Career counseling, earlier known as vocational guidance, came into being towards the end of the nineteenth century. It was described by historians as a ‘progressive social reform movement’. The movement in its first stage aimed mainly at job placement, but as it evolved, it was characterized by focusing societal resources on colleges and universities and the training of professional counsellors for the same.
Excelling academically gears students towards getting good grades and often leads to them developing an ignorance of what career path to take. This in turn results in students choosing career paths based on societal norms, peer pressure or even just on the basis of their affinity towards certain subjects. Research indicates that a majority of students end up leaving their initial stream of choice without completing their degree. It is a general assumption that those who have undecided majors or are uncertain about their degree of choice have a higher likelihood of attrition, which in turn comes from the underlying equation of ‘undecided’ to ‘indecisive’ It’s important to note that this assumption is supported by no such empirical evidence and those both with decided and undecided majors have almost equal tendencies for attrition. This makes career counseling at a college/university level of surmount importance.
An increasing number of students come into college unprepared. This inexperience on the part of the students owing to the lack of real-life experience in their chosen fields further highlights the need of qualified counsellors at a college level. The presence of such professionals help students see what a particular career path expects of them which further helps them decide if this path aligns with their personal career goals.
Students may harbour unrealistic expectations from their chosen field and having a counselor can be invaluable. It not only helps supplement knowledge but also puts them on the right path keeping in mind both their short and long term goals. It also plays a role in helping students make financially judicious decisions.
Importance of Professional Counseling: A friend or family member may listen to you, but they aren’t professionally, technically qualified or experienced to offer you professional advice. If you wish you can contact us at MindTribe to receive help from our team of expert psychologists.
About MindTribe.in.
MindTribe Founder Dr. Prerna Kohli, India’s eminent psychologist, established the company to leverage the strength of the online to make counseling affordable and accessible to everyone. MindTribe provides counseling, workshops, support groups, forums, and eLearning.
About the Author.
Ankita Agarwal is a psychologist at MindTribe.in. You can learn more about her by clicking here.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MindTribe.in, the Founders, or management team.
Acknowledgement: All images used are open source and from Unsplash.