In today’s fiercely competitive scenario, choosing the right career is very critical and equally difficult as well. And what makes the matter even worse is the availability of multiple options and friendly suggestions as well as the mindset of parents. So, in the present scenario, it requires professional guidance and advisory – for an individual or a student to pursue the right career.
Career counselling is most successful when the counsellor forms a meaningful connection with their Students. They work to understand their student’s interests, aptitude, family background, overall personality and weakness on a level that is much deeper than what any test might reveal. By establishing a therapeutic relationship with their clients, good career counsellors can provide fuller support and guidance to their students.
Career guidance and student counselling are extremely broad and comprehensive concept. The guidance regarding one’s career and the counselling of students involves a conversation between a career counsellor; who should be an expert in his field, he should possess all the skills, abilities, knowledge and updated information regarding the current scenario of the education sector, prospects and opportunities that are available and possess the ability to effectively communicate with the person who is seeking counselling and guidance.
Best Approach to Guide Students
- The Student has to be made aware of their basic personal prerequisites, abilities, and potentialities; hence they have to be made aware of their own positive points and negative points.
- Effective, meaningful and significant information has to be provided to them in a solution to their problems.
- The students should learn how to scrutinize their weaknesses and then overcoming them; the role of the counsellor and a guide is to help them how to catch the fish on their own and not catching the fish by themselves and giving it to them.
- While counselling and guidance students regarding the selection of a career; a counsellor should assist them in making appropriate, satisfying and interesting educational choices.
- Counsellor should make sure to meet the parents to understand the child better. It also helps parents to understand the needs and problems of the students.
- Counsellor should guide the student to identify their flaws and inconsistencies in the field of education and improve upon their learning. They should be guided in a manner to promote effectiveness.
- It is essential to promote amongst the students a sense of awareness, ability to acquire sufficient knowledge regarding their studies. While studying they should put complete focus, and become more capable and intelligent.
A good career counsellor can make the perfect roadmap for students by following few steps of the counselling process, starting with:
- One one session with the student to understand him better.
- Conduct assessment tests fit for the students like Stream Selector Test, Ideal Career Test, Branch Selector Test, depending on students requirements to understand their overall personality, interest, Aptitude etc. Once the results of the assessment are out, it gives clarity to the students, and the career counsellor can offer expert guidance accordingly.
- Giving the right career choice. The next step in career counselling is to provide the right career choices to the students based on their personality assessment.
- Advising on various entrance examinations related to the course choice.
- Understanding the student profile over multiple interactions and giving them the unbiased decision that puts the students in a better position to make life-changing decisions.
CASE STUDY:
One of the students approached me and he was totally in a state of depression due to his parents’ pressure to become an Engineer and join IIT. He tried and appeared for competitive exams with multiple attempts, but failed to succeed as he was not at all interested and fit for the same. He felt devasted and was in a bizarre mental situation. He could not look into anyone’s eyes and would talk with low confidence rather no confidence at all. For him, it was like no future at all. I asked him to visit my office and for the next few days, he used to come and spend some time discussing himself. I used to talk in a friendly manner and try to understand him. He spoke about his strength, weakness, likes, dislikes, interest etc, and within a few days, he started feeling a bit confident. I could see a change in his attitude.
Later I met his parents, discussed with them and made them understand that he is not fit for engineering and told them about various other career options for him.
After working on his profile and according to his overall personality, I suggested a course in Marketing and Event Management and today he is running his own event management company and also doing marketing activities for various companies and is very successful in his career.
This is how I counselled a student and helped him achieve his dreams.
