Figure out your strengths
Q I am a student of Class XI. I want to pursue engineering. Both my parents are doctors and want me to become one too. They think I am not very good in Maths, though I don't agree. I have taken up both Maths and Biology for Plus Two but what should I do?
Angelina Banerjee
I suggest that you work hard at both Biology and Maths now. If you can score well in Maths, it will give you (and your parents) proof that you are good at it. You could also get your Maths teachers' feedback on your problem solving skills.
These days, engineering and medical professionals work side by side. Biomedical engineers, for instance, can be trained doctors or biologists. In fact, a lot of medical problems are now being solved by the use of technology. For example, all the devices in a hospital that doctors use to aid diagnosis or treatment are created by engineers. Similarly, the artificial limbs that doctors implant are developed by technologists. So irrespective of whether you choose to study engineering or medicine, in the long run it may be possible to work in inter-disciplinary areas.
Do you naturally move towards quantitative problems? Do you like to work with your hands? Do you like to work with computers? And are you performing close to the top of your class academically? If the answers to most of these questions are "yes", engineering could be an option. If you are good in Maths, you could also consider a bachelor's, and later a master's, degree in Maths and Statistics. If, on the other hand, you enjoy Biology and excel at Chemistry, medicine is a better option.
There are no good or bad careers; it is how good you are in the subject you pick that will make a difference. Soft skills such as communication, the ability to listen and be a team player will decide whether you succeed in life.
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
