Peer influence starts at an early age and increases through the teenage years. It is normal and important for children to have friends and rely on them in the process of growing up. Peers can be positive and supportive. Peers can help each other develop new skills or stimulate interest in books, music or extracurricular activities. However, peers can also have a negative influence, when they encourage each other to skip classes, cheat, use drugs, share inappropriate material online etc. Peer influence can thus swing both to the negative and positive side. Research has shown that it has a deep impact on one’s decision-making ability, especially when it comes to choosing a course or a career path.
Here are some examples of students, who were influenced by their peers while choosing their career
Kavil was an average student. He was performing well during his school days and liked to hang out with his friends on weekends. He was not very serious about his career and had not given it much thought. Listening to his friends, he joined the Microbiology course in his under graduation, as they convinced him that it had a lot of scope in the future. Later, he started detesting the subject and felt disengaged from the course. Post the completion of his graduation course, he is still trying to find a career that best suits him.
Abhishek, now in the fourth year of Engineering, joined the college because his friends had taken admission there. His real interest lay in the study of Economics. He is now lagging behind when compared with his peers. He is not only under pressure for clearing 18 papers to complete the course, he is also battling with thoughts of running away from all this and joining some other course.
Effects of peer pressure in career choice
Peer pressure has its greatest impact on three fronts:
- Career choice,
- choice of higher education, and
- Personal life-choices.
These three form the core aspects of one’s life and decisions made during an earlier stage continue to have their impact even later in life. Somewhere down the line students realize that the decisions they made under peer influence were not the correct ones for them. But in most of the cases, this realization comes too late. The following points indicate the manner in which one can find “peer pressure” at work.
1. Not able to handle the course/subjects
Due to peer pressure, a student ends up with a wrong subject choice and finds it hard to cope with the academic requirements. Getting easily distracted, inability to concentrate, memorize, understand and perform are just natural outcomes in such a case. The student then gradually loses interest and motivation to exert the needed effort and starts doing badly academically and the vicious cycle starts.
2. Impairment to self-confidence and self-belief
The student’s inability to cope with expectations, both at home and at school/college further leads to a loss of self-esteem and confidence. Fear of failure creeps in as the student starts to doubt his/her ability to perform well.
3. Dissatisfaction with career
When one’s interests, abilities and personality do not match with the basic requirements of the career, one is likely to feel mentally and physically exhausted every day. Job dissatisfaction, the dreaded ‘pink slip’ or termination order, career volatility can be by-products of a wrong career choice.
How to avoid peer pressure while making a career choice?
1. Choose friends carefully
Remember, a true friend won’t push you to do something that makes you uncomfortable. Hanging out with the right crowd in adolescence will have benefits if you choose your friends carefully.
2. Have a positive agenda
Narrow down negative influence in your life. Have confidence in your ability to make the right career decision, without depending on the opinions of others. Avoid trying to blend in with others and losing your originality in the process.
3. Keep busy with healthy activities
Another way to avoid peer pressure is to spend your time doing activities on your own, that you enjoy. Engaging in different types of activities will not only help you in enjoying the new found distraction but, will also enable you to meet with and interact confidently with other people who may have the same interests as you. Try different activities until you find the one you like.
4. Question and seek information
Friends or acquaintances can also provide you with new information about careers, which you may not have been aware of. Make it a point to be a good listener. Develop a sense of curiosity towards this new-learnt information and get into a mode of discussing it with your mentors or experts who know about the career, to seek the answers to your questions.
5. Focus on skills and goals
Set realistic and attainable goals for yourself and then figure out the skills you need to reach them. Focus on building action- based plans for your career which would leave you with no time to be concerned with other’s beliefs and opinions.
6. Seek the support of the right people
It is acceptable to seek help to make the most important decision of your life. Career counselors are experts in this field. They will help you make a career choice best suited to your abilities, personality and interests. Unlike peers who may give you incomplete or incorrect information, career counselors will work with you to help you make your decision based on objective, accurate and complete information.
Wrap-up lines
Peer influence is a give-and-take process. If you are influenced by your friends, your friends are also influenced by you. Peer pressure can weaken your success or improve it. It depends on whether you blindly follow it or take it in the right spirit, with the right attitude. You shouldn’t let peer pressure hamper your success but instead, build on it.
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