“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”
– Steve Jobs
Your career path has been rarely talked about by linking it to your Mental Health. But it is time we accept, as a society, that just as other areas of your life, choosing the wrong career path too has a detrimental impact on your mental and emotional well-being.
Yes! Some personality types are better suited for particular job profiles, and so to understand the importance of aptitude in choosing your career, to be aware of different professions, and to find your path aligned with your passion, you need to broaden your area of understanding and acknowledge concepts like “Career Counselling Awareness”.
The world economic forum report says that 44 per cent of students in India need career counselling and define it as the most important factor in demand-supply mismatch. Contrary to this, 93 per cent of Indian schools do not have counsellors. The recent skilling report by Michael & Susan Dell Foundation states that only 1 out of 10 students in India receive career guidance. The result is that India sees 77 percent drop-out among students at secondary education. The 250 million young population of India needs career guidance, but the current schooling system does not provide it. There is an absolute gap in providing career guidance to students at the early stage of education in schools. The current ratio of counsellors to student is 50,000:1 in India and to achieve the standard ratio of 250:1 (students: counsellor) prescribed by International School Counsellors Associations (ISCA), we need 1.4 million career counsellors.
Many a times when you interact with others, you may hear common remarks like they chose a particular field because of family/peer pressure, advice of relatives, opting for a colleges over course, or due to lack of knowledge about other career alternatives. This is the pivotal cause of worry as even in the 21st century, people are misinformed about career opportunities due to which they aren’t able to effectively utilise their potential or talents and they later experience dissatisfaction and frustration. Such feelings serve as a breeding ground for diverse negative emotions, irrational thought patterns, distorted relationships, and sometimes in extreme cases, it may even lead to the onset of clinical disorders like depression and anxiety.
Hence, it is crucial to understand the importance of Career Counselling to fully understand the role of human behaviour, personality types, aptitude, and areas of interest in determining one’s career. Remember that as early as you discover your passion in life, as simple it will be to peruse it as your career path.
Career Counselling involves interaction with the client along with some psychometric tests to uncover your interest areas, personality type, aptitude, achievements etc, so that the most suited career option can be discussed and further pursued by the client.
To bust the common myth that career counselling is only for students who stand behind the line of choosing their field in school or looking out for colleges, well, it can be taken at any stage in your life when you wish to start over or change your career.
Rapid Change is the new normal and hence it’s very important nowadays to be well aware of transitions in the field of occupations, to keep exploring yourself, and to find the best fit for yourself. Remember, it’s never too late to unveil your passion, interests, and aptitude to discover your path and live the life of your dreams.
Best Wishes
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