We had the pleasure of sitting with Ms. Nida Aziz, who is serving as Assistant Manager PR & Outreach, and the topic we spoke about was Parental Pressure in Career Choices.
About Nida
Nida Aziz is a dynamic academic and career counsellor, holding a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Master’s in English Literature. A mother of three, she brings empathy, intellectual depth, and lived insight to her work with O/A Level students and families. She also leads an online NGO alongside a collective of mothers and intellectual leaders, managing over 50 WhatsApp communities spanning early years to university, through which she provides academic, career, and wellbeing guidance to parents and students across Pakistan.
Are Pakistani students choosing degrees for passion, or is it really the parents deciding?
Often, it is a negotiation disguised as a choice. Many students pursue degrees that satisfy familial expectations rather than personal aptitude. The real challenge is creating enough informed dialogue for parents to become guides rather than gatekeepers of their children’s aspirations.
What’s the most common career argument you’ve had to mediate between a student and their parents?
The recurring conflict is passion versus perceived security. Students want careers aligned with their strengths and interests, while parents prioritise stability, prestige, and employability. As a counsellor, she shifts the conversation from “who is right” to “what evidence supports the best fit decision.”
Is medicine and engineering still the default “safe” choice for most families, and should it be?
They remain culturally prestigious, but prestige is not the same as suitability. A degree is only “safe” when it aligns with aptitude, evolving industry demand, and genuine commitment. Medicine or engineering can be excellent choices, but neither should become a compulsory inheritance passed down from one generation to the next.
How do you push back on a parent without losing their trust?
Never confront the parent directly. Reframe the concern instead. She acknowledges the parent’s intention, then introduces evidence such as aptitude, academic performance, career trajectories, and the student’s individual strengths. When parents realise the conversation isn’t about challenging their authority but protecting their child’s long-term potential, resistance often turns into collaboration.
What’s one career path parents dismiss too quickly that shouldn’t be?
Data Science and Business Analytics. It’s often misunderstood as merely “working with computers,” when it actually sits at the intersection of technology, strategy, economics, and decision making. In an increasingly data-driven economy, dismissing this field can mean overlooking one of the most versatile professional trajectories.
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