How Career Counseling Support High School Students?
What comes to your mind when you think about your career? It is about well settled life, money, a good secured job or an established business. No doubt, every one of us wants a perfect life. But sadly some students are not properly guided for their proper career. They just select their careers as their parents, family members or friends make them do so. Every student has one own capabilities and strengths that are needed to be recognized before suggesting career options. That’s why it is the need of the time that every high school students must get career counseling before making any decision.
What Is Career Counseling?
It is a kind of counseling that identifies the strengths and abilities of any student and makes him/her ready for making their career decisions in a positive and proper way. This counseling is done through self-reflection and many guided activities that help the students to realize their inner abilities and make a clear path towards a perfect career that at the same time satisfies all the needs, goals and possibilities. Counselor is just there to guide; he is not the one making decision. Rather decision making is just the responsibility of the career selector.
Focus of Career counseling
The question is how any student is immediately aware of his abilities and makes a decision. It is not an quick process it requires time as this goes forward step by step. Student is encouraged to make his/her mind clear about what the interests are and which professions align with the interests of the student. Main things that remain the focus of career counseling include
Personal leadership
Career counseling encourages the student to be his own leader. No one is responsible for the future except the one who is looking for a better future. Discover your inner qualities and make your decision yourself and be determined on it.
Core values
Everyone has their core values. Some recognize them earlier but some very late. Career counseling helps to identify them at the exact moment when they are needed. You should know how your values will be helpful in shaping a better future.
Visioning
Sometimes it happens that at the moment goals seem clear but in reality it is not the case. Before setting goals a student must look beyond every goal he has selected and create clarity in mind regarding all the goals and sub goals.
Collaboration
Career counseling also increases the confidence of the student to have dynamic discussion with those people and groups who are experts or are involved in career in which the student is interested. This is the most appropriate way of improving ones knowledge regarding the profession.
Action planning
Thoughts are just thoughts until they are put to action. Setting goals is not just enough for a better future. The student must start working on the goals that he is trying to accomplish.
Action planning also increases the know-how about whether the plans will work or they need to be changed.
When You Need Career Counseling?
Other than high school students many experienced workers become tired and confused about their career. So career counseling can be done at any age. But here career counseling of school students will be discussed in detail.
Why Career Counseling Is Essential?
It illuminates the goals
The counselor does a number of assessments and discussions with the client regarding work related goals preferences, interests and values. The client recognizes those goals himself through various discussions including asking favorite work experience or favorite subject or asking about the talents that the person has. Some people are reluctant towards creating conflicts and not know how to manage them. Career counseling helps them to resolve professional conflicts in a soothing way.
It helps choosing the career
When a student is going to select a career, he has a lot of intriguing and confusion creating questions in his mind. It is normal to feel fearful and anxious at that time as your whole life is dependent on just one decision. That’s why this decision requires professional help. A good career coach always tries to answer these questions and help his client to be relaxed and aid in starting new goals and suggest the ways to implement those goals.
It helps in understanding career options
As it is said previously the career counselor always makes sure that you realize your preferences properly. He tries different discussions for this purpose. He also helps you in recognizing all the factors that are important and threat to career development including your personality and family background. The client during this training session becomes aware regarding which kind of courses he has to take for implementing his plans successfully. This will also help the client to find internships and jobs regarding the areas of interest.
Career counseling is an Objective Guide
A career counselor is just there to help you. He has no concerns with your past life or future. He never judges or criticizes the client for having wrong plans. He just provides his expertise to give un-biased decision plans and guides. So whenever you feel confused regarding your career, must try to get a professional help it will be surely beneficial.