Being unhappy or unsatisfied in a job can profoundly affect our lives. In today's competitive world, people constantly lose hope of surviving on this planet. From dealing with population growth to tough competition at work, innumerable factors are concerning. Career Counselling holds enormous significance in a person's life. It has the potential to train a mind to become ready for challenges which are bound to come. Choosing a career that enlightens us and the people around us can be overwhelming, right? Read on to learn how to start a counselling career and more about this career opportunity.
The word Career originates from the Latin word 'carrus', meaning chariot. Career and personal counselling evolved from the job placement and vocational guidance models developed by psychologists in the first half of the twentieth century. Both use many of the same helping skills. Although the external appearance of counsellor-client interactions varies across these specialities, the underlying elements that account for much of the counselling interaction's success are the same. Both things necessitate essential interviewing and psychological assessment abilities.
Firstly a career counsellor would usually start by assisting us in identifying our personality's strengths and shortcomings. Self-evaluation and various personality tests are frequently used for this. The counsellor will also help us in evaluating our skill sets- both hard and soft skills. The objective here is to identify our areas of strength rather than our intellectual capacity.
There are only some careers that elevate not only us but also the people around us, and choosing a career as a Career Counsellor is one of them.
While some industries are more vulnerable to economic shifts, the Career Counselling sector does well, no matter the state of the economy. New professional opportunities are opening up in today's world. Prospects often become perplexed concerning their hobbies, skills, and professional route. Therefore, they need someone knowledgeable about various job alternatives—a mentor who can help them choose a professional path that suits their skills. We refer to Career Counselling as a recession-proof industry for this reason.
The field of Career Counselling is flourishing. India needs at least 1.5 million more career counsellors to fill the gap between students and career coaches due to the strong demand for these professionals nationwide. A Cognizant analysis claims that Career Counselling is one of the professions with the most significant year-over-year growth among the popular job categories. As a result, both newbies and seasoned experts have many prospects in career counselling, which is quite promising.
If we intend to work in this field, we should know that Career Counselling provides career coaches with various income-generating alternatives. As career counsellors, we can collaborate with any organisation, join any school, work full- or part-time, and even launch our own career counselling business.
Starting their businesses is the most common path taken by career counsellors. This allows them to serve a broader audience while building a team of career counsellors to help the company grow. Career counsellors could provide the following services as a sole proprietorship:
• Assist students in grades 8 through 12 choose their educational and career paths.
• Assist graduates and professionals in identifying tools to help them succeed in their career paths or identify which career best suits their skill set.
• A thorough evaluation based on psychometric testing allows career counsellors to excel with each individual they counsel.
The usual entrance point for careers in career counselling is a bachelor's degree in a related discipline, such as psychology, counselling, or vocational psychology. Many colleges also offer graduate degree programmes in career counselling, which could lead to more lucrative employment opportunities. Online career counselling degrees are available as part of a remote learning-based educational programme that prepares students to work as career counsellors. However, private practice career counsellors are typically required to have a license. Standards for career counsellor licenses vary by state and type of employment. Usually, you need to have a master's degree, have a particular amount of job experience, and pass a test. The Certified Career Counselor certificate is offered by the National Career Development Association (NCDA), which also provides certification.
The duties of a career counsellor differ daily, but in general, following a consultation with a new client, tests and exercises are finished to find out about the client's past, education, and personality. This could involve receiving guidance on writing a resume and conducting job interviews. Some major day-to-day activities of a Career counsellor are-
Encountering and corresponding with clients
Giving different job evaluation examinations
Recognising the social and familial pressures the client's faces
Interacting with the parents of a client
Creating career assessment reports
Reading articles to grasp current job trends across industries while conducting research.
Teaching kids how to make a résumé, conduct an interview and act professionally.
Depending on the type of environment they work in, career counsellors may receive a range of salaries. In contrast to individuals who work for colleges, schools, and other educational or employment institutions, independent career counsellors frequently charge a specific sum for each client.
Data show that an annual entry-level wage might range from INR 15,000 to INR 25,000 monthly. A higher pay between INR 35,000 and INR 60,000 per month often results from experience and skill. The employer is yet another essential contributing aspect. Government-run educational institutions typically provide far lower tuition fees than private educational institutions.
Some attributes help us stand out from the crowd when we take on a profession where our daily routine is to counsel, recommend, and much more, and they are
Ability to display empathy
Critical thinking skills
Communication is the key
Relationship Building
A thriving psychology discipline, career counselling theory and practice has profited from more than 90 years of exploration and innovation. According to meta-analyses of decades' worth of research, career interventions result in measurable benefits. Effective interventions that help clients explore and make career choices include individual career counselling, structured career counselling groups, workshops, and career education. To help a clientele become more diverse, attempts are still being made to identify even more effective career counselling solutions.
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