Why is Career Counselling required ?

Before we move to the why part of the question, let us understand what career counselling means and what it does not. The meaning of career counselling for most of the parents I have met, is just selecting the stream when in SSC and in HSC, which faculty or where can they get admissions. In the whole conversation, not even for a single time, the parents bother about the characteristics of their child and which career would match their personality. Also, they do not think about the steps that need to be taken to make the career exploration ride smoother. The vacation period ( exam to result ) is mostly wasted or considered as a break, but never as a chance to prepare for the next session, at least one tool that can make a difference in their performance.

The factors to consider while coming to conclusion of the career choice are :-

• Your Childs Personality
• Career Values
• Career Interest
• Skills
• Abilities
• Learning styles

These are some minimum factors to consider while concluding. The end is not important. Moreover, the process of discovery of the above factors is very interesting, fun-filled and gives a new dimension to thinking of both parents and child. One of the parents during the Comprehensive career assessment said a very touching and interesting thing. Observing his answers to the situational questions, he said “ I wish I had undergone this process for my son when he was in 8th as I would have two more extra years for myself to know, what quality discussions I should have had with him. What type of conversations I should have had with him and what changes we as parents should have done in our always already way of being”. Because in a counselling process, the parents learn the most and once their views and opinions’ as aligned with what is important for the kid, rather than what I say and think is Important, then the shift happens.

So the process is more important i.e

1. Being transparent with the counsellor why you want to undergo the counselling.
2. What is the process that they are going to undergo and why?
3. What are factors that are going to be considered in the assessment?
4. What is the total time in the process from first meeting to counselling?
5. What should their role as a parent be in the whole process?
6. How do we prepare the child to take a well-informed decision?
7. What are things they should do at home as a family after the assessment report is interpreted to them?
8. How to use this report for future discussions?
9. How to make a plan for skills and abilities to upgrade by this report.

The Process

• The first meeting either telephonic or personally is primarily to understand the whole process and what is in it for me.
• The assessment is important where the parents can be present as an observer to understand the views and process and as a support.
• While the interpretation of assessment report, it's important to understand the factors that are being explained and how much of it matches our child and us.
• By the career exploration process, the career analysis becomes easy to understand and with a clarity of what factors contributed to the options available.
• The primary learning or take home is to work on the missing skills and abilities part so that we can prepare from now for future.
• Last is what are the actions that need to be taken immediately by the child and us and how do we practice it till it becomes a habit.