Why Are Indian Parents So Obsessed with Engineering & Medicine?

Nikita Kanyal | Mar 07, 2025, 22:53 IST

Why are Indian parents obsessed with engineering and medicine? Is it financial security, societal status, or just blind tradition? From "Sharma Ji ka beta" syndrome to the fear of failure, this article exposes the truth behind India’s toxic career obsession! While millions of engineers struggle for jobs, content creators, designers, and freelancers are raking in lakhs—yet, convincing an Indian parent is harder than cracking IIT-JEE! Are doctors and engineers still the ultimate career choices, or is it time to break free?

The Great Indian Career Obsession

In India, two words define success Doctor and Engineer. If you’re not pursuing one of these, you’re either a disappointment or an outlier. But why? Why are Indian parents so obsessed with pushing their kids into these two professions, even in an era where new-age careers are booming? Let’s break it down.

1. The ‘Guaranteed’ Job & Financial Security

‘Guaranteed’ Job myth

( Image credit : Pexels )

Indian parents fear uncertainty. Unlike the West, where kids are encouraged to follow their passion, Indian families prefer stability over dreams.

A doctor will always have patients.
An engineer will always have job opportunities (at least, that’s the perception).

Compared to careers in arts, sports, music, writing, or entrepreneurship, medicine and engineering seem like "safe bets" with assured income and social respect.

Reality Check: With India producing over 15 lakh engineers every year, the market is now saturated, and job security isn’t as ‘guaranteed’ as before.

2. The Middle-Class Survival Mentality

Salary

( Image credit : Freepik )

Most Indian parents come from middle-class backgrounds, where financial struggles were real. Their dream? A stable, respectable job that offers a good salary, a house, and no financial worries.

They have seen poverty and struggle.
They want their children to have a life without the hardships they faced.
Medicine and engineering seem like the fastest routes to financial success.

Reality Check: Today, content creators, designers, and digital marketers are making more money than traditional engineers and doctors. But convincing an Indian parent that a YouTuber can earn more than a doctor is like explaining rocket science to a caveman.

3. Social Status & ‘Log Kya Kahenge?’

In India, a child’s career is not just a personal decision—it’s a family reputation issue.

Having a doctor or engineer in the family is a status symbol.
Relatives boast about their child’s IIT, NIT, or AIIMS admission like it’s a national achievement.
The pressure to ‘show off’ in society leads parents to force kids into these fields.

Reality Check: The world is changing, and unconventional careers like AI development, filmmaking, esports, and UX design are becoming the new gold mines. But most Indian parents are still stuck in the 90s.

4. Bollywood & Cultural Conditioning

Bollywood & Cultural Conditioning

( Image credit : Freepik )

Movies and TV shows glorify the struggles and triumphs of engineers and doctors.

Movies like 3 Idiots mocked the engineering obsession, but ironically, every Indian parent still dreams of sending their child to IIT.
White coats & stethoscopes are shown as symbols of success.
Sharma Ji ka beta is always a doctor or engineer.

Reality Check: Bollywood rarely highlights alternative careers. There’s no movie about a successful UX designer or a thriving digital artist, so the societal conditioning continues.

5. The Fear of ‘Failure’

Indian society doesn’t embrace experimentation. Parents prefer their child to be a mediocre engineer rather than a brilliant photographer.

Engineering & medicine are seen as "fail-proof" careers.
Failing in an unconventional career invites judgment & ridicule.
Parents don’t want their child to struggle or be looked down upon.

Reality Check: Today, many engineers are jobless, while people in new-age careers like content creation, UX design, and freelancing are thriving.

What Needs to Change?

Indian parents need to evolve and accept that:

Financial success is possible in multiple fields. You don’t have to be a doctor or engineer to be successful.
The world is changing. AI and automation are replacing traditional jobs, and new career paths are emerging every day.
Passion matters. A child who loves what they do will always be more successful than someone who is forced into a career they hate.
Encourage exploration. Instead of pressuring kids into engineering or medicine, parents should allow them to explore diverse career options.

The era of "Doctor or Engineer = Success" is over. It’s time Indian parents stop living in the past and embrace the future. Let your kids follow their passion they might surprise you with success beyond your imagination!