How can I cope with parental/family pressure?

Parents want the best for their children but at times, influenced by their own conditioning and past experiences, tend to pressure their children to meet success targets.

This scenario, however, has changed a lot. Here are some tips to handle the situation and get your parents to understand you better:

1. Don’t isolate yourself: Open channels of communication with your parents and share your thoughts, feelings, successes and plans with them.

2. Don’t be rebellious: While taking a stand, avoid unnecessary confrontation with your parents, as this will worsen the situation. Even if you’re upset, always be respectful in your communication.

3. Get help from within the family: Share your problem with a trusted elder who can effectively present your point of view to your parents.

4. Seek professional help: If you feel that despite repeated efforts to communicate your decision, you’ve not received the response that you were hoping for, then it is advisable to consult a trained and experienced counsellor.

Why is there so much anxiety, stress and depression among students?

Our work as career counsellors across the country has revealed that today many more students are suffering from anxiety, depression and other emotional disorders because of parental pressure to secure marks above 90%, regardless of their potential. They also feel pressured to take up subjects/careers that don’t match their aptitudes/interests. Many have complained of unfair comparison, constant nagging and lack of appreciation for their accomplishments.

All this leads to a stressful life wherein sleep-deprived students rush from school for tuitions and entrance exam coaching centers without getting any time to relax and unwind. Many children also lead a solitary life at home, as the practice of a family meal with pleasant conversations or playing agame together is rare.

Post 2020, multiple lockdowns and physical distancing norms have further aggravated stressfulemotions - not just in children but also in parents.

Thus, there is an increasing communication gap between parents and their ‘Generation Z’ children.Some of the other serious psychological problems among youngsters, today, are related togaming/social media addiction, easy access to pornography and drugs, sexual abuse, bullying, andphysical and emotional violence with negligible access to trained counsellors.In all these situations, we advise you to immediately connect with an experienced counsellor to seekhelp.

What are the career prospects with Liberal Arts?

Liberal Arts is trending and there is a definite move from STEM to STEAM, wherein the ‘A’ stands for Arts. This field offers a wide range of interdisciplinary courses across the Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts.

Almost every career field, except medical and engineering related options, are open for a Liberal Arts student. This is because it inculcates cognitive thinking along with some top employability skills, resulting in:

Knowledge of a wide range of subjects
Enhancement of higher order thinking skills, empathy, design thinking, creativity, etc.
Acquisition of transferable employability skills like written and verbal communication, teamwork and leadership

Liberal Arts graduates in high demand by tech firms

Top tech companies such as Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft are actively hiring students witha background of Liberal Arts. An important reason is because they need to humanise their AI systems(robots and chatbots) with empathy, creativity and intuitive responses.

Multiple Paths

You can go in for specialisations in a specific subject, e.g. history, geography, psychology,economics, etc.
You can also opt for interdisciplinary studies i.e. combine subjects and chart your pathway tointeresting, emerging specialisations such as cliodynamics (math and history), behaviouraleconomics (psychology and economics) and many more.
A host of other career fields are also open for you, irrespective of the subject combinationyou have in Grade 12. These include Advertising & PR, Banking, Design, Law, Education,Government & Defence Services, Hospitality, Management, Mass Communication, SocialWork, etc.

Is Cyber Safety a trending career option?

The pandemic exponentially accelerated the need for digital profiles. As people started working from home, the need for data protection was felt more than ever. So, if you’re interested in working as a cyber security professional, there is no dearth of jobs for you.

Here’s an indicative list of some of the job profiles in the field:

‍1. Network Security Engineer

You will make sure that online threats are countered and checked through strict implementation of all security systems.

2. Security Analyst

‍ In this profile, you will help in planning, implementing and upgrading security measures. You’ll monitor and audit security access and conduct tests.

3. Security Architect

‍Here, you will help design the network and cyber safety architecture for an organisation based on its needs. You will also develop the policies and procedures for how the employees use the security systems.

4. Security Manager

‍You will ensure the maintenance of security protocols throughout the organisation.

5. Chief Information Security Officer

‍This is a senior-level executive position. The CISO is responsible for ensuring that the company’s cyber security plan is in tune with the business goals and operations.6. There are also emerging and trending specialisations such as that of a Cyber Lawyer. If you have a passion for both computers and law, then this could be your calling .

What is different in NEP 2020? How does it impact subject selection?

The New National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has projected a vision that will introduce the best practices mandated by the 21st century educational requirements.

Here’s a look at how NEP 2020 will benefit students:

* The curriculum in all subjects to be reduced to the core essentials
‍
* Interactive teaching with reduced dependency on textbook learning
‍
* Focus on critical thinking, inquiry, creativity, discovery, and analysis-based teaching-learning methods for holistic education
‍
* Experiential learning through fun, creative, collaborative and exploratory activities
‍
* Doing away with Arts, Science and Commerce streams, with students being able to choose multidisciplinary subjects
‍
* Transforming the culture of assessment with reforms in the board exams
‍
* Multiple pathways to learning (both formal and informal)
‍
* Equal weightage to curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities
‍
* Reforms in Higher Education with suitable changes in eligibility criteria for a smooth transition from school to college/university

The curriculum will also include Artificial Intelligence, Design Thinking, Holistic Health, Organic Living, Environmental Education and Global Citizenship Education.

This will ensure all-round development for students, making them future ready with careers of their choice.

Why do so many people hate their jobs?

Reason 1 - Wrong career choice

You did not take into account what you are good at and what you enjoydoing. Both aptitudes and interests should be considered.
Insufficient information about your chosen field.
Making choices based on family and peer pressure.
Misplaced priorities such as looking only at the salary; going for a ‘prestigious’ job, etc.

Reason 2 - Evolving career interests

As you journey in life, you grow in knowledge and experience. You also acquire newer career interests. In such a situation, take a relook at your job profile and reflect deeply on whether you need to change tracks.

Other reasons can be a demotivating work environment, stagnation, unhappiness in personal life or poor health. If your job dissatisfaction is stemming from reasons 1 & 2, we recommend in-depth career counselling. If there are other reasons, mentoring can greatly improve your life situation.

There’s no point in continuing with a job that you hate. So, seek timely career/life advice.

What should I do if I am in the wrong career?

First and foremost, remember, it is never too late to achieve something. There are numerous instances of persons who for various reasons could not embark on a career path of their choice but had successful professional innings later on in life.

Start by recognising your accomplishments so far, your aptitudes, interests and aspirations. Based on these insights, shortlist careers of your choice and acquire the necessary knowledge and skills. Fortunately, many cutting-edge online upskilling courses are available, which will empower you to be future-ready.

It is always advisable to seek the expert guidance of an experienced career counsellor who can help you make timely decisions based on the above parameters.

What is a mid-career crisis? How can one resolve it?

A mid-career crisis can strike you as early as a few years into your job. Take a pause to reflect on the following:

Do I feel a sense of stagnation?
Am I bored most of the time while carrying out my work duties?
Am I experiencing no joy and meaning in my job?
Am I unable to visualise a happy future in my current settings?
Do I have the urge to break free and do something very different?

If your answer to most of the above questions is a firm yes, then you are facing a mid-career crisis.

To tackle this, reflect on your:

Core competencies
Deep driving interests
Personality traits
Aspirations
The kind of work that would appeal to you at your current stage

Seeking expert help will help you move in the right direction, change tracks if necessary, and take up specialised upskilling courses to expand your knowledge and skills.

Do I really need to work in a 9-to-5 job if I make sufficient money?

You don’t need a 9-to-5 job but you need to be productively engaged and tap your potential to the fullest. There are other ways to add meaning to your life while also ensuring that you’re financially independent.

Today, with more organisations offering flexi working hours, you can create a work-life balance and don’t have to put in the standard 9-to-5 hours. Choose what fits in best with your career interests, aptitudes, personality and circumstances. Taking expert advice to arrive at your best-fit career portfolio is recommended.

How is freelancing as a career option?

Freelancing is a good option if you want to be your own boss. In today’s gig economy, many positions are being outsourced to freelancers. However, you first need to identify what you are great at (your skills) and how you can use your abilities to earn a living (the opportunities).

Here are some freelancing career options that you consider depending on your skill sets:

Content Writing & Editing
Web & Graphic Designing UI/UX
Website/App Development
Website/App Testing
Translation
Tutoring/counselling/mentoring
Media fields - Filmmaking (script/ screenplay writing, film editing, music mixing, etc.); Journalism
Performing Arts
Consultancy services in different areas - marketing, management, law, legal drafting, etc.
Income Tax / Insurance

FAQs

Meet the
Team

+91

About ICS

Students

Professionals

Schools

Campuses

Career
Counselling

We are Global

Head office: Lucknow, India

Copyright@ics

FAQs

Meet theTeam

+91

About ICS

Students

Professionals

Schools

Campuses

CareerCounselling

We are Global

Head office: Lucknow, India

Copyright@ics

School List

International

School Name

Place

Dates

Place

Meet the
Team

Career
Counselling