From: mba2@Jane.UH.EDU (Puneet_S)
Newsgroups: alt.culture.us.asian-indian
Subject: Re: Queries on Career Choices
Date: 5 Jan 1993 22:57:04 GMT
Organization: University of Houston
Reply-To: mba2@Jane.UH.EDU
NNTP-Posting-Host: jane.uh.edu

>c. They are encouraged/coerced into it by their folks.
>(BTW, my mother is a physician and discouraged me from studying
>medicine)

We sorta talked about this earlier in mail, but I hadn't had a chance
to read your post yet.  Anyway, that's curious.  I've got a friend 
who followed in his mothers footsteps and became a doctor and now 
advises others against going into medicine.  He particulary feels that
the democrats (government in general nowadays) will socialize medicine
over the next 10-20 years and the profit potential will not be there.
This seems more evident if you notice that it is supposed that Health
care costs will continue to rise at a rate of 12% per year for the 
rest of the decade.  Also, Clinton is already planning a meeting to
discuss this issue.  With a Democratic house, I would not be surprised
to see some greater form of socialized medicine in this country much
like Canada or Great Britain.
>
>e. They feel that becoming a doctor is their way of distinguishing 
>themselves in White American society.
>
I really don't think so.  I think it is more of a way of distinguishing
themselves in Indian American society.  

>Answer c is one that describes an old roommate, and I get the 
>impression that it is all too often a primary reason for many 
>IA kids. 

I would tend to agree, otherwise I would say it would be just the money
aspect of it.
>
>2. In general, how does the extremely (IMO) competitive nature 
>of Indian society in America affect 1st generation kids?
>
Yeah I questioned that too.  IMO it is detrimental to the morale of
the kids.  Parents compare kids to each other in society.  I have
a friend who is great in sports but not as good at common sense.  He
can learn through books but doesn't absorb the fundamentals.  He's not
a salesman and shouldn't have gone into business school.  He doesn't
have the knack for it.  He would have been a real good tennis player
or musician but was convinced into going into comp. sci. (not his fort)
which he left to join business school.  Now he will be "stuck" doing
something he really doesn't really like for the rest of his life.

>3. What are the ramifications, if any, of the high expectations of 
>parents and society on IAs? Society expects AA kids in general to 
>be "smarter" than WAs, particularly in math & society.
>
Early Burn-Out in college or total rebellion.  I'm not saying every
one is like this, but I think the percentage is higher for AA.

>4. What draws so many IAs to "practical" professions in general?
>(By practical I mean Eng/Comp.Sci, Law, Medicine, Accounting, etc.)
>
Upbringing.  They realize that there is more stability in a "Professional"
occupation then in a "Non-Professional" one.  Also MONEY.  English majors/
Sociology majors /etc don't make as much unless they get M.S. or PhD's.
_______________________________________________________________________________
TOYS
Puneet

                                                         MBA2@JETSON.UH.EDU   or
                                                         BBRC215@BAL0053.B-R.COM
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