Unplanned Career Decisions

Unplanned Career Decisions

Without question, Indian youth face many of life’s most important decisions in those transition years between high school and the working world. Unfortunately, too many students are unaware of their education and career options. The path they follow to their careers is indirect and their decisions are often based on scant information.

Our career guidance system is falling short. The industry is struggling for more properly trained workers, at the same time questioning the value of a traditional college education in providing that training. Research shows a stark disconnect between the courses of study students pursue and existing career openings and business needs.

Some striking finding of the survey

Students perceive a lack of career guidance intheir schools and often cannot name anyoneoutside of their parents who have been helpfulin career advice.

Most young people are receiving little to no career guidance outside the home, and not enough from their parents. Just 6%said school personnel had played the primary role in their career guidance—the vast majority (78%) credited their parents as their influence.

It also should be noted that 62% of the students surveyed could think of nothing their school was doing to help with career decision-making.

Similar to the results illustrated a high percentage of students 66% could identify no one outside of their parents or schools who had played a significant role in career counselling.

Who in school has helped advise on career options or options to further your education?

Counsellor                          7.1%

Teacher                               16.8%

No one                                73.0%

Who is primarily responsible for helping plan for a career or job?

Other 7.0%

Undecided 45.0%

One or both parents 38.0%

To make matters worse, even though most students and youth view their parents as their biggest influence when it comes to careers, more than 80% claimed to have spent one hour or less in the past few months discussing careers with their parents.

That’s not much guidance on which to base a life decision—and most parents have a fairly narrow frame of reference when it comes to jobs and job training. This lack of career guidance leads to school students and graduates who are either undecided as to what career to pursue, or who may make a poorly informed decision that they may regret or abandon altogether.

Too Much Leakage in the Career Education Sieve

Ask young people what they plan to do after graduation, and nearly all of them will tell you some sort of post-graduate education figures into their thinking.

More than two-thirds (68%) say they are headed to a post-graduate college or university, with 26%planning to attend technical or vocational training.

Increase partnerships between educators and industry

Educators should play a vital role in the process by which students & youth make career decisions. 10+2 schools, universities and employers can do much more to increase teachers’ exposure to different careers so that they help to advise students. The use of industry mentors, scholarships for targeted academic programs or career fields, adopt-a-school programs and more creative internship and work experiences serve as a few examples of how these partnerships can be enhanced.

Promotion of the career-education pathways concept

The implementation of “career-education pathway” guidance programs can do much to create career awareness among young adults. Education providers can give their students much greater exposure to career options by creating the structure and offering activities that provide meaningful connections between education and the world of work. The use and innovative application of the career pathways concept will better enable educators and career advisors to provide young adults with the information needed to make more informed career decisions.

Integration of career development systems nationwide

The value of creating a unified, comprehensive, and integrated career development system nationwide cannot be underestimated. A well-educated, well-trained and balanced workforce is central to the standing of the Indian economy in the future global marketplace. The integration of career development systems can serve to streamline efforts, create awareness of career alternatives, and provide young adults with the information needed to make choices and plan for the rest of their lives.