Why Career Counselling Is The Need of the Hour In Our Country?

Love what you do and do what you love. Don't listen to anyone else who tells you not to do it. You do what you want, what you love. Imagination should be the center of your life.

-        Ray Bradbury

How many people in the world actually follow this golden rule? Do we make it a point in our lives to follow our passion and walk the trail that we should? It is commonly believed that in India a person becomes an engineer first and then figures out what to do in life. Do you really want to be part of that crowd? Shouldn’t you move past this mob mentality and follow your dreams and do something worthwhile rather than running in a race that you were never a part of?

Career counselling is that mantra which can prevent you from falling into this abyss. Gone are those days where our career paths were confined to mainstream profiles such as engineering, medical or an MBA. In today’s world where a person has countless career options, one should be constructively informed and advised and helped right from the start so that he or she can make an informed decision.

Counselling can be viewed as a very comprehensive term. To put it in simple words, career counselling can be surmised as the act of helping, guiding and exploring several career options with a candidate keeping in mind their aptitude, abilities and interests. This provides a student with all the necessary information required to reach a conclusion and make the right choice for their future.

But many may ponder, is counseling really necessary? If yes, when? To answer these important yet frequently asked questions let’s dive into the benefits of career counselling.

Continuous Assessment is the ultimate mantra

The process of career counselling emphasizes on the assessing yourself continuously at every point to evaluate your propensity and to know your caliber. This can not only help you understand your capabilities and aptitude but can also help you identify your likes and dislikes.

Important to be Confident and Focused

Counselling can set you off on the right track. For students who are confused and not self-assured, counselling can really help them make the right choice at the right time. Students who have a habit of procrastinating and giving up frequently should really consider getting professional counsel as this can benefit them tremendously, help stay focused and make confident choices regarding their career.

Frustrated Already?

Many must have already done their research and homework in this field but still might be inconclusive as how to proceed next. This could be because that they never introspected and proceeded with an organized approach and problem elimination technique. Getting counsel from a qualified professional can solve this problem. Having access to expert resources and advisors can really bump up your pace and help you reach your destination quicker.

A Goal Without A Plan Is Just A Wish!

It is very important to set a target from the very beginning and prepare a detailed plan that has a step by step methodology to reach that goal in a defined amount of time duration. This requires that a student has stability in his or her thought process and plan execution. Career guidance will always help you overcome any such obstacles that you might face during the initial phase. It can help you provide insight in your career choice analysis and provide a role model for you to emulate.

Career Counselling in India

There is a severe crisis of efficient career counsellors in India. India is a country which has one of the highest youth population – almost 35% of the people in India are young. In a country where there is a requirement of over 15 lakh career counsellors, we only have mere number of 1 lakh career counsellors. It won’t be wrong to say that the concept of career counselling is nearly absent in India. Even till date, parents have an enormous say in their child’s career choice which mainly lands their kids in those stereotypical work zones.  

Even if there is this discernible deficiency in career counselling and guidance, India is swiftly making its progress in this domain. A small fraction of students and parents are beginning to release the importance of counselling alike. Not only that, the younger generation itself wants to be guided and advised after a certain point of time. The youth of today is ambitious and career oriented and wants to follow its passion and dreams rather than be stuck at a mundane job  with work life satisfaction.