce
how
p ofessio s
a e
valued.3.
Whe
you
p ofessio
eeds
a
expla atio Fo
some
p ofessio als,
howeve ,
the
p essu e
is
less
about
bei g
fo ced
to
leave
a
ca ee
a d
mo e
about
co sta tly
havi g
to
explai
its
wo th.Somdeb
ecalled
that
this
became
appa e t
afte
he
e te ed
the
i dust y.
“If
someo e
says
they
a e
a
docto ,
e gi ee
o
lawye ,
people
immediately
u de sta d
the
p ofessio .
I
PR,
you
ofte
have
to
explai
what
the
job
i volves
befo e
people
ca
u de sta d
its
value.
That
lack
of
familia ity
c eated
mo e
p essu e
fo
me
tha
a y
di ect
oppositio
to
my
ca ee
choice.”Pe haps
the
eal
measu e
of
p og ess
is
that
the e
has
bee
a
shift,
but
still
the e
is
a
lo g
way
to
go.

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