The Right Age For Career Counselling

Counseling is a professional assistance that is rendered to a person to resolve their problem which could be varied in a possible way by providing various alternatives. Of the various places where counseling can be given like for marriage, education, mental health etc, here we are looking at the counseling for professional growth.

Career counseling is actually advice and guidance that helps individuals to identify their right career. The counselor studies the interest and aptitude of the candidate and based on that guides the individual to set their career goals. By way of evaluating the student, the counselor will provide the relevant options available to help the student choose the best option for his/her career. Career indecisions in students mind are also addressed to when one goes to a Career councilor.  The students normally seek this counseling to set out a decision on what they want to become in the future.

This career counseling normally is done:

1. After one completes the 12^th standard, to know and understand the various opportunities available for the student to pursue and find out what will be the best option not only based on the marks that they get but also, on the interests and the aptitude that they possess.
2. The second may be while choosing a job. This again is at a later stage when one is already qualified in a particular field and has to take up an option for jobs. The counseling session will also help one to maintain the passion for a particular field and become the person one is intended to be.

Career development is a lifelong process and hence this can be suitable and appropriate to anyone. Career counseling helps to boost confidence and the morale of the student and the professional.

Factors that influence ones career development would be interest, ability, values, personality, background etc. So this career counseling will help a person to know oneself and understand what one wants from his life. As mentioned earlier, career development happens lifelong;-

A counselor will do the following to help one out.

1. Advice one as to what one can do of the education so far and in life based on the person’s interest aptitude etc and the career sought.
2. Not only mention what you need now but also help one to have knowledge and may be develop a skill for making the future career decisions as well.
3. Will help one to decide what the factors that influence career development are.
4. Help one to know the sources of information regarding the careers
5. Helps one to see what is the next step and set out plans to achieve what one wants.

Now whether a person needs the counseling or not will depend on the individual. If the individual is uncertain as to what to do in future once they complete their basic education or one does not know how to move ahead in life, what to major in, or what to do once one graduates, what jobs one can get once one majors in a subject or for those who are confused as to what to do career wise can approach a career counselor who will weigh the pros and cons, also guide the individual from a different aspect to help to sort out the dilemma running in their minds and thus take up the right course of action.

Whether career counseling needs to start from the school level? – For this one may understand that when done at the right time it will help students to make important decisions as to when what and where to study and also find out if they are interested in that field and if so what they have to do and marks to score to make that happen. The teachers can also help to give an insight on what is being taught and how it will be in the world outside. It may also help students to take the right approach and imbibe the habit of success which is very much essential for students to achieve their goals.

They get the confidence and the knowledge to make the right career path after understanding their strengths and weaknesses, check out their priorities and then match it to the skills acquired to get the best suitable career choice which is suitable to his life style preference, family environment and also the checking on the scope of self-development.

Many schools and colleges set free counseling session for students and their parents to understand the different career choices available today. This also helps the parents in turn to identify the strengths and weakness of their wards and canalize their ability in the right direction. This also increases the acceptance and lowers the stress regarding the career option and also the non academic courses offered.

Conclusion: Career counseling at an early stage also saves the time and effort to channelize the student in the right career path.