Figure out your strengths

Q I study in Class X. After my board exams, I have decided to take up Science in Class XI because I love the subject. But have a problem with Mathematics. I am slow and don't have the confidence to tackle certain sums. My dream is to get a job abroad. Please suggest how I can plan my career. I like Geography, Biology, Physics and, to a certain extent, Mathematics.

Sohini Dey

Since you like Mathematics, it may be worth your while to take additional training in the subject so that you can overcome your low self-confidence. Regularly solving a set number of sums in say, two hours, will help increase your speed. Even if you decide not to take up Mathematics in Class XI, I suggest that you practise sums during your vacation as this will increase your willingness to try your hand at it later in life.

You sound like a sensible person but "getting a job abroad" seems a very vague goal to set. Unless you love the work you do, you will probably not enjoy the life you have, irrespective of where you stay. A more worthwhile way to plan your career would be to identify your strengths and then match them to a career that requires them. For instance, in classes XI and XII, make a note of which chapters in each of your science subjects you enjoy the most. Additionally, look at your extra-curricular activities and see in which areas you excel. Working with your strengths is the first golden rule of career planning. The second is to focus upon what you can learn today and try and be as good at it as possible. Sometimes, students get so taken up with what they want to be and do when they are 30 years old that they forget to lay the necessary foundation for it when they are 18. Therefore, while you are in school, look around and see what academic as well as soft skills you can learn. You could perhaps think of learning a foreign language or volunteering at an NGO. You could also form a science club in school or invite a friend's parent over to give a short talk about his or her career.

If you like travelling, take short trips to interesting areas nearby and document that experience on your travel blog. Form an explorers' club and, together with your friends and a friendly adult, nose around a different part of the city every weekend. This will teach you new things and also help make you capable of understanding new people.

Once you start excelling on a weekly basis, you will find that, over a period of time, you have managed to build a resume which will automatically make you eligible to win the best opportunities in India or abroad.

Mission fashion

Q I am in Class IX. I want to become a successful fashion designer. How should I prepare for it?

Arati Jena

This is the right time to figure out the skills required to crack the entrance exams to reputed design schools such as the National Institute of Fashion Design (Nift) or National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad or IIT Bombay. You may discover that you have to hone your drawing skills. Apart from sketching skills, the tests examine your creativity and ability to visualise. They also examine your spacial as well as your observational skills. All these are vital to succeed in the world of design.

This, however, is not the time to take extra coaching for the entrance exams. Use this time to actually develop these skills. Since you are only in Class IX, you have plenty of time to take classes and develop the necessary skills. Keep a record of the work that you create (take photos if it is not possible to keep everything physically). It will help you analyse your progress and figure out your strengths and weaknesses. Don't just stick to sketching; experiment with different mediums such as photography and model making. Creativity is sparked off by doing different things.

By the time you are in Class XII, you will be able to figure out if you have a future in fashion.

Shivani Manchanda has masters degrees in career counselling and child development. She has been counselling about opportunities in India and abroad since 1991. Mail your queries to telegraphyou@ gmail.com with Ask Shivani in the subject line