Career counselling makes you able to take decisions regarding career and life not only in current situation but any time in future also.
Let’s suppose someone asks you to get out of your house and drive, without mentioning the directions or locating the destination. Will you reach the destination? Absolutely the answer will be “no”.
But if he mentions the directions as well as destination, you will be there in no time. Similar is the case of your career. It helps you to identify the directions towards your destination.
Wrong perception regarding career counselling
Commonly there is a wrong perception about career counselling in the society. That is career counselling just tells just decides which major to choose or which job to choose after graduation. It’s not like that.
It is something more than that. With changing situations in life you have to take decisions accordingly.
Who needs career counselling?
Every student whether he is a senior, junior or alumni, needs career counselling. Not only the students but every job holder may also need it at any time during his career. If a person quits a job, he may need counselling to find a job relevant to his interest and skills.
Who can be a career counsellor?
Any person having masters degree in counselling or career counselling can be a career counsellor.
In addition to degree he should also have expertise in following areas
- Development theory
- Counselling techniques
- Interpretation of assessments
- Career information
How can a career counsellor help you?
He may help you
- Find who you are and what you can get from your career and life.
- To find the sources and resource for information pertaining to your career.
- Identify the factors affecting your career.
- Evaluate your skills and interests regarding your career.
- Makes you understand the pros and cons of a course, stream or career.
- He may be a person whom you can share your ideas and thoughts regarding your career.
In this way you are well aware of the the career you are going to start and chancing of changing the career in the future are reduced to a notable extent.
Aspects where a career counsellor can’t help
- He is not supposed to tell you which career to choose.
- Similarly, he can’t tell which course or scheduling to join.
Rather he tells you your abilities and skills. It is up to you to decide which career or course to join keeping in view these abilities and skills.
How career counselling works?
1-Well considered choice of career
Through career counselling, before starting a career you are well aware of its pros and cons. It enhances the chances of your success greatly.
2-Satisfaction to career
If a person is aware of his responsibilities and duties before starting his career, he is comparatively more satisfied to his career. So, his chances of changing his field of work are reduced. It is a good sign for his career.
Benefits of career counselling
1-Right choice of career
First and foremost benefit of counselling is right selection of career. The career selected through career counselling is compatible and complements your talent. It is a first step towards success of a person.
2-Evaluation of strengths and weaknesses
Most of the time, students choose the field which consists of work related to weak skills of them. They acquire skills temporarily, it does not have long term benefits. Career counselling evaluates their strengths and weaknesses and redirects their path to a field requiring the skills in which they are strong. In other words career counselling identifies and amplifies the inborn talent of a person.
3-Modern fields of work
Owing to development in science hundreds of fields of work or career opportunities have been developed. May be a field which is best today will be useless tomorrow. It is due to fast growing fields of science and especially computer science. Career counselling keep the students aware of newly emerging fields and career opportunities which ensures their success.
It saves your time. You need not to spend any time on planning about your career if you are going through career counselling. Thus you can use the saved time to improve and enhance your performance at the work field.
5-In-depth understanding of career
Many times it happens that money and fame divert the attention of a person in a field irrelevant to his skills and expertise. It causes problems in future. And it is a major cause of changing fields most of the time. Moreover, it tells you about the responsibilities and duties before starting a career. So this problem is solved.
Smart work gives more performance as compared to hard work. Many students are mistaken while choosing a career. They opt the field regarding which they have no skills or expertise. Mere hard work is not sufficient for success.
Rather, hard work along with right direction and orientation is mandatory. It also makes it possible through redirecting your path towards right direction.
In developed countries, parents focus on career counselling of their child. But unfortunately, in developing countries there is no focus on it. It is need of hour to promote career counselling in these countries to enhance the success ratio.