Today advancement in technologies and internet have brought revolutionary changes in our lives. Every information is a click away. This era of the internet is also witnessing rapid expansion in career options for students, but it has increased perplexity among youth.

The planning of a career has certainly become more challenging for adolescents who are at a phase of transition from a child to an adult or from being dependent on their parents to be independent. They do not have experience from the past decision on which to base their current decision, therefore feeling of self- doubt might also creep in at this stage. In addition to that inadequate knowledge about career options or the likely consequences of these options lead to more confusion. Therefore, their career choice that will shape their future is often influenced by these factors:-

•  Parental pressure- They choose a career that parents asked them to choose.
•  Peer pressure- They choose the same stream as their friends
• They follow the crowd/trend
•  They end up choosing traditional careers like engineering and medical.

What should therefore be done?

Here are some essential considerations for choosing the right career

While planning the career one should keep in view one’s personality pattern, aptitude/skills, interest, career values, and physical limitations and potentials. All these factors have equal importance in choosing the right career. You can not find a suitable career merely on basis of your personality or interest, a better way to identify the right career is to have a good and thorough understanding about yourself in terms of personality type, interest, skill, aptitude and work values.

Personality– Personality is a combination of traits that makes us a unique individual. These traits can include one’s emotional and behavioral characteristics, need patterns, temperamental characteristics, value system, etc. Our personality determines how we feel, think and act with different people, in different events and situations. Individual’s childhood experiences, interactions with family, peers, people, environment, parenting style, and inherent features are a few factors that play a vital role in shaping one’s personality.

Now the question arises “Why it is important to have a good knowledge of one’s personality while planning the career?”
In every career, specific personality traits are needed, therefore it is important to assess properly your personality pattern, and match your career choice to your personality type. For instance, Extroverted people derive energy from social interaction and exchange of ideas. They are energized by meeting new people, friends, and building relationships. They like to take initiatives and are very approachable. These characteristics make them a good candidate for occupations that involve social interaction and team-oriented work, like sales, marketing, public relation, management, service professions, etc.

Whereas, Introverts are reserved and self-contained, prefer to work behind the scenes, have good power of concentration. Therefore, conventional and creative fields are best suited for such personality.

Interest – It is very disappointing that most of the students do not give priority to their interests while choosing a career. They look at other aspects like trends, scope, perks, and salary, but do not give weight to their own interest. There is a misconception that one can’t make a career out of hobby and interest. It completely depends on your planning, hard work, and persistent effort. If you turn your hobby into a full-time career and work passionately towards your goal, you will be successful and can make a good amount of money too! On the contrary, if you take up a career that doesn’t fit your interest, after a certain period of time you may find your work boring and fail to produce the desired output.

Aptitude – Aptitude is the natural ability, natural skills or an ability that has been acquired by an individual through experiences, study or training. Multi-Aptitude tests enlighten students about their innate abilities and help them understand which career option will be suitable for them as per their aptitude and skills.

Every career has the requirement of a combination of a different set of aptitude and skills. For example, management jobs need the basic skill to plan, organize and lead. Good numerical aptitude, logical thinking, organizing skill, and social and co-operation skills are essential attributes for a career in Finance. Students who are desirous to join the legal profession and civil services need to possess  aptitude and skills of good logical reasoning, excellent verbal ability, an ability to work with details, social skills and genuine interest in people.

If an individual selects a career that utilizes his natural skills and aptitude, it will help him to excel and succeed in that field. In case a student doesn’t choose a career keeping in view his aptitude, he/she may have a problem of maladjustment and incompatibility. Lack of required aptitude and inability to cope with the norms of a job may lead to frustration and depression. Thus, before selecting a career one must have a good understanding of oneself in terms of his/her aptitude and skills.

In addition to all the above factors, the physical characteristics of candidate, economic and educational background of the family should also be kept in mind when choosing a career. One should also be aware of physical strength and limitation in selecting a career. Physical fitness, self- discipline, and commitment are utmost important in careers like defence forces and sports.

Privatization of education institutes has widened the career opportunities but heavy fees charged by these colleges may shake your financial condition, therefore select the college and institute which is within your resources or check the availability of scholarship offered by colleges and institutes.

Importance of Psychometric assessment tools

Psychometric tools have a very significant role in career counselling. These are used to identify and assess a student’s aptitude, skills, personality pattern, career values, learning style, and career interest. These tests can be helpful in developing and understanding one’s strengths and weaknesses and also provide clarity about one’s interest and personality type. Psychometric tools are also reliable in identifying the careers that match student’s interests, personality, and skills. It is imperative that the tests are highly reliable, valid and standardized. It is equally important that the tests are administered by a professional counsellor or psychologist in order to use these assessments effectively and avoid misinterpreting results.

Advantages of Professional Career Counselling

Career planning involves an understanding of personal attributes and skills, exploring career options, making the right career choice and moving systematically towards your goal. When you are not sure about the career goal you want to achieve, you must consult a career counsellor. Career counselling is the solution that can provide clarity of thought and quell the confusion in selecting the right career path. Here are some advantages of career counselling:-

•  Career counselling helps the students to explore and assess themselves. Career counselling involves the assessment of personality, interest, aptitude, and skills. Two types of assessment techniques are used in Career counselling – Interview and Psychometric assessment tools. The former technique enables the counsellor to extract specific information about the student whereas, Psychometric assessment tools are used to measure personality, aptitude, intelligence, and interest in a scientific manner. Thus, the systematic approach of Career counselling provides in-depth knowledge about student’s strengths, weaknesses, goals, personality, and interests.
•  Goal setting is the most important part of Career planning. Goal setting gives a clear vision about what you really want to achieve and instigates you to take action. One of the important roles of a Career counsellor is to empower the student to set a career goal based on his/her potential and interest. Career counselling will help you to create step by step action plan to accomplish your goal. The counsellor will provide relevant information about what education and skills are required for your chosen career path. This will help you to move systematically towards goals.
•  Today, a wide range of career options are available therefore, it becomes difficult for a student to choose and focus on one suitable career option. Career Counselling helps a student in narrowing down the options and selecting the right career that matches his skills and interest.
•  Career counselling enlightens students about the pros and cons of different streams and the career opportunities it offers. Thus, it dispels the confusion    of students regarding the selection of streams and helps them to make an informed choice.
•  A Career counsellor also offers intervention strategies that are well suited for students and help them to reach their full potential. She/he motivates and      encourages students by providing a sense of future; empowers the students to develop constructive habits.

A right career in the right direction will enhance effectiveness, satisfaction, and self-growth. Thus, if you are caught up in a confusing stage where making a career choice seems difficult, feel free to approach a career counsellor.

All the best!