Sudhir had decided that he would become an engineer like his father or a computer programmer like his uncle. It therefore came as a rude shock to him when he failed in Std.XII in the science stream. He tried to clear his papers first in September, then in March of the following year and then once again in September but without success. Sudhir felt helpless and trapped.
One day one of his cousins happened to see some of his botanical drawings and casually remarked that Sudhir seemed to have a flair for drawing flowers and plants. That remark changed Sudhir's life. Suddenly he knew what he wanted to do — draw!
He joined a 5-year course in commercial art and immediately realised he had found his true vocation. He will be graduating this year and then he will be a full-fledged commercial artist.
"I only wish my cousin had seen my drawings earlier," he says ruefully.
Sheela scored 90 per cent in her HSC, but to her parents’ surprise, she didn’t want to try for admission to the I.I.T. or medical college. She wanted to major in English Literature!
“While I was good at Maths and Science, I didn’t particularly like the subjects,” says Sheela. “But I loved Literature!”
When the time comes for teenagers to decide upon a career, many of them are not ready to make a choice.
“Our schools give us exposure only to Physics, Chemistry or Biology,” says Sheela. “Even those of us who opt for B.Com. do not really know what Commerce or Economics is about.”
When you come across a huge boulder in your path you have three choices before you if you want to progress further: you can push it aside, you can go round it — or you can go back to see whether you can take a new route altogether.
Changing track can help you find your niche in life, but before you change you should make sure the new path you have chosen is the right one for you.