Why Do So Many School Students Fail at Choosing the Right Stream and Career?
Choosing the right academic stream in school is one of the most critical decisions that shapes a student’s future career and overall life satisfaction. Yet, a large number of students in India continue to make misguided choices, often driven by peer pressure, parental expectations, or a lack of proper guidance. This results in disengagement, underperformance, and eventual career dissatisfaction. In this article, Dr. Saji Balakrishnan explores why so many students struggle with stream and career decisions, highlighting systemic gaps in schools, the limited role of parents, and the absence of structured career counselling. Drawing on his expertise in scientific psychometric assessments and mentoring, Dr. Saji sheds light on how the right tools and timely guidance can transform this critical decision-making process. The piece aims to empower parents, educators, and policymakers to create a more supportive ecosystem that leads students from confusion to clarity.
The Importance of Stream Selection in Schools
For every school student, especially after Grade 10, one of the most decisive moments is choosing an academic stream—whether it be Science, Commerce, Humanities, or Vocational pathways. This decision often sets the tone for higher education and future careers. Unfortunately, many students in India make this decision without sufficient clarity about their interests, aptitudes, or long-term goals.
According to Dr. Saji, this misalignment between a student’s natural talents and their chosen academic stream is the root cause of later academic struggles and career dissatisfaction.
Why Students Make the Wrong Choices
1. Peer Pressure
Many students follow their friends’ choices, believing it is the “safe” option. If a peer group selects Science, others join in—even if their strengths lie elsewhere.
2. Parental Expectations
Some parents push children toward careers they see as prestigious—medicine, engineering, or commerce—without realizing their child may have different talents.
3. Lack of Structured Guidance in Schools
Most schools lack scientific career counselling frameworks. Teachers, despite good intentions, usually cannot provide personalized, data-driven guidance.
4. Limited Awareness of Career Options
Students rarely know the full spectrum of career possibilities today, leading them to pick traditional streams over new-age fields like AI, design, or digital media.
Systemic Gaps in Career Guidance
Dr. Saji points out that India’s education system still treats career guidance as an afterthought. Unlike developed nations, schools here rarely introduce students to tools that connect personality traits, aptitudes, and aspirations with potential career streams.
This results in misguided decisions, lowering confidence, performance, and future career satisfaction.
Insights from Dr. Saji’s Counselling Journey
Through the Province Academy of Career Education, Dr. Saji has mentored hundreds of confused students.
One example stands out—a Grade 10 student who was initially pressured to choose Commerce, following his father’s footsteps in business. After undergoing a psychometric test using the PACT-LDP Methodology, it was found that while the student had strong analytical and logical reasoning skills (essential for both Commerce and Chartered Accountancy), he also demonstrated high spatial ability, quantitative aptitude, and a strong inclination toward technology and problem-solving in scientific contexts. With the right guidance, he shifted to the Science stream, pursued Engineering, and today he is thriving as an Engineer in a leading multinational tech company.
Such stories highlight how scientific methods and mentoring can redirect a child’s life toward true fulfillment.
Tools That Transform Student Choices
At Province Academy, Dr. Saji has pioneered:
- PACT-LDP Methodology – A combination of psychometric tools and expert mentoring that reveals natural talents and aligns them with career choices.
- Career Sub-Domain Identification Test (C-DIT) – A unique test that matches students’ personality traits with specialized domains in engineering and beyond.
These methods bring clarity, confidence, and direction to students and parents alike.
Parents and Educators: The Missing Link
While tools are vital, Dr. Saji emphasizes that parents and educators must also change their approach. Parents should support exploration rather than impose their aspirations, and schools should integrate career education into the curriculum.
Building a Supportive Ecosystem
The solution lies in collaboration—students, parents, schools, and career mentors working together. With timely guidance, students can avoid wrong stream selections and step into careers where they excel and feel fulfilled.
Conclusion
The recurring issue of wrong stream and career choices is not just an individual misstep—it is a systemic problem. Through his work at the Province Academy of Career Education, Dr. Saji Balakrishnan has shown that the solution lies in psychometric tools, structured mentoring, and early intervention.
By empowering students with clarity, he is ensuring that they not only succeed academically but also live meaningful and satisfying lives.
Explore More About Dr. Saji and Province Academy
21 min ago
These methods bring clarity, confidence, and direction to students and parents alike.
Parents and Educators: The Missing Link
While tools are vital, Dr. Saji emphasizes that parents and educators must also change their approach. Parents should support exploration rather than impose their aspirations, and schools should integrate career education into the curriculum.
Building a Supportive Ecosystem
The solution lies in collaboration—students, parents, schools, and career mentors working together. With timely guidance, students can avoid wrong stream selections and step into careers where they excel and feel fulfilled.
Conclusion
The recurring issue of wrong stream and career choices is not just an individual misstep—it is a systemic problem. Through his work at the Province Academy of Career Education, Dr. Saji Balakrishnan has shown that the solution lies in psychometric tools, structured mentoring, and early intervention.
By empowering students with clarity, he is ensuring that they not only succeed academically but also live meaningful and satisfying lives.
Explore More About Dr. Saji and Province Academy