Please enter your Mobile Number and Education Level to proceed.
Hi. I am 16 years old currently in 12th std from Chandrapur, Maharashtra. My parents are doctors and have a good setup here. But I don't know why I never felt like being a doctor myself. I was always drawn towards literature and I still am. I know one can be a doctor and then write books but I never see myself handling two professions because writing is not just a hobby but much more to me. I know all the pros of being a doctor but I just feel it is not my cup of tea as I don't usually score good in science. However, it was always english which brought my overall score up and made me confident. Is it right to take up english literature as a career? Or are there any other choices which won't exactly need me to take medical but let me do what I want to?
@meghnamukherjee I think you can answer this in an interesting way
Hi There,
Interesting, you are pulled in between two career options.One that you wish to pursue and another inherent to you.
Of course, when it comes to a career choice, as a counselor, I would always suggests to you that choose what you wish to do than just taking a field halfheartedly.
As you have rightly mentioned, you can pursue both the career options Literature as well as a being a doctor.But here, you need to way your pros and cons.
As a literature Graduate, to establish yourself as a writer, there is a lot of struggle. Also reading and comprehending is a must. Knowledge about all and various fields is a must. At the same time, the struggling period is a never end process.
On the other hand, if you pursue medicine, your struggle is only during the studying period, which can be overcomes, since you have doctor parents as well as help from teachers and professors.And after you Graduate, you have a set-up already. This does not mean, you have to study medicine.
Another word of caution here is, you can study literature even after you get a medical degree, but not the other way round.Since literature requires thorough knowledge on various fields, you can then opt for medical writings too.You need not practice as a doctor, but the terminology required, especially medical terminology, during writing, no one can beat you there.
So in this way, you can get your dream of a writer also fulfilled.
Hope this will help you to make a decision.Wish you good luck............
Dear Aspirant,
I am highly impressed by your thinking for your career and having a very rational mind.
Though there is career struggle in the field of literature, it does not mean that you should become a Doctor and then shift or spend more time in literature. Please do not do Medicine for the sake of it if your heart is not telling you. It will be a waste of money, time, energy and your parents will be feel more bad if you take up literature after completing medicine.
Being in the literature field commands respect and identity and money too. Its upto what level you are contributing in the literature field.
English literature is vast and has good scope. I would suggest you to follow your heart and convince your parents if they have any other views.
A BA and MA and PhD in English Literature can take you to heights of career.
Best wishes,
Dr. Anand Wadadekar
In order to post replies to the question: "Should I take literature as a career option after 12th?"
Post Reply
Teacher at Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Bokaro
Mr Vikash has an experience in career counselling for students from age group of 12 to 20 across various domains. He is also an experienced teacher for and specializes in coaching students for Olympiads; he works as a teacher at Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Bokaro. B He possess skills in all areas of education, can counsel, motivate and direct students while maintaining high interest and achievement levels in a fun and challenging learning environment.
Career Advisor / Phd Scholar
A Psychologist with 13 years of experience in corporate, schools and hospitals. Have coordinated training programs, and developed a new product for leadership development of adolescents, conducted many workshops and lectures for parents, teachers and students during my tenure at the school. Dealing with clients who have problems concerning adjustment with work, family and helping them lead a better and healthy life is what I strive for. Using therapeutic techniques and assessment tools has helped me so far in making a difference in the life’s of those that I worked with. The core characteristics that have helped define and guide my career and personal relationships have been focused on flexibility, commitment, openness, challenge, and growth. Managing time and ability of multi-tasking; Excellent communication & convincing skills; Managing Events and good team player; Eye for details and striving for excellence in everything; Being proactive and responsible; Proven ability to learn quickly and become an expert; Skilled at producing quality work with limited resources. Ø Specialities: · Training · Assessment and Development Centres · Behaviour Facilitation · Content Development · Research · Academics · Psychological therapies like CBT, REBT, Behaviour Therapy, Client Centred Play Therapy, Relaxation Therapy · Psychological Assessments like personality tests, intelligence tests, projective tests, diagnostic tests, aptitude tests
PhD Organizational Psychology
Dr. Aparna has a PhD in Organizational Psychology from the UK and is researching about Indian women and Generation Y employment for UNDP. Before to this she has worked as a Management Consultant with European Commission project UK. She has obtained her MS, MRes and PhD degrees from UK and was a winner of the prestigious and competitive Vice Chancellor scholarship: ‘Developing Solutions international scholarship’ at the University of Nottingham. She was an International Students Ambassador at the University of Nottingham, Elected President of UNICEF on campus team at Nottingham University and was also an international ambassador at the University of Bristol UK. Here she is to guide you on subjects like MBA, Sociology, Psychology, Study abroad, Business and Entrepreneurship.
Lecturer at Nirmala Niketan College of Home Science & SW
Nandini Narayanan has more than 5 years of combined lecturing and Human development experience. She has completed PhD Research from Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Her doctoral thesis is focused on Intervention for learning problems & learning disability. She was a lecturer at Nirmala Niketan College of Home Science. She is currently a Research Officer at Tata Institute of Social Sciences and a freelance counselling and research consultant. She has wide knowledge and rich experience in research, psychology and education sector.
See All Questions