Career Guidance & Counselling: Why should we do it?

There is a general feeling in today’s society that if you are good in studies one should take up Medicine or Engineering. Most other college options are taken on what is available amongst the many choices. Very few people actually look for what is best for the child based on their aptitude and personality.

Let me start with few examples. It was the year 1990. Computers era had begun. A bright student thought that computers field is the best and took up BSc Computer Science. He then went on to do Masters in that field. He never considered about his own personality fitment into that field. He was an extrovert with tremendous people skills who hated sitting alone. In the end, he never even worked more than 2 years in that industry. Today he is in a managerial position but in a field that he did NOT study. Imagine his potential had he gone for Business Management based on his aptitude, where could he have reached today.

Year 2017. Child currently studying in XIIth who got 10 CGPA in Xth standard CBSE. He wanted to join IIT. All of a sudden his parents are complaining that he is not focused. The child himself is confused which field is best. He thought two years back that Engineering was the way ahead, but suddenly feels his priorities have changed. He remains confused and the parents dumb founded.

Another child never knew that Design was his calling, till he was guided by a counselor based on his aptitude. He secured admission in a good college based on his scores in the entrance exam. The college academic submissions are so grinding, that he is sleep deprived for many days yet he is raring to give it a try while most of his friends have given up. Why? Because his aptitude and personality is best suited for that line of study. He never feels it is a burden.

We have numerous examples of children giving up life even after joining prestigious IITs. The suicide rates are highest there. Why would anyone who has succeeded so much take such an extreme step. Have you ever thought of it? There is a recent case where a girl after clearing the competitive NEET and getting admission to a Medical College has committed suicide. The classmates are saying that she was pushed into the field without taking her choice into consideration. Had any of them gone to a Career Counselor they would have reached their max potential with minimum efforts and each day would be fun instead of a dreary engagement. There seems to be a science behind it all.

Guidance and counselling are not the same. While Career Guidance talks about the world of work that is available, Career Counselling actually deals with the world of the individual. It is the task of a good counselor to match these two worlds to get the right fit, so that the child is not burdened.

There are some who go by the name Career Counselor without requisite certification or assessment tools for testing. Some offer services very cheap too. Many are online operators who perform the entire guidance based on outdated assessments on one parameter and actually may misguide the child.

I have experienced how much my child personally benefited from such counselling. So I wanted to help out parents and children. I searched and went to one of the leaders in the field, Dr. Chinu Agrawal, PhD, Founder Feeling Minds, who had immense experience. She has studied many popular tools being used for the Career Counseling, the world over and then designed a testing method that is extremely reliable, credible and scientific. She has trained a lot of counselors all over India. Her mission is to empower the children to make the right choices.

A good assessment of the child’s potential should be based on the child’s Personality, Career Interests, Career Values, Skills, Aptitude, Child’s Environment, Parental guidance and so on. This process has three parts to it. First, Initial Interview to understand the child and to guide him/her to the testing methodology and taking the 45 minute online test. Second part is the individual counselling based on the results. The final part is counselling along with parents to discuss the 32 page report which is exhaustive and guides the child to 5 top Career clusters that they may choose from. It is about exploring the various suitable career choices available after matching the World of Work and the World of Individual and then taking an informed decision.

It is possible that the child has other preferences. In such cases the counselor would explain the skills that are needed to be developed, to pursue that field of choice. The entire process and system is holistic keeping in view of the child’s interest, personality and the environment that he/she has grown up in. This is not to say that the child can’t change his choices. But a good counselling will minimize the risk of going to a wrong profession leading to a career change later.

This Career Counselling can be done on children who are 14 years and above. This is also recommended for those who are looking for a career change. Hence it is suited for adults who are looking for a second career, but do not know what to look for.

If we calculate the entire cost of the child’s preparation for exams, college education, and the cost of a wrong choice, then the cost of going to a good counselor is so minuscule. I would always encourage parents to advise their children to understand themselves better by taking guidance from a Career Counselor. It has helped my child immensely and it would help yours too.

Should you need more information on Career Counselors in your city or to do it online through Skype (in places where trained counselors are not available), do write to us – sajan@renergetics.com with the age, class of your child and city (with location). We would be happy to help and guide you. If your child is in class 9 or above, the Time is NOW!

May your Child reach his/her best potential. May they be Winners in Life.