Career counselling as a career

All of us need a person, highly qualified and professionally trained, to make us realize what natural talent we have been born with and then guide us accordingly what job we can best perform? Yes, of course. And he is none other than a career counselor who helps candidates to go for a particular academic course to fulfill their dream career.

In fact, a career counselor is a professional, well-qualified and emotionally sensitive human being, who is trained to guide the aspirants what jobs they have been best suited for. A career counselor's job is to know the talent and various traits and guide the candidates to choose suitable career accordingly.

Often what happens is that we commit mistakes making career decisions because we assess ourselves purely on the basis of unrealistic parameters. We design our career trajectory on the basis of what we dream and not on what we deserve. Moreover, we also get unduly impressed with the phony attraction of the various career options surrounding us. Sometimes, we also buckle under the parental pressure and get swayed by the social showing. In this awkward situation, a candidate ends up choosing a career for which he is not at all suitable and nor mentally inclined. It is not a matter of any surprise that this sort of mistakes in choosing the unsuitable career option occurs because of the inadequate knowledge, emotional immaturity, peer pressure and high- demanding - parental - ambition. In fact, this is a very pernicious situation. Basically, our perception and psychology does not let us identify the individual differences which are so naturally found in each child.

The days of the customary job opportunities like those of a doctor and engineer are on the gradual decline. In the post-reformed-induced-information technology age of the 21st century where the whole world has turned out to be a global village, it is really very soothing feeling that now there is no dearth of job opportunities across the countries in the world. As per the socio-behavioural and genetic differences in ability, personality, attitude, bent of mind and interests, each person can find himself fit for a score of job opportunities which have unfolded before the present generation. Therefore, the basic role of a career counselor is extending much-needed assistance and professional guidance to the people to help them choose the career as per their unique curricular and extra-curricular interests, behavioural pattern and personality traits.

However, in the wake of increasing demand for such type of counselors, career counseling course has also been incorporated in syllabus and there is provision of appointment of a career counselor in each school and college. A career counselor is responsible for providing the guidance to the students for their balanced physical, mental, psychic and psychological development so that they may move ahead towards the right career path at right time with right attitude and much-wanted success with ease and élan.

Functions of A Career Counselor

A Career counselor performs the following important functions

1. Helps individuals develop the self-awareness which will further help them to prepare for the better development of interests and capabilities.

2. Prepares the children for taking career decisions as per their choice, interest, ambition, personality trait and inclination of mind.

3. Makes students aware of the various job opportunities and career options to best suit their interests and capabilities.

4. Assists the aspirants with the professional guidance of braving the challenges born out of changes in career and grooming them for the professional perfection.

Skills Required for a Career Counselor

The job of a career counselor is not easier than what the people do understand. It is more the job of sensitively understanding the human behviour and psychology than the academic excellence. That is why a career counselor must be a good human being to sympathetically understand the natural capabilities and inherent disability of the people. Besides, a career counselor must-

1. possess thorough knowledge of current job trends and availability of career opportunities. He must also have very perfect knowledge of various institutions, courses offered by them, courses' fees, provision of scholarships and financial assistance programmes.

2. have updated information of the changes in the areas of education, emerging career opportunities in the country and abroad as well and scope in the years to come.

3. possess very good patience listening skills.

4. be a man of immaculate character, integrity and commitment.

5. have immense patience and better understanding of human behaviour and psychology.

6. have perfect knowledge of the job policies and socio-political condition of the various countries across the globe.

7. have very sound analytical power, communication efficiency and sensitivity.

8. have motivational power.

9. possess the leadership qualities to lead and inspire the candidates to the right path of career choice and job opportunities.