Holistic view on competency Development of a Career Counsellor

At the outset one must understand that career guidance and counselling is a passion and not a profession. It is a highly responsible activity which though aim to create successful career satisfaction and success but at the same time, any wrong direction may also lead in messing up the happiness and guilt for whole life to the candidate. It may be too late for the candidate to change the way forward at a later stage but to continue forcibly in to the wrong career and activities which may lead to many problems like depressions and even affecting family life.

To be an efficient career counsellor is a long process and a certification does not make one to acquire enough practical exposure and experience to start counselling efficiently with full confidence. It is no doubt gives a firm foundation and a path to further nourish knowledge to practice counselling. It is something like a doctor or Psychologist who needs to do an internship before practicing independently. It is a continuous learning process for improving skill which comes with getting the correct guidance and exposure by counselling number of students. I feel that at least 30 to 50 counselling’s sessions are needed to be a confident counsellor. It is a career like a General Physician who has to be a jack in all the career fields and not to be a specialist. It needs a great continuous self-learning by exploring, attending seminars, webinars on various areas continuously. career guidance draws upon a knowledge on number of disciplines like psychology; education, sociology; and Vocational skills.

There is no counselling course which makes one expert to start practicing without getting practical exposure and handling different situations and cases. Every case would be unique and to solved in specific way. There would not be any standard solution but experience with various cases would positively help to find unique solution for the specific challenges. One has to understand that all psychometric Reports are only for references and cannot be taken on face value. Only after rigorous pre counselling interaction with student and parents and amalgamating the report, one shall can decide the right way forward.

To be a good musician (Vocal/ Instrument), one need to have an experience Guru or mentor, irrespective of the one’s qualification. This is applicable for all professionals like Engineers, Lawyers, even painters, Entrepreneurs, cottage, Chefs, handicraft experts and so on. Similarly, to be a good councilor, one must work or intern under a good experienced senior counsellor to understand the tricks of counselling.

So please, one shall not loose heart. It takes time and it is a slow growth logarithms scale principle which grows with few numbers in the beginning and increases exponentially later but one has to have patience for few years. Direct marketing would not give many clients, but it is only word of mouth and references which brings more and more candidates which has long gestation period.

Parents and students come with high hopes. It is counsellor’s responsibility to be very confident and sure the process for delivering guidance.

Though any type of Seminar and conferences would positively give something new to learn but practical experience as mentioned above is must to accelerate and motivate career counsellors for value addition to life of candidate, parents, employers and family.

A career Guidance and counselling shall lead to

“Satisfaction for Candidate”,

“Satisfaction for those who mentor and employers”, and

“Satisfaction for Parents and family