College students and the freedom to choose their courses.

College is an important part of one's life. Almost all jobs today require a college degree to be able to apply for. But what exactly is chosen by students to study is a whole different issue.

Colleges teach a variety of subjects to the students but only a handful of courses are opted for by the student, and colleges specifically teaching the courses boom across the country. For example, India has about 4000 engineering colleges including private and public colleges. Whereas there are only about 950 colleges that teach journalism in India. Is this because there is a craze amongst the students for learning engineering as there is a lot of economic scope after college? No. This is the result of a long cycle of parents telling their children telling to choose between three professions in India - Engineers, Lawyer or Doctors.

Throughout generations, these three professions alongside IPS officers and CA's have dominated the professional market. But with more and more people opting for these conventional options, it becomes harder for everyone to get a job. On the other hand, other professions barely have enough manpower to run.

This makes for economic failure. The engineering sector with a lot of manpower produces to it's full capacity whereas the other sectors are not utilised.

But the argument cannot be only about the economic side of people choosing the same courses in a mass registration. Each and every year many students suicide under the pressure of parents and teachers who force them to pursue engineering when their passion does not lie there. Not only does the economy gets slowed, but many parents also lose their child and the child says adieu to this beautiful life.

College is the area where one should be able to explore their passions and just learn how to live their life. But colleges are quickly becoming a place to mug data without any real interest in them and then securing a low paying job. Years later they only end up regretting the low paid jobs but sadly force their children to go down the same path.

Colleges, in fact, are now being regulated by the centre to control their growth. According to some sources, no new engineering colleges will be opened till the year 2025 to prevent a massive rise in the number of seats and number of applicants difference.

But the problem here never is the number of colleges. Throughout ages, Indians have thought that being an Engineer, Doctor, Lawyer, IPS officer and Chartered Accountant are the only proper professions. This mindset has to change. There are barely any good economist, sociologist, psychiatrist, historian, digital artists or others in India.

A college degree goes a long way to determining who goes where and students should be free to choose this road. Parents must not dictate what their child should study.

ITS requests it's readers to spread this message. Let these young men and women pave their own path in the world in the way they would like to, not the way you would like them to.