The Choice is Yours!

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:35:10 EST

When you are in your teens, there are so many difficult decisions in your life, but the most significant of these is deciding on the career you want to pursue. This is a major decision that will affect and change your whole life. We believe that every individual has a right to decide about his/her profession, but sometimes it is good to ask others who have experienced similar difficulties in choosing a profession so that you can chalk out a plan.

When it comes to choosing a profession we must keep various things in mind, but importantly if you are a female and opt for a profession 'where no woman has gone before', then of course you will face difficulty. Amazingly, when it comes to girls, we are hesitant to allow them freedom to choose their profession.

Parents are proud to see their sons opting for business or engineering but when their daughter chooses one of these, she usually gets raised eye brows in return. Most parents want their daughters to either go for teaching or enter the medical field, as these two job are considered to be 'respectable' and 'safe' jobs in our society.

Women in our country are unfortunately not given due respect and attention that they deserve, and not many are aware of their rights. The intention to pick this point up is not to degrade women in our society or say how cruel our parents or guardians are but the basic point is to describe the word safe.

For those who consider teaching and the medical profession as secure, they could find that they are mistaken. Isn't it apparent that medicine can become dangerous, especially when hospitals become battle-ground for political groups to clash and people are killed? And schools and mosques are hot targets for suicide bombers. This means that not only are girls insecure - with the ground realities it seems no one is safe! And, we can't actually ban females from stepping outside and discover the world, especially when they have been educated and trained for a certain profession.

The business or computer worlds are considered to be dominated by men. We can't really deny this but this is only due to the fact that the majority don't want to spend too much on the education of their daughters. They'd rather 'invest' in the future - their sons. But if the girls are not allowed to take up a profession of their own choice, it is obvious that the men will rule the roost.

There is a common belief that women are bad at business and therefore they should stay away from this field. It doesn't need a man to be a business person; you just have to have the mind to make profit. If a woman can manage a house and keep the social life intact, she can surely manage a company as well. And, who knows she may just do it better. After all there have been many women who have made it big in the business world, take Oprah Winfrey who is not only a successful anchorperson, but she is a great financial wizard and handles her multi-million dollar company herself.

Our own women have done great things, unfortunately we seem to have no interest to find out who they are. Take Dr. Shamshad Akhtar who is the Governor, State Bank of Pakistan. She is the first woman and the 14th Governor of the State Bank since its inception in July, 1948. She brings rich experience, both national and international, to her new assignment.

Coming back to choosing the right profession, it is important to follow your heart. Otherwise you will become one of the many who study just for the sake of getting a degree in the field that their parents' chose for them.

Certain fields are considered a no-no for most people, especially girls, since they are considered to be 'liberal'. But this is a wrong perception; no professional field is liberal or conservative. This depends on the attitude of the people that work in that particular field and also on the person's aptitude to excel in any field.

To avoid being in a profession that doesn't appeal to them, students should sit their parents down and discuss what they would like to do, what would be feasible for them in the future and whether they would be successful. It is not a matter of a day or two but your whole life revolves around that one decision - whether you avail it and succeed or just get a degree and disregard it.

Parents should also be careful how they treat their children. Siblings should not be treated differently; this will affect their attitude towards each other. And also affect the path they wish to choose for the future. For a parent, at least in this dynamic world, a son and daughter should be equal. And the logic of 'investing' in the son to secure one's future has also become an old wives' tale, since now sons usually don't support their families. Sometimes their daughters shoulder this burden as well as a son could, if not better.

And for all the women with low self esteem and shaky self confidence, it's time to stand up and take your life in your own hands. God endowed you with a brain just like the males, so make use of this grey matter and improve your life. It is basically your decision, and only you can make it.

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The Choice is Yours!