“I want to be a cooker”, announced my four year old son, as he watched me cook the meal for the day. Kitchen was the best place in the whole house, for him. Here he got “Food” with capital “F”. But to his credit, he helped me cheerfully in every task that I assigned to him whether in kitchen or outside- prattling around, carefully balancing the dishes and their contents. Soon he was expert in making tea, coffee, Maggi noodles and different forms of eggs.
That was eleven years ago. Some where along the line he found my attempts at baking not reaching upto his high standards. At that point he asked for a good oven as his birthday present. I was more than happy to oblige. So he started with simple mug cakes, graduating to chocolate cake and to fancy orange and walnut cakes. Nowadays his walnut pies and apple cinnamon pies are too good to be true.
So, it was but evident that he will choose his career in baking. The searching and googling for the institutions and courses commenced. Sadly enough, there are courses in Hotel Management where one can specialize in baking but a specific graduate course for baking and entrepreneurship was conspicuous by absence and this enterprising career fell flat.
At the age of fourteen, the child prodigy had a book of poems published so he changed his mind and realized that he can study English, and he zeroed upon the career of a writer. His decision was further strengthened after his meeting with Ruskin Bond in the school. Unfortunately the sales of his book were nowhere near the sales of his favourite author Rick Riordan and this career was quietly written off.
As he reached class tenth, he was quite clear that he wanted to be ‘An Evolutionary Biologist’. I looked at him askance and asked him the road map for the same. He nonchalantly answered, “ I am too busy with studies, you can find everything on the net, I guess.” With no other option but to comply, I googled it. It seems that this option is available at advanced research stage. Before that graduation and post-graduation needs to be completed with biology as a subject and that open the doors for research. But What after Research? The question required research and enquiry.
Of course kids cannot think that far ahead. For him immediate goal was to study biology. Slowly he realized that biology is not as easy as it seems. In Indian context he has to study Physics and Chemistry also along with it and Biology is unfortunately two independent subjects – Botany and Zoology. The problems compounded and expanded.
Doing the rounds of local science coaching institutes, we came across an institute providing training for pilots. The glamour over shadowed prudent thoughts and in we went to enquire in detail. At home, armed with glossy brochures and visiting cards, we settled down to discuss. Like a true finance professional, I made a cost benefit analysis sheet, and added to that the scarcity of jobs for pilots, were a big damper. Thankfully, the idea did not take off.
So we are at the end of our tether (sorry tenth) and no career choice has been made.
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