When Francisco Lengua finished school, he had already decided to study Physical Engineering, which is responsible for applying physical theory to industrial processes. In a country with an almost non-existent technology industry, this seemed like a decision with very low labor options. “I thought about studying Computer Science, because graduates seemed to enjoy greater labor demand, but thinking that I wouldn’t study more physics or classical or quantum mechanics stopped my decision”, he says

After reflecting on it, his father supported his decision. “Forcing your son to study a career only for money seems like a mistake. If he wants to earn money, it is best to study something with that goal on mind. Otherwise, he should focus on what he likes and strive to be really good at it”, explains Christian Lengua

Parents – in their desire to protect their children – want to provide them with an education that ensures economic well-being after graduation. According to the website Ponte en Carrera, the most common university careers are the ones with the highest employability rates. Programs such as Business Administration have 12.2% of graduates working and earning on average S/ 2675; Accounting and Finance, 10.6% earning on average S/ 2391; and Law, 7% of graduates working and earning on average S/ 2577. On the other hand, careers such as Natural and Exact Sciences have 3.5% of young graduates working, Education 2.8%; Agriculture and Veterinary 2.1% while Humanities and Art have 1.4%

According to Luis Carlos Valdez Espinoza, Director of the Escuela Nacional Superior Autónoma de Bellas Artes (National Autonomous Superior School of Fine Arts), there is a marked stereotype against careers related to arts, humanities and pure sciences as activities that do not provide advantageous economic results. “Education standards have been linked to mathematics and language as indicators of good academic development in basic education. That was reinforced during the 90’s with pre-university schools that promoted this type of learning”, he says. And this, does not consider that professional success depends on the performance of each person not on the career itself

Vocation and Frustration

Valdez Espinoza observes that social and family pressure is high, which makes people with a lot of perspective abandon the Art career. However, he points out that the vocation is very strong. “It is very frequent to have retired people or in their 40s or 50s, since they have not achieved a personal and professional fulfillment, and they want to achieve their artistic vocation.”

According to Mary Castro Ataurima, Psychologist at Clínica Ricardo Palma, pursuing a career that is not what the student wants can cause symptoms of anxiety and depression that can get worse over time. It can even cause panic for an uncertain future. “This can also have effects such as hair loss, headaches, palpitations, palmar sweating, sleeping problems, oppositional behaviors and poor tolerance to frustration, among other symptoms.” In this sense, the Specialist highlights the importance of talking with teenagers to better understand their decision and life project; in addition to express assertively the concerns that parents may have

In a conference aimed at young students, the Spanish Writer Jordi Sierra i Fabra shared with the audience the difficulties of his profession, which his parents and teachers considered more a “hobby” than a life project. At the end, he told them: “There is no work that guarantees prosperity over a lifetime. The only thing that guarantees prosperity over a lifetime is to have an open mind, an open heart, a resistant stomach and read; absorb life like sponges!” Therefore, if your child’s vocation and talent are oriented to a career that you think it is not profitable encourage him/her to starve to death; but starve for success to conquer the world

Lic. Mary Castro
Psychologist at Clínica Ricardo Palma