Opinion | Career Phobia A Free Choice or Dictation

Most of the choices we make everyday are often simple and smooth e.g., breakfast, lunch, dinner, shopping, clothing etc. although these practices have also become complicated but in normal sense they do not cause stress or inner turmoil. But when it comes to “career decision” all inner conflicts strife, stress arises here. The question is what is the reason behind that? whether it is due to social, emotional or family pressures or lack of proper guidance. Decision making is quite tough when it is related to your career particularly when there may not be right answer, despite your best efforts it is not always clear what to do next and it gives birth to career phobia which becomes a stigma generation after generation which leads to the emotional as well as mental breakdown. As children we were often enquired what is your career goal, and we passionately answered in particular to be a doctor or an engineer. But as we get older our childhood ambitions morphed into more realistic choices influenced by the ever changing work around us. One irrational decision can mess-up it all and its consequences come as failure but even Allama Iqbal says that, “failure is not fatal until we surrender; trying again is the key of glorious victory.” Career phobia may enroot when you are enormously unhappy with your position or when your family is in a difficult financial situation. In such a situation you will approach anyone ranging from your mother to a stranger aside your seat in the bus, and you start seeking advices indiscriminately. This type of “polling” is done in an attempt to feel better but multiple advices can make you more uncomfortable and you will become more anxious. Career decisions can lead to mental discomforts but having control over it; can lead to illuminating development of your career. Career transition stage can leave you stuck, whether to go for the medical field or to go for civil services which among them can become life and family support in future, but you have to be honest with your inner thoughts and desires because you are not making opportunities to feed others but for yourself first. When a person is stable, then a group, a community and a society can be stable, but when base is unstable it can be a cause of social instability. Criticism from family and friends or hiding decisions altogether is also bad signs you are making or you could regret in the future. When you make a final decision, try to be faithful with it and at initial stage train your mind to face every situation, whether positive or negative. Most of the stress, tension, anxiety and frustration comes from doing one thing while you believe and value something completely different, that is the situation of “by chance, but not by choice” which we often do in career decision making. To by-pass these situations try to find your inner passion and know what you want to do and what is meant for you. William James (Harvard School’s most distinguished Professor of Psychology) wrote six sentences that could have a profound effect on your life, six sentences that are the open sesame to Ali Baba’s treasure cave of courage, “in almost any subject your passion for the subject will save you, if you care enough for a result you will most certainly attain it, if you wish to be good you will be good, if you wish to be rich you will be rich, if you wish to be leaned you will be learned, only then you must really wish these things and wish them with exclusiveness and not wish one hundred other incompatible just as strongly.” By adopting these suggestions, you will never get career fear. Choosing wrong field, irrational decision, peer pressure, comparing you to another can turn it into abnormal fear and gives space to career phobia among youth and can spread like cells of incurable diseases. It is a fact that good career paves the way to economic security and the line “only money can buy happiness” is giving it pace to be dreadful because an occupation, earning potential is a major consideration for most when deciding on a suitable career and many people crushed their other skills or potentials while searching for an earning potential field under career phobia but when they realise it time leaves no chance for them. Almost at every stage of your life you fail, when you think that if my friend has choose medical field then why not I. He fails to understand that his potential, his capacity, his power is meant for other things. In our society when we talk on career only three-four professions comes into our mind, like doctor, engineer, lawyer, etc but society fails to recognise that his/her real domain, skills, potential, calibre is something different. A man can make his career in sports, photography, cooking, singing, etc. But later on when society see him doing these things they only start judging them and then make decisions “what is in it” and go for NEET, CLAT, JEE exams and disappointment catches its momentum and he becomes the victim of career fear or phobia. In the process of career building both de trop leniency as well as excessive seriousness can lead things into the wrong way; you have to make neutrality between things. When a person becomes de trop lenient, he can miss many important steps, on the other hand when he isolates himself from society he can disconnect from world happenings which is also not a good sign in career construction. In recent times the pressure of finding suitable career is increasing significantly and it leads to the mental disorders. During obtaining this milestone individuals often get through many difficult experiences. Due to depression, anxiety, less courage many careers may fail to get underway. In recent times career uncertainty is at peak, even some of those who have decided what to do in the future are still feeling what would happen in their career journey, will it work or not, is it best or not, is it of worth or not, all these uncertainties result into future phobia. This problem is not rare but 90% are almost facing this problem. Most of the youth is getting frustrated while searching a suitable and compatible career and this frustration is growing day by day. Youth, these days are combating with the career stress. “I am frustrated in my life” this sentence comes from almost everyone that we meet today. Suicide cases are increasing day by day not only in India but everywhere, because career decides our lifestyle and when it seems that career is not influential, emotional as well as mental stress come over and suicide tendencies increase within youth. While choosing a career one must recognise his true passion but the problem is when a person tries to tell about his passion, the responses are not likely to be positive and this kind of de-motivation can be a hurdle in the journey of career construction. Most of the youth feel pressured by their parents and society to end up in a well paying career. Most of youth’s career are pre decided by their parents “my son will become a doctor, my daughter will become an engineer” but later on when they get aware of their interests the war with the emotions log on.

Conclusion: To fix a goal worth achieving is a matter of one’s own choice and others cannot be the owner’s of your choices. What lies within you, what are your intrinsic qualities and skills will work for you while achieving your goals. I am the author of my book on my life, how come will the deeds of others save me.

About Writer : Snober Amin
Law Student at Sopore Law College
Snoberamin024@gmail.com