Every individual wants to undertake an occupation to advance their career goals. Making a career, in the general sense, means taking up a job and sticking with it. But this definition may differ from person to person.

Career counselling helps an individual stay on course by offering career guidance. According to experts, it is important to prevent an individual from going astray when they choose to change their career or choose a new one by leaving the current career option.

Also, there are other reasons that highlight the importance of career counselling for students.

This post will underscore the definition of career counselling and its significance in the development of students’ careers. Also, it will highlight the important role of a career counselor in the process.

What is career counselling?

Career counselling, otherwise known as career guidance, is the systematic approach of guiding students in choosing the right occupation or education based on their abilities.

This process involves a career counsellor who conducts aptitude and ability assessments and makes a decision based on the scores of an individual in these tests. They believe these tests provide them with the best opportunity to scan the all-round abilities of students which helps them to suggest the right academic and occupational choices to students.

Career guidance and counselling for students focuses on two important aspects: the personality traits of students, and their abilities. These are the two fundamental elements that determine if the choice of specific career ticks all the right boxes of an individual’s needs.

In addition, it also has a number of other benefits for students. Experts believe career counselling is a must for every student who wants to succeed in their career.

Choosing a career path can be a rewarding experience. However, it is also important to remember that it can also be a difficult task which is easier said than done. When it comes to choosing a specific profession, there is a long list of choices. Each choice has several job options. On the surface, it may not be an easy task to decide which job fits into one’s scheme of things.

Career counselling for school student is important in the sense that it allows them to choose a career that works for them in the best possible manner. Because it takes into account the desires, needs, and skills of students, it acts as an important step in determining the choice of a job profession for them.

By choosing the right path, students can not only prevent themselves from wandering aimlessly but also take the right steps toward their goals and finally achieve them.

Once they are able to find out the strengths and the weaknesses of an individual by means of these tests, the job ahead of them becomes simple and easy at the subsequent stages.

Why career counselling is important for students?

The choice of academic education and the choice of one’s job are interlinked to one another. One complements the other. Oftentimes, individuals grapple with the ability to succeed in their lives either due to the wrong selection of their academic or occupational career.

When it comes to choosing the right career option, one may need to decide on the right option by weighing the pros and cons of all the available options. Or, they may also need to change their existing occupational or academic career to maximize their chances of success.

Either way, career guidance and counselling prove to be of great help to students. Among other things, it leads to a fulfilling career for them characterized by job satisfaction.

Those individuals who consult a career counsellor at the time of choosing their profession are less likely to deal with job-related stress at the subsequent stages of their career. Because they choose a profession based on their abilities and liking, they show the interest and ability to overcome the challenges that may appear in their workplace.

A career counsellor can act as a therapist and explain how to do career choice by weighing the pros and cons of different career options. As a first step, they try to figure out the interests and abilities of students. They generally assess both these aspects by conducting ability and aptitude assessments.

Students are likely to find it challenging to conduct widespread research on the skill sets needed for potential career choices. From their experience, career counsellors have relevant information about it. They keep themselves abreast with the latest information in this connection. So, they do not need to look for the relevant information whenever they feel the need for it.

Career counselling can help students find out information about these aspects.

How does it help you?

While some students get the liberty or freedom to choose their academic and occupational career, others do not get this luxury. In India, almost six to seven out of ten students face this challenge. As a result, they are compelled to choose a career which is in contrast with their preferences or abilities.

More often than not, such students end up in a situation wherein they feel the need for changing their educational as well as their professional career.

In a career counselling session, counsellors concentrate more on the individual abilities of students. They also take into account the temperament a student has. This is an important step in the whole process.

Counsellors can find a lot about you by making a note of the scores of your IQ and aptitude tests. Depending on these tests, they can guide you through about either continuing your education or take a different course in this regard.

They also make use of other indicators such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to determine the personality traits and decide on the possible careers.

The benefits of career counselling or approaching a career counsellor include the following:

• It brings the specific talents and skills that are likely to help an individual succeed in a specific occupation under the spotlight
• It lays stress on the educational commitment that is necessary for the selection of careers.
• It highlights or underscores the opportunities in a particular career. In doing so, it draws a line of separation between the flexible career options and the ones that are not so flexible.

FAQs

When is the right time to start career counselling?

For students, the right time to start career counselling is a year before their board examination. Most experts recommend career counselling to students of class 9 as in this phase, they come across several distractions. Also, they look forward to exploring a number of possibilities. Getting the right career guidance can help them decide a path and take it to achieve their career goals.

What does a career counsellor do?

Career counsellors help assess the abilities, skills, and interests of their clients by carrying out a thorough assessment of their aptitude scores. Also, they help their clients set realistic goals depending on their abilities. If necessary, they also suggest the right educational choice corresponding to one’s professional goals. This proves to be of great help when one thinks about switching to a new career by giving up one’s existing career.

How can one find the career they love?

Though it appears to be not so easy on pen and paper, identifying the career you love is not difficult to figure out. You can find it out by performing the following steps:

• Introspect what you love to do and what is your definition of an ideal career choice.
• Think and try to find out the things that motivate you. Ideas are likely to come and go. To make sure you do not miss out on ay idea that comes to your mind, sit with a pen and paper and note down all the possible ideas. This will help you identify the right career goal.
• Do not restrict or confine yourself in choosing your professional goal. Let the ideas come to your mind. In case you have a number of options, you can narrow them down later on.
• Try to establish contact with other people and build your network. The wider your network is the better.
• Do some research to find out more about the relevant skill sets and educational qualifications you need to land the dream job in the career path you have chosen.

What questions should I ask my career counsellor?

• What can I do to better utilize my strengths?
• Which jobs correspond to my skill set, experience, and level of education?
• What are the best ways by which I can network effectively?
• What would be your feedback on my CV?
• What should be my actionable goals?

Conclusion

Career guidance shapes students’ career. Knowing the career counselling meaning is of paramount importance for students as it helps them choose the right guidance and make planned and systematic efforts to achieve their goals. Among other things, career counselling helps students to make their choice based on the horses for courses approach. That is to say, it enables students to choose their career path based on their skills and education. It is for every student who aspires to have a successful career.