Chandigarh Moving ahead of their parents’ expectations and suggestions about the selection of the ‘right’ stream, a number of students in schools and colleges in Chandigarh are visiting professional career-counsellors for help.
Most students here are eager to go by a career counsellor’s advice, rather than not trying for something separate from their parents’ suggestions.
Twenty-three-year-old Shweta Kukreja recently did her Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology) degree from a college. But this chirpy science student never found her subject worth taking up as a career.
Instead of looking for suggestions from a friend or her parents, she opted to meet a career counsellor. That one step transformed her life, Shweta admits.
“My parents also really wanted me to go in for these tests. Although, they were very keen that I should go ahead with my science but they were very supportive when I decided to go for career counselling. Thankfully, they understood I was really puzzled,” says Shweta.
Today, there are several institutes that provide career counselling, but the Institute of Personality and Aptitude Testing (IPAT) finds a special mention.
The institute helps youngsters in clearing their confusions and inhibitions about the choice of career. Experts have been counselling youngsters on subject selection, careers and fighting exam anxiety.
“There are many students who start accepting failure at the initial stage of their career. At 17 or 18 years of age, if they fail to get through a competitive exam, the parents view it as a major incident”.
“So what we try to tell the parent’s that it is a very important decision. Experts should be involved while deciding on this particular issue. Ninety per cent of the time we find ourselves convincing why we should opt for such help. The rest of the energy is spent in counselling individuals about their career related problems,” says Rajesh Garg, Director, IPAT, Chandigarh.
Academic and career counselling is best advised for school-goers.
In Chandigarh, there are dozens of schools that have opted for career counselling to help-out teenaged students.
“Many parents and children get a setback when they learn that the dreams they were nurturing for the past 10 to 12 years is different from the stream your child’s personality is actually made for. But if you still push him/her for your choice, the child will only end up another average person. We leave the final decision on their personal decision,” said Namrata Mohan, a behaviour therapist.