There are many factors that can affect a student’s decision to choose the right career path
Abhishek Karmali
Are you a student who has questions about what the future holds for you as far as choosing the right career path is concerned? Does the road ahead look more and more uncertain causing a lot of unnecessary stress? Choosing the right career path is one of the most important life decisions one makes, yet it’s one decision people least invest in. Students end up choosing career paths which they are least suitable for causing them a lot of problems in their lives as they move forward.
In my experience as a career counsellor and life coach, here are six most likely road blocks students experience when choosing the right career path.
Lack of self-awareness: How many of us actually understand what our strengths and weaknesses are? How often do we see students securing 50%-60% in SSC with low scores in maths and biology opting for science in their higher secondary studies. That’s because there is a total lack of awareness of how to play to one’s strength. In the absence of this self-awareness, it’s always advisable to seek professional help.
External influences: How often do we meet students who want to become doctors or engineers just because there is someone in the family, especially parents who have continuously influenced them either intentionally or unintentionally to aspire for these career paths. This influence can also come from the peers, teachers and the other external sources one is exposed to.
Lack of knowledge: A majority of students are unaware of career options available beyond the regular ones which are most spoken about like being a doctor, engineer or a teacher. To make matter worse, this lack of knowledge also affects the parents and a lot of teachers guiding these students. Currently, the most sought-after new age professions are in fields like data science, artificial intelligence, cyber security, augmented reality, renewable energies, digital marketing and robotics. How many students or even their parents are aware about this?
Pursuit of money: Students want to choose career paths which will fetch them high paying jobs. While there is nothing wrong with wanting a better life which comes with more money, one needs to realise that money comes in any career one chooses if he or she excels in it. One should choose career paths which align with their personalities, interests, values and skills. Just as an example; imagine parents wasting their time and money on training their kid to be a cricketer just because playing IPL will make him millions of dollars even though the kid is not naturally athletic and has never liked cricket since childhood.
Obsession with trends: Teens and even youngsters are easily influenced by what is currently fashionable or trending. For example, currently being an influencer on social media is considered cool. A lot of youngsters spend hours on social media creating cringe content hoping to be the next big social media star. Nine out of ten times they will fail unless backed by genuine talent, the right skill set and genuine interest in what they are doing.
Unwillingness to seek career guidance: Students as well as their parents are hesitant to approach a professional career counsellor. Reasons can be either because of lack of awareness or because they consider it as waste of time and money. Experienced career counsellors can genuinely give you great career advice by conducting scientific psychometric tests evaluating the student’s personality and interests. It is better to invest in a career counsellor instead of wasting lakhs of rupees on expensive courses pursuing careers paths which the student is least suitable for.
(Abhishek Karmali who has a PhD, is a career counsellor, trainer and life coach at Career Crafters- Panaji. He has over two decades of experience dealing with students at the higher education level.)
Goa University academician to participate in Indian Arctic expedition
Assistant professor at the Department of Microbiology of Goa University Dr. Lata Gawade, will be participating in the Indian Arctic Expedition 2023-24 along with a team of scientists from various institutes across the country. The opportunity came about after Dr. Gawade’s research proposal on climate change impacts in the Arctic region was selected through the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research- Ministry for Earth Sciences. On this expedition, she will be focusing on climate change studies in the Arctic region particularly to understand the impact of global warming on bacteria and their role in the carbon fixation cycle. As the Arctic region is warming at a faster pace compared to that of other regions, it’s important to understand its impact on biology and future predictions. Dr. Gawade, who originally hails from Madkai, will be working in the Arctic region for a period of 35 days for her planned experiments.