On July 26, 2018, students of 9th and 11th grades attended a workshop on “Career Guidance”. The workshop was conducted by an expert career counseling team from Extramarks. The team was led by an experienced career counsellor, Mr. Asif Khan, who first interacted with the students to understand their aspirations. While quite a few students were sure about their career goals, many were confused and undecided.
With the help of a wonderful PPT presentation, Mr. Khan took students through the various stages of making career decisions. Exam pressures, lack of counselling, gender stereotyping, peer pressure, familial factors, mental health, etc. are factors that play a major role for students while choosing a career.
Students were advised to construct a career plan first which would lead to self discovery and help them to explore the world of work. This would help them to make important decisions to prepare for a career. He allayed the confusion in their minds over the vast career options available today saying that it is bound to happen. Joining the herd mentality will be the easiest decision that a student can make. Students were encouraged to pursue courses seeking out alternative career options such as prosthetics, physiotherapy, orthodontics, ethical hacking, economist, social work, etc. that would give them a professional edge over others.
He also introduced the Career Assessement Program which can be used by students to assess their personality, interest and aptitude. A one-on-one session with parents will be conducted to discuss the areas of interest of each student. A psychometric test will pave the way for students to pursue career options which they may have never thought about.
The workshop triggered a lot of interest among the students, and they discussed the numerous options available to them with each other.
