Students get entangled in the complexities and seek guidance from their mentors. However, professionals who empathise with students' psyche and understand their potential are better-suited for counselling, says Shriyance Jain
In this era of diverse careers surfacing, students often feel stuck in chaos while choosing the paths ahead. With over 250 professions panning all across the country, they have numerous opportunities unfolding in front of them, which might sound reassuring but also serves as the main cause of them having career-related dilemmas. Students get entangled in the complexities and seek guidance from their mentors. However, professionals who empathise with students’ psyche and understand their potential are better-suited for such counselling; career guidance counsellors put effort as well as study individual graphs of students’ interests and aptitude to suggest them with appropriate streams and thus help them choose the right path.
Analysing careers the right way
Students often get roped into external activities for career guidance, such as indulging into a SWOT (strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats) analysis but most of the time, it is not enough. SWOT might point towards a direction but it does not take in a major factor: the aptitude of the students. It doesn’t provide clarity on the skills they can work on, in order to make the right career choice and join the right career program. However, when clubbed with proper counselling and guidance, SWOT can churn out great results which are a result of an informed and honest process of weighing pros and cons. This further reflects how counselling acts as a significant tool and guides students towards an appropriate career.
Understanding the basics of choosing a career
A career counsellor makes sure that students are not dabbling between their cognitive, applicative to kinesthetic and vocational skills and creating an internal state of chaos. While asking students about their interests, the counsellors list the number of future choices they would have in suitable fields and the monetary scope along with the growth potential of the stream. They further encourage the children to think out of the box and take risks but be calculative with them. It is all about trusting one's gut but also taking under consideration the logical aspect of it. Along with the SWOT analysis, communicating with the students to understand their inclination and suggest career streams, the counsellors make sure that they are taking all factors into account before letting children make uninformed and irrevocable decisions.
Emotions v/s practicality
Coming to terms with their skills and interests can be an intimidating task or an interesting one, depending upon the students' mental temperament. While both the elements are required to make a wise call, the counsellor's role is to inform the students about the available choices, job satisfaction, the growth factor and the market value and significance of their chosen streams. Counsellors are well-suited to differentiate between an emotional decision to pursue a career and a well-informed one based on logic, practicality and scope in the field. They encourage students to be systematic in their approach instead of being overly enthusiastic while taking into account strengths, weaknesses and skills. This will, in turn, help them make a call that is not only backing their present but also supportive of their future plans. Counsellors understand that it is necessary to show all sides of the coins to the students before they let their feelings overwhelm them into making a decision.
Career counselling aiding students to make a wise choice
The universities and institutions are growing more aware by the day and thus focusing on the need to have in-house career counsellors who are trained professionals. These counsellors keep themselves well informed and up to date on the changing industry requirements and thus qualify well for their job of helping students make a wise call. They are providing students with tailor made solutions that fit best as per their personality, ambitions and their vision for the future.
Helping students realise their skills, needs and desires and distinguishing between all three is a monumental task. At times students are scared to think out of the box or choose a career path less travelled for the fear of being judged by others. Encouraging students to believe in themselves and helping them understand all aspects of a particular stream before they choose their path is the prime role of a career counsellor. Although most of the schools are opting for this lately, universities are also stepping up responsibly and planning exclusive budgets and providing sensitive career counselling to students.
Universities along with other educational institutions and schools provide students with a safe and supportive atmosphere to express themselves. Career counselling helps students to discuss their inhibitions openly and hence aiding them in making a wise call with respect to their careers. These discussions open many new doors for students and help them to see the bigger picture while securing their future. It is helping students pen their success stories and excel in their respective fields.
The writer is Managing Director & Trustee, University Of Engineering and Technology Roorkee (UETR)