Is high school too early to plan for a career?

In my role as a career counselor, I have seen many children being clueless about what he/she wants to pursue after the 10th! Designing a career path early is one of the most crucial decisions to be made by both the parents and the child jointly. You can not leave your future on luck or destiny.

High school is a bridge that takes you to the path of probable view of your career. Remember, the probable view may change but it is good to start designing your career path early so that you have ample time to work on your design.

You cannot build a tower in one day; likewise, you cannot decide careers in one go. You need to understand and identify your interest, assess what you need to do, plan to cater to your interest, and take action. When it is "YOU" who is executing your life goals, YOU need to take charge and work towards it. How can you do it?

Ask these questions to yourself while designing your career path:

What do I like to do?

Introspect your journey of academics so far and make a note of it. Understand and analyse your passion, interest, strength and abilities. There are scientifically designed and well established technology  available to help you identify your aptitude/ability, make use of them.

Arrive at a conclusion about the field of interest. If required, take the help of a career counselor. A career counselor can help you by assessing you on aptitude as well as attitude along with guidance for selecting the best fit colleges for you.

Talk it out

• Discuss your interest with your parents. Involve your parents, market your interest, get buy-in from them.
• Talk to an in-house career counselor at your school or find a career counselor who can help you navigate through your ideas and thoughts.
• For career(s) that truly interest you, talk to adults from the same career background; understand the latest happening in that field.

How do I get there from where I'm now?

Once you narrow down on your interest, it is important for you to work on it. Never stop learning, read more and more about the area of your interest, and expand your knowledge base.

Given the plethora of colleges/institutes, choosing the right one is largely dependent on past success data, fees, location etc.,

List out 3 best colleges and understand their cut off restriction for admission. This gives you a fair idea about how much you need to score in 10th and accordingly you can plan for your studies.

If you have any questions relating to academic planning or career planning send email to beacon4minds@gmail.com

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