Career Counselling: A Narrative

A parent called me for her son’s career counselling awhile back. She explained exasperatedly how her older son had taken Science in the XI and XII and was struggling and wishes he had taken commerce. She didn’t want to repeat the same mistake with her younger child. I could almost feel her anguish and struggle.

Post an assessment we had a counselling session with both the parent and the ninth grader. A better understanding of the hobbies, interests and preferences of the child came to fore. What also emerged was his tendency to get hooked onto his PS4. A common parenting challenge these days.

Gradually, over the next hour both the child and parent understood his learning styles better. Being a kinesthetic learner, he really needed to experiment and learn especially subjects like Science. This led to a discussion of his club choices in school and how he could pick up clubs and hobbies that are more suited to his learning style.

The child was very keen to take Science in the higher grades and the parent was averse to the option because of her prior experience. The detailed personality, skills and career motivations of the child was explained. Areas of improvement like Analytical ability and Verbal ability were highlighted.

Thereafter we moved on to an action plan so the child could mould his skills and abilities towards his preferred choices. And somewhere in that discussion, we figured how to redirect his PS4 addiction to something else more meaningful. At this point, the child started to recount his action steps. A good indication that he has caught on.

A follow up call with the parent a few days later revealed that the action points are working. As a career counsellor, there is no greater satisfaction than knowing that one could facilitate this process. I am filled with gratitude for being able to contribute in some way. Thank you for those who have trusted me so far.