August 17, 2022
A to Z of Career Guidance for Students
Why is Career Guidance important for students?
Let’s understand Career Guidance First
What is Career Guidance?
Career Guidance is to help an individual or a group of individuals to make a good career decision. Career guidance can help in deciding the right career path that a person should take. It is not wise to choose a career path just because it is popular or because it pays well. People should choose their career path based on their interest and skills. A career guidance can help people to find the right career path. People should get help from career guidance before they decide to take up a career. Career guidance includes career assessment, career exploration and career counselling.
There are many reasons why career guidance has become a necessity in today’s time.
- The most important one of them is that there are too many career choices available for the students. It has become a huge problem for the students to choose a career.
- The second reason is that the career options are changing rapidly. The students should keep themselves updated about these changes. They should have a clear idea about the latest developments.
- The third reason is that the career options are becoming highly specialized. Today you must choose your career according to your area of interest.
- The fourth reason is that it is very difficult to choose an appropriate career path. The students must choose the career path according to their skills, aptitude, and interests.
- The last reason is that the students are the future of the country. They should have a bright future. Careers play a vital role in deciding the future.
What is the difference between Career Mentoring, Career Planning, career guidance and career counselling?
These terms are used interchangeably to describe the process of helping individuals plan and prepare for their future career development.
Career Mentoring: By definition, career mentoring is a dynamic process of individualized, professional guidance and support which facilitates career development. The main objective of mentoring is to help a junior overcome the challenges he is facing in his career and to help him reach his full potential. a mentor is a more experienced and successful person who takes an interest in someone, concerned not with that person’s career, but with the development of that person’s character, personality, and skills. This can take place in any area of your career. If you want to be good at something and you’re looking for someone to help you on a one-on-one basis, then mentor is the best for you.
Career Planning: In career planning, a person identifies and clarifies their skills, interests, and values, and then develops a plan for their career. It’s a process of creating an action plan that helps you to take proactive steps towards your career goals.
Career guidance and career counselling are the same thing. They are all about giving career advice to students and employees.
Career Counselling: It is a form of professional guidance that helps an individual to explore and understand the meaning of work in their lives so they can make well informed career decisions. a career counselor will help you consider and plan for a wide range of career options. The career counselor will listen to your dreams, goals and values and will help you explore your skills, abilities, interests, and aptitudes.
Career Guidance: It provides the best overall guidance in career related issues.
What is a Career Guidance and Counselling Program?
Career Guidance and Counselling Program is an approach to career support, which helps individuals identify their interests, skills and values and then matches these to career choices and pathways.
A program can help individuals work towards planning a career pathway, including post-secondary education, and training, or work.
In other words, a program is a formal set of processes and procedures that assist individuals in identifying, exploring, and making career choices. Programs are typically time-limited and are guided by a career professional who has expertise in the field and has received appropriate training.
What are the key components of Career Guidance and Counselling Programs?
Career guidance and Career Counselling programs are designed to assist students, adults, and parents in identifying their skills, aptitude, and interests, and to develop strategies and skills required in the present job market. Career Counselling or Guidance includes, but is not limited to, the following components:
- Psychometric to understands strengths
- Career Exploration
- Career Research
- Career Planning
- Education Planning
- Development planning
- Skill building Planning
- Life skill and soft skill planning
- Job preparation planning
Who Benefits from Career Guidance and Counseling Programs?
Career Guidance and Counseling Programs has no defined boundaries. It is open to every individual. It is meant for young and old.
- for parents who want their grown-up children to be guided.
- for persons who want to change their career path for various reasons.
- for those who are contemplating on a career change.
- for those who are in occupations that are no longer fulfilling.
- for the unemployed and so on.
- These programs are also meant for those who are working but want to advance their careers by gaining new skills.
- for those who are working and want to improve their value in the workplace and for simply anyone who wants to achieve a better quality of life
What are the Key Components of Successful Career Guidance and Counselling Programs?
Career guidance and counselling programs are always based on the students’ abilities and expectations. Most of the future careers are unknown to students at the beginning of their school life. The program should be designed to ensure that the students are given access to the information sources that will help them get a clear understanding of the different careers in different fields. Those sources should be reliable and easy to access.
They can be provided by the school library, the internet or career workshops. Those career workshops should be designed to help the students get a clear look at the different professions in different fields.
Field trips to nearby companies and interviews with different people in different professions can help in gaining a clearer understanding of the different careers.
Summary
Career guidance can be extremely beneficial for individuals who might be feeling lost when it comes to figuring out what they want to do with their lives. The article goes into detail about how career guidance can help students and professionals make better choices when it comes to their future. It’s important to understand the role of career guidance and counseling before making any decisions that could potentially impact your life in a negative way.
So, what’s holding you back from finding your true passion in life? Talk to our expert career mentors at Dheya and get started on the path to discovering what you were meant to do!