Let me start by saying if you are confused about your career or which stream to choose, remind yourself that you are not alone. Every year lakhs of students go through this conundrum, some make choices while some make mistakes, being one of those students myself who had to squeeze through the same funnel, allow me to give you my 2 cents which might give you a broader perspective.
It’s not easy for a 15-16 yr old to have their career decided, it’s not expected of you to figure out your life, this is just a stepping stone and a selection of paths from a variety of crossroads that will cumulatively lead you where you want to head towards. Secondly ask beyond the question: medical or non-medical, this shouldn’t be your limit, I know in India people seem to think that there are only two prominent career choices; a doctor or an engineer but please don’t let yourself be defined just by these choices. Your world is so much bigger than that. If it’s about money, you will make money in an unhappy cubicle as well as in a studio where you are happy, if it’s about job security I don’t need to tell you about huge layoffs and the recession. The point is that these shouldn’t be your primary reasons to choose a stream. Ask yourself what would you like to do, what subjects make you the most happy, which you are genuinely interested in, and where your curiosity lies. These questions are not stupid, trust me, if you wish to know more about our colonised history, the greatest laureates who ever lived, incidents that shaped places maybe you’d do better with humanities. if numbers make sense to you, if you see them as the ultimate truth, if your adrenaline rush lies in solving complex trigonometry consider maths. Consider all your options as is, without any bias in mind, and then choose, I believe there is no one best option but there is a right one. Right one for you.
If you are an all-rounder, score full in social studies, love science and maths is doable after putting in enough nights, things might be a little trickier, but that doesnt mean that there is no answer, there is one and that comes from your heart. It may seem hokus to listen to your “inner voice”, but denying it doesnt mean that its not there, its about how much you listen to it. I want to include a personal anecdote; I myself was in this position a few years ago, I knew my heart lies in biology but I ended up taking maths, the events that lead upto it are a tale of another day, I am pursuing my Btech in computer science now, doing well and in a good place but I dont want you to have this tinge of regret that I have in my heart, the tinge of pain iIfeel sometimes, that feeling when you could have had something different, something that makes you, you. This is also one good point in time to tell you that please don’t compare yourself with anyone, you can be in different classes and still be friends with one another, you won’t let your neighbours down by taking humanities, you wont impress anyone by taking PCM, but what you will do is make a fool of yourself and your life if you don’t choose what you love, where your passion lies ,which gives you that zing!.
Conclusion
This is an important decision yes, it cant’ be said life altering totally I believe life gives you many opportunites to grow and learn and nothing is permanent but this decision does shape your life, so dont hesistate to seek any kind of help or assistance, get a career councellor if you feel you are not aware of all the career options you can have by taking a particular subject, whatever helps to make you your 1st most important decision in life:)
I hope I could be of some help to you, hopefully your story turns out little different than mine.