You’re somewhere around 13 — you can feel it: the pressure. The subtle hints from your relatives, the constant nagging from your mother, the hollow stares from your father when you mention anything other than science — it’s getting close. The day comes. Your parents are beaming proudly, and then you finally hear it: “Toh doctor banna hai ya engineer?”
You start to hesitate. The question catches you off guard. “They’re doing this for me,” you think. You keep thinking as if that’s a good thing — but deep down, you know it’s not right.
The reality is, they don’t want to trap you. In their eyes, they think it’s the only safe route you can take in life. And that’s something you’re stuck believing… for a long time.
Minutes turn into hours, and hours into days. By that time, it’s already too late. You’ve picked the subjects. Scoped out the colleges. Life seems to be “on track” now. But again — deep down — you know it’s not right. You know you wanted something different.
This was never you.
The sad reality? Almost 90% of students in Pakistan fall into the same trap. Many are forced into choosing careers their parents like — not what they like. It’s all about how the public will think. How it will make them look. In their eyes, anything else is a failure. A loss of pride.
But blaming our parents outright? That’s not the answer either.
In the past, our parents were also once confronted — going through the same experiences we’re facing now (if not worse). It’s because of those struggles they ended up hating their jobs… and imposing the same choices on us. The fact is our parents remain the primary force behind this pressure — but not in the way we think.
One student shared online how she wanted to pursue art. But her parents told her she was “too smart to waste it.” Now, she’s in pre-med — and miserable. And she’s not alone.
So… is there even a solution?
Short answer: Almost.
Most of us have never had the opportunity to truly explore what we’re passionate about. And a lot of this could be solved with a simple introduction to something called career counselling. It’s not that it isn’t there — it’s just not there enough to make a difference. Many schools promote some version of career counselling, but most never truly perceive it as something valuable.
But what if we took it one step further? Take Sadia Bashir, for example — a woman breaking boundaries in male-dominated fields. She opened Pakistan’s first game development academy, unlocking opportunities in an entirely different industry. Or look at E-Rozgaar, now with over 45 locations across Punjab, offering skill-based training and insight into careers in digital marketing, freelancing, and content creation.
Choosing a different career isn’t a mistake. It’s being brave. It’s time we stop measuring success by degrees and titles. The future doesn’t belong to just doctors or engineers — it belongs to those who dare to choose something that feels true.
