Making the Right Career Choice: Post COVID-19

By Dr Kshitij Shinghal

Dr Kshitij Shinghal explains how students and their parents can make the right career choice in a post COVID-19 world.  

"Your power to choose the direction of your life allows you to reinvent yourself, to change your future, and to powerfully influence the rest of creation." - Stephen R Covey

The problem

Schools, colleges, universities, education boards, educators and parents all are equally worried about the future of their students/children. Universities, boards, educators are trying hard to evolve alternative arrangements for keeping the academics on track. Meanwhile, it is being ensured that the students keep learning through various digital online learning platforms such as Google classroom, E-Pathshala, e-books available online, digital learning platform-Deeksha, YouTube, Zoom, Google Meet etc. Yet another challenge faced by the parents is that this is the high time for the young 12^th passed students to select options for their career and take admissions in their dream institutes. But the effect of pandemic COVID-19 is global and worldwide. It has affected every section and every area of society, including the students seeking admission in professional institutes. All the universities, colleges, institutions are under lockdown condition and every process such as studies, examinations, admissions etc. are pending and suffering. Even after relaxation in lockdown there are very less chances that relaxation will be given to universities, colleges or institution to reopen and function normally. In view of this, it is equally important for parents and academicians to take tough decision: but the decision that is right, judicious, wise and above all timely.

The parents’ dilemma

One of the parents had a very valid doubt: “How I will be ever comfortable enough to send my beloved son for studying to any far-off place. I can never in my worst dreams think of sending him to distant places away from my eyes in these grave times. When I have already witnessed cases of hundreds of students trapped in Kota and how much their parents were panicked. How will be I able to gather the courage enough to send him away from my reach, love, care, affection and protection to pursue his dream career? Should I ask him to drop his studies for this session and maybe next also, as I don’t know for how long pandemic is going to last, but even if it is it goes away its dark marks are going to stay long. What should I do? In Indian folktales similar situation was faced by the king of Kaushal kingdom.

The solution

There was a prosperous kingdom known as Kaushal. The king of Kaushal was very generous and looked after his people very well. Once, the kingdom was attacked by the tribal of the valley near the kingdom. The war continued for several months and there were no chances of seizing the war. During those days the prince and other scholars of the kingdom used to go to Takshila for education. Takshila used to be the best educational establishment in those days. Due to war, it was not possible to send the students to Takshila, because enemy had surrounded the city. So, the king was worried about the education of the prince and other children of the kingdom. He consulted his very able and learned minister what should he do. His minister replied, “At present, it is not wise to send prince and other children of the kingdom to Takshila for education and compromise their safety”. He further said “Also it was not advisable to let the children waste their time without learning anything. Because however sharp a sword may be, if it is kept unused for a long time, it gets rusted and becomes blunt.” Minister emphasized that, “Discipline and hard work are necessary components for success and if young minds are left untrained they quickly acquire bad habits and spoil, therefore it is necessary to engage children in educational activities.” He asked the king to arrange the best possible education for the children in the kingdom itself. The kings found the best educational establishment in Kaushal and sent the children there for education.

The learning

What a story, and what learning. It is obvious, wise and the right decision to select best educational institute that is in your vicinity and easily approachable. Though every institute, university schools etc. are engaged in online teaching, but sooner or later when the effect of the pandemic is mitigated your ward will need exposure to real studies, live projects, hands-on experiences, field works, laboratories, research and real educators who will help him/her to develop and evolve as a professional who s/he always wanted to be. It is therefore advisable to take a timely decision and select an institution, which is best in your nearby region. So that your ward can continue his studies, pursue his/her dream career that too under your guidance, safety, protection and easy reach.

Whenever pandemics strike, they bring big changes to human life. To protect themselves, human beings take all sort of steps involving social distancing, medicinal, spiritual, traditional and even mythological. Every component of society has to play its role in the fight against the disease. Some of the persons have to play apparent role as front row Corona fighters such as doctors, medical staff, sanitization workers, law enforcers etc. whereas some others have an unapparent role to play. It is our foremost responsibility to perform our duties in the best way we can in our own perspective. The foremost duty of a student is to take the right decision for his/her career in consent with his/her parents and select an institute that can provide wings to his/her dreams and shape his/her career. Some of the factors that should be considered while selecting right institute during the pandemic times are:

1. Institution should be active during lockdown in engaging students in creative works, online classes, assignments and providing other resources through digital platforms
2. Institute’s approach and location considering Pre-COVID-19 and Post-COVID-19 precautions and safety requirements
3. Institution should be a reputed educational establishment with good academics, infrastructure, faculty and placements.
4. Institute’s contribution and initiatives during and post COVID-19 duration for society and the nation

     5. Institute must have some contingency plan for engaging prospective students if lockdown extends or pandemic reoccurs

About the Author:

Dr Kshitij Shinghal is the Head of Electronics and Communication Engineering Department at MIT Moradabad. He is also a life coach and a career counsellor with 20 years of work experience.

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