Importance Of Career Counseling In Schools

Career counseling has been sought after since a very long time but it is only recently that it has received the acknowledgment that it merits. Earlier, people considered career counseling essentially for a change in careers, after getting a job that they were not content with. Now, people understand that this is not ideal. What is essential, is to consider why people seek change in their careers.

It does not take much reasoning to surmise that someone who does that was never assured of what career they should take. Such a choice usually originates from school. Many students make career preferences based on the most popular career choice among their peers. They do not recognize what they like until it is too late.

After completing important milestones in education (class 10th, 12th, and college) one is generally faced with important career decisions like, which stream to choose, which college to select, which postgraduate course to select, etc.

In school, a fifteen-year-old child has to make a very serious decision about which stream to select which may determine his or her entire career path. Most children generally do not know at that time what they want to do and select the stream which their friends are opting for or the stream with their uncle or aunt suggested or what the parents want the child to do. More often than not children do not know whom to listen to and end up making the wrong decision.

A recent study revealed the fact that one out of three students are unhappy with the course they are studying which accounts for almost half a million unsatisfied university students. Which only makes the case for career counseling stronger.

HOW TO SELECT THE RIGHT CAREER PATH?

To select the right career path one must know themselves. Analyzing your strengths and weaknesses is the first step in the right direction. After that, you can consider your likes and potentials. Many times people select a course that they are interested in but it is important to note, what you are interested in might not be your potential.

You should know how to differentiate between your aptitude, intelligence, interest, and personality. These are the most important parameters for selecting your career. If you feel you are unable to analyze yourself you should opt for professional career counselling.

HOW DO CAREER COUNSELORS HELP IN SELECTING THE RIGHT CAREER PATH?

• Vocational Guidance: The two principal characters of vocational guidance covers Psychometric assessment and career guidance. Psychometric assessments and vocational guidance comprise of certain tests that help determine the right career path for you. These tests are administered by psychologists that have a deep understanding of these tests or certified counselors who have undergone training.
• Laying out your options: A career counselor would lay out the different courses that are available for you and which colleges provide the course. They also help you with the admission process.
• Alternate career route: It is crucial to have a substitute career route when it comes to determining what you want to do. After making a choice about a course and a college a career counselor would help you devise an alternative career path. Just in case plan A fails you can shift to plan B. They would even provide information about alike and complementary courses.
• Interest v/s Aptitude: One should not select a career just because they are interested in it, one should also consider their aptitude, intelligence, and personality. Interests might change with the changes in age and experiences, hence it is imperative to take other factors into account. A career counselor would actually help you do likewise.
• Think about resources: The two resources here are time and money. A career counselor would essentially assist you in planning how much time you have and how much time a certain course would take to complete. The cost of education is very high in India as well as abroad, therefore, one should be very open with their counselor about how much they want to and can spend on their course.
• Scope: When we talk about the scope of a certain course it does not just mean how much salary one can earn or what designation one can work at. It also comprises of the potential one has and how it can be maximized.

When the time comes in life to select a career path the four major things one should consider are, self-analysis, exploring options, resources, and scope. One must seek professional assistance to select the career path that is right for them at an early stage to avoid disappointment and failure later in life.