Pressure to become ‘doctor or engineer’ misguided, students say

Sharjah: Between family pressures and lack of career counselling in schools, students are stuck in the middle wondering what career path to take.

These concerns were raised by universities and students yesterday at the inauguration of the International Education Show, which aims to provide a platform for universities and students to discuss possible career paths.

“Either you become a doctor or an engineer, that is the Arab parent mentality,” said Ahmad Mohy Al Deen, Director of Marketing at the American University in the Emirates.

Al Deen, who was answering students’ questions about his university’s offerings all day, said he noticed that most of the students were uncertain about what majors to study.

“Lack of career counselling is a problem in all Arab countries. The only direction they are given is that you should become a doctor or an engineer. Awareness should be raised that the market has changed and more fulfilling and lucrative careers have emerged.”

Jordanian Batool Suwaidi, who is in grade 11, dreams of becoming a fashion designer but she said her parents are pressuring her to become a dentist believing that it is a wiser and safer career path. “It all depends on my IB grades and to be honest I hope that they don’t qualify me for medicine because I don’t know how to convince then with my decision otherwise.”

Batool said if her parents insist she will study dentistry and pursue fashion design as a hobby.

Hind Al Hussain, a 17-year-old Emirati student in grade 12, said her father has been encouraging her to become a doctor from a young age.

“At the beginning my dad wanted me to become a doctor but now I want to as well. I guess you can say that he put the idea in my head.”

Hind said she did not research about any other major and she was attending the exhibition to look for an appropriate medical school.

Pointing at the large number of students at his medical university’s stand, Atiq Rahman, Senior Managing Director at the RAK Medical and Health Science University, said demand for medicine-related majors has always been high.

“There is big demand for medicine. I believe in the past it used to be the parents’ wish for students to become doctors but with the advancement in technology, students have become powerful and capable of making their own decisions through online research.”

Family pressures are not only restricted to what major a student should take up. They can also be cultural as Emirati Amal Al Rumaithi’s case proved. She told Gulf News she wanted to become a mechanical engineer but because the uniform she has to wear is tight, her mother did not allow her to pursue her dream.

“She told me that wearing the uniform and going to mechanical shops for training was inappropriate for an Emirati girl. So I have to look for another major. I don’t have anything else in mind, so I am here to look at what universities are offering.”

Associate professor of Humanities at Skyline University College Anthony David Miller stressed the importance of career counselling, adding that he has also noticed most students were uncertain about their career paths.

“I did most of the asking to try to figure out where their interests lie because most of them did not know what they want. Career counselling is needed. If they do not know what they want a good counsellor would help them figure it out.”