Torn between career options after school, unsure of one’s judgement, or groping in the dark about the road ahead… the ninth edition of The Hindu Edge Career Guidance Sessions presented by Chinmaya University addressed many such concerns of Plus Two students in the city on Wednesday.
The programme, held at Alakapuri Auditorium, Edapazhanji, saw students from six schools turn up for sessions that would equip them to make informed career choices — not only options in front of the them but also the right reasons to make them and how to go about it.
P. Prakash, District Police Chief (Thiruvananthapuram City), who inaugurated the programme, said today’s generation was lucky to have formal career guidance, unlike the time when he was a higher secondary school student. He shared with them his career trajectory, and urged them to make the right decisions at the right time.
Pursue your passion
Career choices should be made on what one’s interests were, and not what parents wanted or friends were pursuing. It was necessary to believe in oneself, work hard, and remain motivated. One also needed to have an open mind and listen to and learn from people. Mistakes were bound to happen, but one should take the opportunities to correct oneself, he said.
Love for what one did, finding challenges, and the yen to do something for society were the ingredients for a successful career, he said.
B. Ashok, Registrar, Chinmaya University, who spoke on ‘The purpose of higher learning’ urged the students to remain lifelong learners. Massive open online courses allowed them to register for full-fledged courses in the best institutions around the world. Developing critical thinking was important, rather than just reproducing what one had been taught.
Fr. Thomas Puthussery, Director of Darsana Academy, spoke on the NEET/AIIMS/JIPMER/IIT entrance examination patterns over the years. Vijay Menon, Strategy and Human Development Partner to Fortune 500 companies, spoke of how ambition and aspiration helped one reach far. Constructive thinking also deserved value. Choosing the right hobbies such as reading would help in the long run, Mr. Menon said.
The versatility of the Civil Services was what Gris Hikdas, Director of Alchemy IAS, spoke about.
Nicy Binu, Director, Santa Monica Study Abroad Pvt. Ltd., briefed the students on the wide academic opportunities abroad and the holistic development of students who opted for them.
Vinod Chandran of the Logic School of Management dwelt on the emerging trends in commerce and accounting. Apart from Thiruvananthapuram, the career guidance programme is being held in Kottayam, Kochi, Thrissur, and Kozhikode in the following weeks.
Chinmaya University is the presenting sponsor of the event, which is powered by Logic and co-powered by Alchemy IAS. Darsana Academy is the knowledge partner and Santa Monica Study Abroad Pvt. Ltd. the overseas study partner. The programme is an initiative by THEME.