2. Succumbing to parental/ peer pressure

Your best friend has decided to study engineering and you blindly follow suit without taking into account your interest or aptitude for such a technical stream.

Or your parents are doctors so you want to become one as well.

But that is no reason to choose your career.

"These days, I think it is more often the herd instinct or peer pressure that influences one's choice of career rather than parental interference," observes Manju Malkhani, head of HR, HDFC.

She adds, "Most parents are liberal and educated enough to let their children choose their own area of interests.

"If you want an MBA in Finance or Personnel, what are you doing at an engineering college [assuming your friends are doing engineering]?"

Also, a wrong career move based on peer pressure may lead to disastrous results. "You are often stuck in a groove and stagnate for want of better options or motivation to change for the better," says Manju.