Attitude and APTITUDE
There have been many cases where teachers have found students lacking in aptitude for the particular course they have chosen to pursue. Experts advise students and their parents to determine their capabilities before making the decision
Editing teacher Meera Vasudevan was in for a shock when she entered the class of her postgraduate students all ready to study journalism. “When I asked them to introduce themselves, I was in pain, for neither of them showed the passion for the field, some wanted to hone their skills, and other simply get a degree. A few aspired to work in broadcast media, mind you, simply as anchors, not as correspondents! All they wanted was to look good. They did have one thing in common. None of them, mind you, no one from the class of 20-odd students was interested in the news or what was happening around the city, country, world. How come they opted to study journalism, then? Did they just wake up one morning and decide to go to Jschool?” she asks in an exasperated manner to no one in particular.
Vasudevan’s is not a standalone case. Many teachers are facing such problems of students who show no aptitude or inclination towards the course they are taking, and yet are part of the system, since they think hard work will pay off. “Well, in most cases it does pay off to a certain extent. Yet, there needs to be a certain degree of aptitude. Can you imagine becoming an architect without any concept of design?” questions counsellor Shital Ravi.
Such is the case of several students, who are already confused regarding their own aptitude, and are confused further with the different specialised courses that are now available to students in the city. Written communication teacher Geeta Ramchandran faced this in her class of public relations students. “I teach communication and writing to them, and heard a few students talking about their decision to choose the course. Suddenly one of them remarked that she is still confused whether she should have chosen event management. (The same institute offer the course.) Huh? Events and PR are two completely different professions. How could she have taken the decision so lightly?” remarks Ramchandran.
When the said student was approached by Ramchandran, she confessed that she did not know much about public relations, and she wanted to pursue a course, so she just decided to go to this institute which was close to her house. “I don’t want to sit at home, and I know I will do well at any academic programme. So I don’t see any problem in me being a PR person,” she said. Ramchandran was evidently disturbed, since there are professional abilities that students need. “You need to be a great communicator with lots of patience, and exceptional people skills. This field requires professionals to work together with people and be of assistance to them, while pushing your own client’s agenda in a very subtle manner. That’s why the aptitude is required,” she says.
Ravi feels that aptitude is essential in many ways before choosing a profession. “I am not talking of those who enter a profession by accident and then stay. I am talking of those who are opting for higher education, and yet not making an informed choice. A person who has no concept of colour or design will find it difficult to become a designer of any sort. I wish students and their parents would think of these factors more objectively,” she ends.