Self Assured Career Counseling & Planning

“Let us take science if you score well in Xth Boards, otherwise we will opt for commerce” – said uncle of a 14 year old, speaking to him on choosing subject stream. This is not the right way of planning one’s career. Career Planning starts with the individual himself or herself. Understanding oneself is very important. Thereafter, one can choose the stream effectively. A number of students don’t understand the avenues and are also not goal oriented. Lots of them choose the subject stream based on what their friends are advising or siblings have opted

Understanding Personality Traits

One needs to understand one’s aptitude, personality, interests, abilities and what one values as an individual. Aptitude is what comes naturally to an individual or one’s special ability. Students can be shy/outgoing, creative, conventional, this determines their personality. A shy person would not fit into the role of a direct marketing company’s team and so on. Personality is an important parameter in the selection of a career and hence the stream also.

Finding Yourself

Thereafter, one needs to understand his/her interests. Students might need to delve deeper inside themselves to understand their real interests. One can take a cue from the activities one enjoys the most while at school or home. We also need to check if we have the ability to take up a particular subject area or career. Abilities can be physical, mental and monetary in nature. For example if somebody wants to excel in athletics but does not have the physical ability to practice also, then it would be difficult.

Guidance Through Career Counselling

Last but not the least as a career counselor I recommend one should see what a person values. Some people value money, some glamour, some power, some time for themselves and so on. One cannot except fulfillment of everything in a particular career. So one can decide, prioritize and then choose stream accordingly. Consult a career counselor for guidance and effective career planning, if needed. A career counselor is a professional who helps students and adults to effectively make self assured career decisions.
One needs to understand that a number of careers can be chosen irrespective of the stream taken. So, the chosen stream should be of a student’s interest