Importance of Career Counseling in Today’s Time

A person’s journey is travelled through, the career they chose. But really, how does one make this decision? Through one’s performance in school, one’s interests, one’s talents or passions?  Or by taking a look at the family history, peer choices, or maybe taking up  the only thing that seems doable? Well, one answer is counseling.

These options are old school, and ill informed. These don’t work nowadays, or better, they CANNOT work nowadays.

1. Deep understanding of oneself, know what you like, and what you don’t. Knowing your own strengths and weaknesses.
2. Knowing what all career options are available out there, which stream is offering what and what place can value your presence the most, where you can contribute the most.

It becomes almost impossible for a teenager to know all this. Seems easier to follow the herd now, isn’t it? But there is a better alternative. Yes.

When I first heard about Career Counseling, it sounded like a thing for  someone rich and too high handed. But at the end of my 10th standard, I was confused as anything and was having a really hard time making a decision on which stream to choose. So I consulted a local teacher, who also was a professional career counselor. My family frowned upon me for making this decision, they would prefer I discuss with them my career options than with a stranger. Nevertheless, I persisted and met him.

What questions you need to answer 

One big thing about career counseling is that, throughout the session, it helps you understand yourself better than to gain plain information about the new careers developing. And this is what happened.

The counselor asked me

• about my interests and my own thoughts about certain streams,
•  he asked about what subjects I enjoy the most in school. 
• He asked major influences in my life, and 
• who did I look up to. 

Till now, it all felt like therapy to be honest! But then he gave me a test sheet. Damn! This made me nervous. Nobody told me they make you sit for a test, to know which test you should take in future!

 Well my fear vanished after I saw the paper. It had some of the most random questions ever. It all seemed too funny to be true. But I enjoyed answering these questions. Along the way I was discovering a lot about myself. Like, I know for sure that I have a creative side that I could trade for my statistical abilities, any day. It just excited me more.

Then the results came. The counselor had more than just my test score in his hands. He had his own suggestions and observations in the four hours that we spent together. 

The result

Here’s what happened in my experience. He suggested that maths and science are my weaknesses and it would be better if I go for arts stream, if not that then commerce, but here also, accounts might trouble me. This hit me. I was a topper student. I was supposed to take science. How does he know that I struggle in these subjects? Well then what should I do?

According to him, I have a flair for writing, and storytelling,and would find myself happiest in Arts, nevertheless, my oratory and analytical skills can make me a good lawyer, but in there also, criminal litigation might be my place.

But for you, chances could be that your career counselor has gifted you clarity for a lifetime or at least the coming few years, but it is also possible that you might not like the analysis of your counselor of you, because it could drastically be different from what you thought or what your parents thought, but try being a little objective and know that the person sitting across from you is doing this as their profession.

Anyway, ARTS sounded too bold for my family, and my
career counselor insisted that he meet my parents and talk to them too. After this was all over one thing which came out clear was that I am not taking science. But Arts was just too far fetched and vague to my family and my friend circle. So I surrendered in taking up commerce and maths for two years. My counselor was disappointed. ( No shock there!)

Not following the advice

But in my two years of high school, I understood what my
career counselor saw in me, and what he was talking about. It really made sense now. My struggles with maths and accounts only increased day by day. No Matter how hard I tried, it just slipped through me, and the worst, I actually dreaded the hours when I had to take up these subjects. And I understood now.

He had opened my thoughts to a stream where I could not have gone even in my wildest dreams. Why should you hear from me? Because I’ve done what my career counselor advised me not to, and then I gravitated towards what was my real calling, so if you’re thinking of backtracking your counselor’s words, take it from someone who has done it, you’ll eventually follow the advice anyways.

Now again a decision was to be made for College. And this time I made sure I’m not going to get butchered with the influences from my peers and parents. This is going to be an independent decision for my career . This is going to be for me. But still I was a little confused between taking up Law or Arts. So I gave the competitive exam CLAT but also applied to art school. As fate would have it, the CLAT results got delayed, and my Arts degree started. This opened up an all new experience for me.

I never thought I’d actually be excited to open my books and dig my nose deep into it. I never thought that in my class my voice would be loudest among all participating. I became so curious to know literally everything that came my career , and the different opportunities this course opens up for me. A whole new level of excitement and energy took over me. Then came the CLAT results and I got into an NLU. Another decision pending.

But this time, I knew one type of experience I’ll have from my
career choice. Even though a lot of people (mostly my family) got disappointed in me for leaving an NLU seat, I knew I could do much better and much different in the field of literature that I have started walking on. I know this is where I belong and here I can bring something new to the table.

And this all happened because of making that one odd decision of taking Career Counseling.  For without it, I would not have known that Arts no longer remain a field at the mercy of its admirers. That there’s an actual need for content writers, social media analysts, economics planner, copywriters, media representatives, and so much more out there. Nobody has to drag me to work now. I am where I want to be and there’s nothing more satisfying than that. So here’s my two piece on career counseling, but if you’re just out of school and confused about how to go about career counseling,

Here’s some tips that might help you

• Career counseling is not required by dumb students, in fact it is the ample of options that makes career counseling an absolute necessity in today’s time.
• You have to talk to your parents or guardians of you are even a tiny little bit confused of the career path that you’re taking on, as it would save you a lot of time.

Trust me, they will need a little convincing, but they will agree. They will understand your decision.

• The earliest you go to a career counselor, the better. You will be saving yourself a lot of discomfort and boredom being in a place you don’t want to.
• And there’s a chance that the career counselor you go to might not understand you fully, so I suggest don’t go to a career counselor who has their own coaching institution or any stream related service that they can sell you. 

Hope these points help you a bit.