All of us at some point in our lives have asked this question to ourselves:- “What do I want to do when I grow up or after my 12th std?” To help you begin your Career research we have decided to arm you with some unhelpful myths and misconceptions bought about either by unwanted anecdotes, peer pressure, family expectations, or simply by your own anxieties and insecurities about the future.
Myth: Career counseling is all about getting students into elite institutions, and the counselor’s role is to make sure the students get into the schools they want.
FACT: Career counseling involves helping the students understand what they want to, what they can do, and how to bridge the gap between the two. For a lot of students, top colleges are not the right options and hence the counselor works with them to find the right fit for college. In fact, the counselor also guides students in cases where local higher education options are better for them than foreign ones despite them being able to financially afford a foreign degree.
Myth: It is more beneficial for high-achieving students because they have a better chance of being accepted into prestigious universities.
FACT: High achievers will find a method to get around and get to where they need to go. A career counselor can only contribute a small amount of value to a profile. Second and third-tier students, on the other hand, have talent but require more support in channeling it effectively in order to attain their objectives.
Myth: Career counseling has nothing to do with personal issues.
FACT: Nothing is more personal than one’s own work, and it involves a variety of personal struggles such as family interactions, financial struggles, and so on. As a result, a career counselor also deals with a student’s varied personal struggles.
Myth: Career counselors have a crystal ball hidden beneath their desks and are fortunetellers.
FACT: It is not within the capacity of career counselors to forecast the future to the last dot, as much as they would like to. They can look at previous trends and future prospects to estimate what to expect in a few years, but they can’t evaluate what a student will earn in 10 years.
Myth: A career counselor’s job is to advise a student on which career path to take.
FACT: It is not the role of a career counselor to tell students which career path they should take. Instead, the counselor assists students in determining what they are passionate about and capable of pursuing in the future. Then assist the student in charting a course toward the career of their choice.
Myth: A hobby cannot become a career.
FACT: Most hobbies can be turned into professions if used strategically. And the career counselor’s goal is to assist the student in considering the numerous choices for turning a hobby into a career.
Myth: If a student’s sibling, sister, aunt, uncle, neighbor, and cousin enjoy and thrive in a particular field, he or she will enjoy it as well.
FACT: Every kid is unique, with their own preferences and abilities. One success story in one field does not guarantee a repeat performance in another. Similarly, one failing example should not be used to judge the prospects of another student in the same field.
Myth: A career counselor is the same as an agent who arranges for students to study abroad.
FACT: An agent is not a career counselor. While agents have a list of universities on their panel that pay them a commission for each student they refer, career counselors do not have any external relationships. This arrangement typically forces a student applying through an agent to limit his or her options to the institutes under the agent’s umbrella, regardless of whether they are a good fit or not, whereas a counselor’s alternatives are numerous and the sky is the limit.
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.
Rujusmitaa Panicker 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.