Right from the eighth grade, in every academic session, the class teacher used to ask the same question, ‘What do you want to become when you grow up?’ The boy would give only one answer, ‘Don’t know yet.’ Whereas the ambitions of classmates were already decided – doctor, engineer, pilot or banker. This boy was always ‘un-decided’. The teacher felt that she was a slow learner, so she did not pressurize her to answer. But they did not know that his dream was more unique than others. His father was a cobbler and he had been watching him make footwear for 13 years. Every stitch, every sole and every customer became his school. Secretly a dream had blossomed within him. Not that he wants to become a cobbler, but that one day he will make his father the chairman of his own shoe company. But due to fear of Jagansai, he did not share the dream with anyone. One afternoon the teacher saw him engrossed in the process of making shoes. The next week he called the owner of a shoe company into class. As the session progressed, the quiet boy completely changed. He asked questions on leather grade, moulds, production line, quality control, export, machinery, supply chain and branding. The entrepreneur was surprised. Most of the students also heard these words for the first time, but the boy was speaking the language of the industry. The entrepreneur immediately recognized his curiosity, which books could never satisfy. At the end of the session, he offered the boy an internship with a stipend during the holidays and also promised to mentor him. This opportunity gave direction to his dream. This is not just an inspiring story. This reflects the philosophy of California’s ‘Linked Learning Alliance’. It is a non-profit organization that is partnering with schools to create over 600 career pathways for over 3.30 lakh students. Instead of fitting into a few traditional professions, students here explore diverse fields like agriculture, entertainment and public policy. Linked Learning not only hosts speeches from experts, but also helps students earn college credit through dual enrollment and earn industry-recognized certifications. Here education gets connected to real life instead of being limited to the classroom. In this initiative, special attention is given to students from economically deprived families, so that their talent does not suffocate due to the compulsion of circumstances. Many of these participants may never pursue a traditional college education, yet they graduate with their skills, confidence, and career opportunities enhanced. Another specialty of this initiative is the continuous feedback. After each project, students present their work to industry experts, who test not only knowledge but also qualities like curiosity, communication, patience and problem-solving. Teachers incorporate that feedback into classroom learning, so that every child continues to progress in studies according to his/her strengths. Many times the results are not directly related to the basic interest of the student. A student interested in history can become a pediatrician in future. But his knack for patiently understanding a person’s story, asking thoughtful questions, and connecting seemingly unrelated facts is what makes him an extraordinary doctor. Interest develops abilities that are often more important than the subject itself. Perhaps schools have been asking children wrong questions till now. ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ Instead they should ask, ‘What is it that you don’t realize the time? What issue excites you? What are you naturally curious about? Careers may change many times in life, but curiosity changes rarely. The biggest responsibility of education is not to prepare doctors, engineers or entrepreneurs. His responsibility is to spot a child’s hidden talent early enough so that they can begin to believe in themselves – before the world tells them what they cannot be. The bottom line is that the future belongs to those people who know what they really like to do and are given the opportunity to pursue that work.
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N. Raghuraman’s Column: We should move beyond career counseling towards curiosity counselling.
