Why Are Indian Parents Very Interested In Engineering
One thing Indian parents love more than anything else in the world is engineering. No matter what their kids are interested in, they need to do engineering first and then search for their talents. This has been the standard for a very long time. Nobody knows exactly why Indians are so obsessed with engineering. It might have to do with the fact that there are a lot of Engineers who have jobs in the country. Just like the 10th standard is common in most countries. Here in India, they make sure to do up to engineering for sure.
Many Indians see engineering as a symbol of prestige and respect. They give a lot of importance to white-collar jobs. So they make sure the kids are given a lot of education. That’s why the education business is a really big market in India. A lot of students study for IIT and NIT, which is one of the hardest exams in the world. All so that they can become engineers.
Unlike other countries where the kids are given the freedom to choose what they like. Some of them become musicians, others become gamers or influencers. But that much freedom is not possible in India. Even though this is changing as the years pass by, a lot of kids don’t have the same luck to choose what they like.
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India produces more engineering graduates than anywhere else in the world. More than 20 lakh engineering graduates every single year. Due to so many students, many are not able to find a good job. And most of them don’t even understand what engineering is. They just mug up the syllabus and finish their exams. They don’t have the passion to do it.
Indian parents are more interested in what their relatives think rather than what the kid wants to do. Each kid is special in their way. Your kid might be a talented singer or a dancer. He could also bring a gold medal in the Olympics to India. But most parents don’t care about this. I am not saying that they are wrong in any way. But it’s how all of them have turned out to be.
One of the main reasons why they choose engineering is for the job security. When a student joins a tech company as an engineer. They stay in that job for nearly 10 years or more. This is the average of how the Indian market is. Some graduates have stayed in the same job for over 20 years as well. That is the fixed salary which slowly grows as you get promoted. They would not need to worry about the money. This forces them to join engineering instead of searching for their talent. They would be able to improve their financial situation and also help their family as well.
As the number of Engineering graduates is growing, there is also a huge demand for engineers in different industries. Such as manufacturing, software, construction, mechanical, and many more. Most of the jobs in India are in the engineering sector.
And nowadays there are a lot of students going to the USA so they can earn a lot more money for a similar skill. They go to the United States to do their Masters after having a couple of years of work experience in India. A lot of engineers in the USA are Indians more than in any other country. It has become kind of a tradition for kids to do engineering since the beginning.
Another profession they like is doctor. This is because the doctor is one of the most prestigious positions in India. They treat doctors as Gods here. But not as many people as engineers graduate with a doctorate. That is because it is a lot costlier to get your MBA certificate and become a doctor. It will cost nearly 1 crore to do all these things and will take a much longer time. Engineering is a lot easier compared to becoming a doctor.
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The main Expectation of Indian parents is to make sure their head gets a good job and a stable income. In other countries, the parents make sure the kids are happy in what they do. That is more important to them. That’s why Indians save a lot more money compared to others.
There is pressure among the students to complete engineering and get an engineering job. This is because most of their friends in the same circle do the same thing. It’s like how ants follow each other, they go on the same path. So if one changes the direction all of them go along with it. So it’s hard for a student to choose a different profession. They worry about what the future might hold. That’s why they choose engineering even though they don’t like it.
The education system is also an issue as to why most of the students choose engineering. From a young age, they start preparing the kids for exams and mathematics related to Engineering topics. No kid asks for this, but it’s what happens. They even have IIT coaching for kids as young as the third standard. How are they supposed to learn their talent if they are taught to study engineering since childhood?
Countries like the USA and Australia bring a lot of medals to the Olympics because they give a lot more importance to Sports. That’s not the same in India. They give very little importance to extracurricular activities such as cricket, soccer, and hockey. The thing that has a stable life is if they choose that path. So they force them to study engineering and do the same job that everyone else does.
A lot of students don’t have the information and Awareness of what other amazing jobs are there in the world. All they see is Engineering or doctor. So that’s what makes them do the same. If this keeps on going, we won’t be able to see any natural talent in a few years. Teachers teach kids to learn what they like and choose that as a career path. In that way, they will be a lot happier doing that job.
Also, there is a lot of media attention on engineering graduates getting very high packages and working in large companies. After parents see this on TV or here the radio, they expect the same to happen with their kids. But that’s not the case. There might be a student who is good at boxing but is weak in studies. He would not see growth if he kept on working in the engineering sector
That’s why kids need to find their path. So that they can find out what they are good at. It is said that if people do what they love, they will be a lot happier and live a lot longer. And it won’t even feel like difficult work. Because you would be enjoying while you do it. Many people don’t have a stable income but are a lot richer than those who do. If engineering is your passion, then there is no problem with you pursuing it. But if it’s not what makes you interested, try to find out what it is you are good at. So that you can make it your career and have a great life.
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