Published on April 14, 2021

‘What do you want to do when you grow up?’

Oh, that hangs heavy over the heads of every high school student. Such an important question thrown at you from every angle. It’ll come to you in different forms – What are you good at? Where do you see yourself in 20 years? What are you passionate about? What do you want from life? What kind of career do you want? Have you decided what you want to do?

This can feel overwhelming and rightfully so. How are you supposed to decide your career at 13, when you can’t even decide what you want to eat tonight? On top of that, you have a hundred different voices in your head trying to tell you ‘what is good for you’.

The noise isn’t music.

Our parents for example, they have spent years grooming you and have certain expectations from you and your future. And if they’re footing your university bill, you have to consider their expectations. Then you have uncles and aunties trying to be a vocational counsellor. Your friends are doing something different, so you feel you should follow them. Then you have leaders of industry. Elon Musk doesn’t care about college degrees, so you might feel that you should skip college. Kim Kardashian is now a billionaire by being an influencer, so maybe you feel being viral is all you want to do.

In all this noise, how are you going to find out what you really want to do? Well for starters, stop thinking about your passion and stop looking at your grades. Start exploring, by actually going to places of work and getting a taste of a profession. If you want to be a lawyer, find some family friend who is a lawyer and ask them if you can observe them work. People don’t mind high school students coming to their office as it makes them feel good about helping. Exploit this feeling as much as you can.

Also, find a career counsellor. A career can give you satisfaction in doing what you want to do. A place where your abilities shine through, to help you perform and get rewarded in return. And career counselling for students can help find that.

– Parental expectations – Let’s start with this, since we discussed it earlier. A career counsellor in India will always consider the thoughts of your folks, but will bat on your team. They want you to get where you want to go. And they present options, bridging any gap that might exist in yours and your parents’ communication.

– What choices exist? – Did you know that a career exists in training dogs how to surf? The world is huge, and we unfortunately live in a bubble when it comes to choices. A vocational counsellor informs you about careers that you might not have known existed. It could even be a hybrid of two interests that you have. Who knows?

– Building your profile – Say you know your dream job and your dream college. The importance of career counselling for students is that it can help you build your profile while still in high school, even adding some 21st century skills to your arsenal. This is for you to get into that dream college, and onto the career you see in your mind.

– Assessment – There are various tools at disposal which provide mentorship to high school students. The career counsellors assess and investigate as to where your aptitude lies. If you’re analytical, it doesn’t mean you necessarily have to go into the STEM fields. Even marketing executives need to be analytical. This is the key benefit of career guidance and counselling. They cut through the noise and help you widen your horizons.

– Back-up plans – It isn’t about creating an escape plan to keep your parents happy, in case things don’t work out. This is about finding alternative career paths within your realm of interest. As we grow, our interests change. It is always helpful to know that you have other possibilities.

– Dose of reality – We might have grandiose expectations from our lives, and we might just have people feeding those presumptions. Ivy league counselling doesn’t guarantee a spot in the Ivy league. A career counsellor worth their salt will always tell you what others might not be comfortable saying. They tell you what is within your reach and how to get it, and they definitely won’t sugar coat it.

Career counsellors in India are people with years of experience trying to help you gain some perspective. They are happiest when you are at your happiest. But always know that this is just one person’s point of view, career guidance counselling isn’t the gospel truth. You must learn to always make decisions on your own. Think of it as your own personal leadership workshop. And if it doesn’t work out, change your path. The halls of advertising agencies are packed with engineers. It might seem like everything has to be decided right this instant, but be flexible and find the right kind of career counselling for students. Share your journey with us below, in your hunt to realise your own careers.