Introduction
Career Guidance After 10th can be a significant part of an Indian student’s life. They attempt their first ever board examination to qualify and obtain admission into high school, or some students opt to join Polytechnic colleges and begin working. This stage is where an individual makes a decision that can change the course of their life.
Career Counselling in India is an excellent choice for students to consult during their decision-making process. Experienced Career Counsellors and Career Coaches are available to advise and guide students from schools, colleges, and working professionals in their occupational life.
So, what is Career Counselling?
Career Counselling is a scientific and systematic process that involves the provision of guidance in academic or profession-related queries of an individual.
The benefits of Career Counselling
Listed below are the advantages
i) The psychological intervention can be used at any career level or stage by all age groups
ii) It enhances the growth potential and skills of a person
iii) The process enables self-introspection
iv) It helps individuals select an occupation that aligns with their values and personality
v) Career Counselling explores all the factors in a job position and develops techniques that contribute to a healthy work experience.
Multiple forms of Career Counselling are conducted at different stages of Career life:
i) School Students
ii) College Students and Graduates
iii) Working Professionals
Various types of Career Counselling include:
a) Career Exploration
b) Career Skills Enhancement
c) Career Coaching
The role of Career Counselling at an educational level
Schooling is a paramount aspect of everyone’s life. Especially after 10th grade, students need to choose between the available three streams in 11th and 12th standard.
i) Science
ii) Commerce
iii) Arts and Humanities
The stream that a student chooses in their high school serves as a rudimentary base for college. i.e., engineering and medical courses require a science background, while commerce and management programs prefer a commerce background.
Thus Career Counselling must be considered a critical part of education. It is better to implement this intervention in earlier stages so the children are aware of the career options available and they can chart their occupational pathway.
According to Best Career Counselling in India, about 91% of our students are unaware of many job opportunities and fields.
Career Counsellors at school
There is a vital need for Career Counsellors in every school. They observe, interact, and address any educational crisis of the students. The primary role of a Career Counsellor is to guide individuals through the obstacles and hurdles in their career path/journey.
The responsibilities of a Career Counsellor working at a school are listed below:
i) Providing extensive information about courses to the students
ii) Evaluating the academic performance of the children
iii) Observing learning styles
iv) Developing techniques and tools to improve teaching methods
v) Conducting Counselling sessions when required
vi) Teach Exam Stress Management techniques
vii) Support teachers to create syllabus and class timings
Career Counsellors working in other settings aid individuals in:
i) Resume building
ii) Interview practice
iii) Job training
iv) Occupational stress coping mechanism
v) Career skills enhancement
Listed below are the skills and qualities:
a) Empathy
b) Communication skills
c) Problem-solving and decision-making
d) Friendliness and positive mindset
e) Confidentiality
f) Knowledgable and has access to resources
Psychometric Assessments
These assessments are created by researchers and psychologists to accurate calculate or measure the following aspects of a human:
i) Intelligence (nine types and emotional intelligence)
ii) Aptitude
iii) Values (Personal and Professional)
iv) Personality
v) Passion and interests
vi) Learning styles
Scales for School Students
Specific instruments are administered to individuals at different stages of their career journey. Listed below are the primary tools and scales used in particular for school students:
i) Intelligence
Intelligence is the measurement of the holistic cognitive capacity of a person. It contains the ability of an individual to adapt, find solutions, and function. The nine types of intelligence (proposed by Howard Gardener) include:
a) Interpersonal
b) Intrapersonal
c) Visual-spatial
d) Naturalistic
e) Linguistic
f) Musical
g) Kineshinetic
h) Mathematical/logical
i) Existential
ii) Career Conflict Scale
This psychometric assessment is used to measure the confidence of a student regarding their academic or career choices. By identifying the level of confidence, the Career Counsellor can identify the influencing factors and help the child out.
iii) Passion and interest
Interest and Passion can take many forms. They are multifaceted. Career Counselling explores these aspects and finds the best fit for a student. An in-depth look at the different fields is provided so the child can make a choice.
iv) Learning styles
Every student or individual has a unique method of learning and retaining information. Catering the teaching techniques to align with the learning style produces an optimum result in grades and other academic aspects. There are four distinct learning styles:
a) Auditory
Students who are auditory learners retent more information, when they listen to the concepts being explained by a teacher or a peer. They enjoy audiobooks.
b) Visual
These students understand the subject better with visual representation. Bar graphs, pie charts, diagrams, and tutorials on YouTube are the most useful mediums of learning for these children.
c) Kinesthetic
Children who are kinesthetic learners excel at experiments or practical classes. They learn by using their hands to understand subjects. These students enjoy laboratory sessions. i.e., physics, chemistry, computer science, etc.
d) Reading and Writing
This is the most popularly used learning style that is implemented by teachers. In this practice, students read a concept and write the theory, formula, definitions, and points on a blank notebook.
Conclusion
Career Counselling is an emerging field with a purpose and vision to guide the students and workforce of our country. Through this intervention, we are able to enhance the quality of our market and progress as a society. It is highly suggested and recommended for individuals to undergo Career Counselling at least once in their life.