Importance of Career Counselling in Schools
Shivika Batra, Career Counselor, Tula’s International School, Dehradun
It is often said that knowledge is power, but what makes it more compelling is how one deals with it. Career counselling is the process of guiding and helping an individual in making their career plans by understanding their requirements and suggesting career options based on their interest and scope of the field. Indian schools in the past were oblivious to the concept of career counselling, but now most of them have adopted it.
Every student has a unique quality, and it is essential to embrace that quality and take it in the right direction. Career counselling has a significant impact on shaping the future of students in India. It has become an essential factor in determining their real potential and guiding them towards their career goals.
While unfolding the pages of my school time that were written years ago, I still remember that I, myself, struggled to choose the right career path. The key reason for this was that I never had anyone to guide me and help me decide on what to choose. Those days, most parents felt that engineering, medicine, CA and law were the only rewarding career options available for students. It was due to lack of awareness and improper guidance. Now, this is where career counsellors stepped in and created awareness amongst students and parents a like.
Nowadays, with universities offering numerous courses, it is confusing for students to decide the right course and the career path. Back in the days, people used to consult career counsellors only after they had found a new line of work and were discontent with it — these decisions rooted in schools. Many students chose career paths depending on the most sought-out profession among their friends or what their parents suggested. They followed the general stereotype, which had been followed for years. They did not think about what they really liked until it was too late. This often led to frustration later in their lives.
Career advising should be made mandatory in schools as it provides professional guidance to the students about the appropriate career options for them as per their passion and stream.
Career advising ought to be done in the school itself for class 9-11 students explicitly because this is a stage that helps students pick a specific stream as their specialisation. This is on the grounds that numerous students are not happy with the stream they select and change it; this occurs without appropriate direction about accessible choices.
Nowadays, school counsellors conduct several psychometric assessment tests for students. These tests help students assess their interest and pick the right option. With the help of these tests, one should be able to diagnose the following attributes:
- General interest and aptitude of the student
- Strengths and weaknesses
- The stream they can opt for, based on their interest
- Course options
- Eligibility requirement of courses
Career counselling in schools guarantees the correct assistance to prevent students from any confusion and from walking towards the wrong path. The psychometric test essentially diagrams the qualities and shortcomings of students and features their aptitudes and interests. The catch is that their skills and interests do not have to fundamentally coordinate.
Choices made in high schools often make the right decision of career. Experienced advisors are prepared to comprehend students thinking and their potential. When a career counsellor grasps the potential of the student, they can guide them towards the appropriate option as per their career choice.
In my opinion, every school should have a designated career counselling cell where each student should receive a minimum of 1 hour of individual career counselling session in the senior year.
I will sum up by saying that one needs to realise that it is essential to have the correct tutor. This is what I call solid and authentic career counselling, which is logical, straightforward, and upheld by certainties.
