The V3 Column

Original dream

Shaz, Ruwi and Sachi

“Doctors... engineers... and more doctors,” Ruwi was muttering as she went through the notes of her interview she had with a group of children from a school in the city. Shaz picked up her ears and gave Ruwi a sideway glance as she leafed through a copy of the Daily News ‘Zoom’.

Sachi too perked up after answering a text message. Noticing that she had drawn the attention of her mates, Ruwi said: “Would you believe it? I interviewed 15 kids from grade five today and there were seven who wanted to become a doctor, three wished to be engineers and two vying to be lawyers.

Whenever I interview a child artiste and ask for their future goal, pat comes the reply - a doctor or an engineer. Are these actually theirs or their parents?” “Some parents force their children to study science or maths. In my case my parents allowed us to choose the fields we wished to excel.

They were very happy when I chose a profession related to the media,” Sachi said.

“I took up IT after school and naturally my parents wished me to follow the IT field. I started as an IT recruiter and found the job such a bore! However when I took to advertising thereafter, I could make use of my IT knowledge. There are times when you can use your knowledge to take up another profession,” said Shaz looking at things in a positive light.

“I believe some of them try to live their dream through their kids. One of my friends was forced to follow science when she had genuine interest towards arts and literature. She didn’t pass the exam but ended up taking a job at a bank, something totally different from the subjects she had learnt at school. Now she is not happy with the job, it seems.” Ruwi added.

“What was your first ambition?,” Shaz quizzed.

“I didn’t have a proper one. There were so many to choose from but being the President must have been the top of the list,” Sachi replied drawing looks of amusement from the girls. “Well really? Thank god that dream didn’t come to pass... Mine was a bit weird too. I am always eager to explore the unknown so going to space was a big deal during that time, so I wished to become an astronaut! “ Ruwi replied looking bashful. More giggles followed till Ruwi shot the question back to Shaz.

“I wanted to be a teacher but as time passed that dream blurred as I didn’t really like it. However I see a similarity in teaching and what journalism as we teach people about what is happening around them,” Shaz noted with satisfaction.

“University lecturers have a lot of perks in their career like being given one year paid leave to do research. However the trouble is some of them do not return to the country after their scholarships as they get opportunities to earn wealth there.

That’s the primary cause of the brain-drain situation in the country,” Sachi expressed, moving the conversation to a different angle. Shaz took the cue and added her views: “You will be able to earn anywhere near that amount only if you work really hard here. No wonder people prefer the easy way out.”

“A person becomes aware of his or her capabilities to some extent by the time they have reached their A\L classes. They should make up their mind on which field to pursue by then,” Ruwi chipped in.

Sachi continued: “There are some students who fail in a particular stream but take arts as a substitute mere to get through the examination and find a job. So arts has become an area for filtered people.

People look down upon the stream and that is very wrong because art not only develops the knowledge but your personality as well.” Shaz agrees and goes on to add: “I guess all four subjects have their own perks.

It is a matter of being smart enough to achieve the benefits. With a bit of luck and hard work one can go a long way up the professional ladder and become one of the most sought after person in the field.”

“It is not a matter of whether you inherit the profession from your parents or whether it is one of your own choice but if you have a knack for the profession you might end up with in a better state than being a doctor, engineer or any of the other ‘prestigious’ professions. After all it is not a sin to follow your original dream,” Ruwi concluded dreamily as she was imagining getting on a rocket and making off from Mars with a pack of aliens hot on pursuit.

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