At the crux of adulthood, one of the greatest confusions for many young adults lies in the next step they should be taking. The potential to do great things lies within us all. But how often does potential get recognised beyond a noticed opportunity, and get the chance to grow further?
When a student leaves middle school, pressure begins to build to choose a career path. Students must decide to work towards a career that is not only good to support their future, but is also something they are passionate about and interested in. These choices have a lasting impact on the rest of their lives.
Sorting through the confusion of the various ways a career trajectory may go is naturally a scary place to be in. Moreover, for a student of a young age, choosing between all the different options that are so different from one another can be daunting. At this crucial juncture, career counselling for students can step in and ease the concerns that many students face.
Career guidance is a meticulous process followed to ensure that all aspects of a student’s personality and abilities are taken into consideration to guide them down a path of career development that is suitable for them in the long term. Everything from choosing the right undergraduate courses to preparing for entrance exams and interviews can be streamlined with career guidance and counselling. Let’s learn more.
Recognising Student Potential Through Career Counselling
In India, career choices that students make are influenced by so many factors – from parental expectations to peer pressure, to opinions of people who often are not qualified to offer career advice. These factors can create bias in the minds of students.
Career counselling eliminates the bias by conducting sessions with students to understand them, in addition to assessment tests and projects. Having good-quality career counselling during grade 9 or before grade 10 is important for helping students make the right choices. Here’s what that means.
There are 3 major factors that are addressed in the process of career counselling:
- Identifying the true areas of skill and potential in students regarding their interests, personal values and passions.
- Providing clarity about the available options, the steps to take towards them, and mapping a plan that is tailored to the individual student.
- Help locate and utilise all necessary resources required to take further steps for higher education.
In this process, every aspect of a student’s interest and strength should be evaluated, and they must only be encouraged to pursue a career that aligns with their personal goals, skills, and passions. Additionally, keeping in mind the newer technological developments and the introduction of artificial intelligence into many professional fields, change is bound to happen; and with guidance, students can be on par with the ever-changing expectations of industries.
Enabling students for top universities
The finest universities in the world have certain parameters for selecting students into their undergraduate programmes. Fulfilling these parameters hence becomes key for any student’s university journey after they graduate from high school. While each university’s requirements will vary to a certain extent, some key parameters must be kept in mind. These parameters are crucial for students to understand while building their profile for college applications.
From a practical standpoint, students must begin creating their profile as early as possible. With clearly defined areas of skill and interest, a profile should be easy to put together. First off, any undergraduate course will expect students to fulfil the minimum grade required for admission into a batch. Secondly, additional aptitude tests like SAT, PSAT, AP, IELTS or NEET may be required, depending on the course applied for.
It is important to note that students may show talent in unconventional careers like fine arts, sports, or performance arts. In this case, a portfolio building in grade 12, may be helpful in supporting their profile and overall personality building . A portfolio is a collection of projects, creative work, awards and certifications that students can gather to represent their consolidated efforts towards their chosen career, adding an additional boost to their profile while applying for further studies. For an artist, this could be a set of their best paintings, a dancer could create an audio visual-based portfolio, showcasing their best performances and so on. Extra-curriculars can also be a strong addition to a student profile, highlighting a student’s values, interests and skills outside of academics.
Next, students must ensure that they develop their interview skills for face-to-face interactions with college faculty during the selection process. A well-prepared student always stands apart. Preparing for interviews beforehand is not only necessary for confidence, but also improves selection prospects when compared to students who don’t. Networking with the help of social media like LinkedIn can help students gain insights from the industry at a young age.
How CHIREC prepares students for the future
At CHIREC International School, we wish to be able to help all our students realise their potential. Instead of depending on internet searches or unreliable opinions from here and there, students should have a straightforward way to approach further studies. In this pursuit, we’re dedicated to providing every important resource to our future graduates.
The right kind of guidance can only be imparted with the complete collaboration of the students, teachers, coordinators and counsellors. To support students in the process of course selection and application, CHIREC explores several avenues of guidance. Here is an outline.
We Conduct University Fairs
Some students may wish to apply abroad, considering prospects for certain careers are of higher quality in international institutes, like courses in business management, fashion technology, culinary arts and many more. At CHIREC’s university fairs, students can interact with university representatives and experts from numerous universities from around the world. This opens doors for a stronger future career with the support of international studies. Career talks from colleges across India, UK, Europe, Australia, Canada, USA and Singapore also provide students important insights on the options available to them.
Join Our Writing Workshops
A great application essay can help students stand apart from others. What makes an essay great is the simple understanding of good communication skills. Our workshops help students learn about effective and good quality communication, which they can leverage to write compelling essays for their entrances.
Study Abroad with our Exchange Programmes
Studying abroad while in school can expand a student’s horizon of learning drastically. Experiencing foreign culture, curricula, and subjects can create several opportunities for students from networking to gaining first-hand experience with international education.
Join Our Preparatory Courses
CHIREC International School is dedicated to ensuring that students can prepare for external examinations like SAT, PSAT, and AP, providing courses for the same. Pre-Oxford and Cambridge examinations are also conducted to enable students to aim for some of the most sought-after courses in the world.
CHIREC and Cialfo
Our school is affiliated with Cialfo, an organisation that aims at simplifying the process of university and course selection for students, providing them with several resources to help make informed decisions.
CHIREC International School has a stellar record of placing students in the top global universities. Over 40% of our students are placed in foreign universities, with avenues for international education available for constant support and guidance. In 2022, our students secured scholarships worth $1 million. Early decisions and action are the key factors in helping our students step into their higher studies with confidence and high-quality preparation.
Conclusion
Making well informed decisions for the future is a prerequisite for a successful career. A majority of Indian students do not opt for pre-application career counselling in their pursuit of securing a seat in their dream institute. With the right type of career guidance and counselling, students can choose a career that matches both their skills, passions and expectations. With several guidance mechanisms, trained counsellors, coordinators and teachers, CHIREC International School is in constant pursuit of shaping every one of our students into productive members of society and the best versions of themselves.
