Results and Parents

Exams panic students and results panic parents. This phenomenon has been on forever and will be on forever. But this year, there has been relief for both. No exams for students and amazing results for all – seems to be a win-win situation. We still follow the age old rule of equating certain marks with some specific careers and decide accordingly. The conventional mind set has not changed much especially in career choices. Certainly, the result becomes the magical key to open the doors of the dream Institutes to pursue their goals. But that is just one side of the story.

There are many examples of students, who in spite of not scoring very well, have done well because of right career choice and those who scored very well, were not able to handle the pressures of the course chosen and were struggling even to complete the course. And with the emergence of more and more careers, there are options available, this decision is more crucial than ever. What one needs, is the information and an ability to see beyond the blinkers. We need to understand that results and marks is just the first step towards career choices.

So, while deciding the courses to be taken, parents should bear in mind that they should consider objectively the following:

• Whether the marks obtained reflect your child’s true ability – analyse the conceptual understanding of your child about a subject and the marks obtained in each subject
• The subjects that are naturally easy or difficult for your child
• Your child’s genuine interest
• Your child’s orientation towards academics i.e. some careers requires longer hours and years of study, so find your child’s preparedness for the same
• Opportunities of higher studies, whether in India or abroad
• Financial resources required
• The time duration you are comfortable with for your child to study i.e. how many years are you ready to wait until your child settles in employment or self-employment
• Back-up option, in case your child doesn’t obtain seat in preferred college or course

If you are still unsure of the information that you have gathered or about your child’s capability, seek professional advice by undergoing aptitude test. Parents should remember that the importance of academic performance cannot be negated, but it surely isn’t the only parameter of success. What’s essential is – the knowledge, the conceptual clarity and the implementation of the knowledge acquired; so help your child decide with objectivity and scientific analysis.