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ON THE RIGHT COURSE
 Have
you ever felt that you are on the wrong track and that there
is some other path/career which you would love to pursue?
Yes, say 46% of architecture students, the field where dissatisfaction
is the highest. No, say students of computer courses-only
8% were dissatisfied with their course. There are varying
levels of dissatisfaction in between. Like, students of Commerce
and BBA were more satisfied with their course than those in,
say Economics or Science.
Also, time seems to be a huge factor.
In the first year only 18.75% of all students were dissatisfied
with their course, but as they move to the 3rd or 4th year,
the dissatisfaction increases to 28.99% and 30.51% respectively.
So, irrespective of which stream they were in, students as
a whole were happier with their course in the beginning than
they were in the latter years. There are many reasons for
this, but the biggest was the availability of jobs. As their
course came closer to completion, more students were dissatisfied
with the course if they felt it offered fewer job opportunities.
This was probably also the reason why people studying Computers
are less dissatisfied with their course (8%)-the number of
jobs available in this field are much higher.
 CAREER
COUNSELLING
Pretty surprising results here. Considering
the amount of importance teens give careers and the general
confusion in their minds about which career is right for them,
one would think a lot of them talk to counsellors. But the
reality is actually pretty different. Only 29% of all students
have ever been to a counsellor or taken any kind of help in
choosing a career.
CAREER CHARTING
A huge majority of students (87.36%) are
very interested in reading about careers and related stuff.
Obviously, they feel that there is a lack of information that
can help them make an informed choice about their career.
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THE CLOSING
CHAPTER
Some pretty startling facts emerge here.
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Firstly, a huge number of students
are dissatisfied with the course they are doing, even
if it was originally of their choice. Most students
aren't very clear about the course they have taken up,
and disillusionment sets in once they are actually doing
it. They largely blame this on lack of information.
Secondly, even those who have information
and awareness are not utilising it. Though they realise
the importance of making an informed choice, most students
don't opt for professional counselling and aptitude
tests to figure out the career that's right for them.
This seems to be largely due to a lack of initiative-they
just don't want to make the effort-or they don't know
where to go.
Thirdly, most students are choosing
their career without much planning, which is why they
are dissatisfied later. Also, dissatisfaction increases
as the course progresses-students in third and fourth
year were more dissatisfied with their course than first
year students.
Lastly, the satisfaction that students
derived from their course was directly proportional
with the kind of opportunties it offered in terms of
jobs and prospects. So before choosing a career, you
have to prioritise what you want from it, and how likely
is the career you have chosen to give you that.
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What are the most popular topics?
Most students read about career planning
(36.09%) and self-development (35.42%). Other topics of interest
are leadership (17.88%) and time management (17.44%).
CAREER CONTENT
Overall, 58% people said they were satisfied
with their career choice, but a high 42% said that they were
either not very satisfied or highly dissatisfied with their
field of work. What's interesting is the citywise breakup
of people who were dissatisfied with their careers. The highest
satisfaction was in Delhi (75%), followed by Ahmedabad (over
70%) and Jaipur (over 60%). People in Mumbai, Chandigarh and
Bangalore, on the other hand, were not very satisfied with
where their careers were headed.
INFO INFLOW
Do you think more awareness and information
would have helped you choose a college/career which interests
you more? 58.55% of the respondents said Yes.
A straight indicator of how counselling
and reading could have helped. Before starting their course/field
of study, not many students are interested in counselling,
but once they're actually doing it, a huge number feel that
they didn't have enough information about it before. If this
is so, one would assume that people who have read about careers
would want some sort of career counselling. But surprisingly,
that isn't so. Of the students who read books related with
careers, only 53% went for career counselling. Lack of initiative
is probably one of the reasons for this.
| Find
out everything about a course-from content to faculty
and facilites to placements before you start on the course.
The maximum disappointment occurs because most students
blindly believe prospectuses instead of making an effort
to check out the course/institute for themselves. |
| You may be happy with a course, but
are there enough jobs in the market for someone with your
qualifications? The availability of a job is a huge factor
in making a course/career attractive, so check out the
job scene along with the course scene. |
| Don't let laziness and lack of initiative
keep you from something you really want. Make an effort-whether
it is to see a counsellor, explore a college or get an
insight into a particular course. And above all, don't
take decisions based on what your peers, parents or pals
are doing or saying. |
| Use the experience and knowledge
of people who are already in a certain profession to figure
out your chances in that field. No handbook or career
guide is as useful as the feedback a hands-on professional
in that field can give you. |
| You may think you know what you want
to do, but are you really cut out for it? Invest some
time and money--take an aptitude test and talk to a counsellor
to figure out what you're best suited to. It could save
you a little money and lots of heartache later! |
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