How To Become A Career Counsellor In India

Indian institutions need more trained, dedicated Career Counselors

As compared to new age professions like Software Developer, Cloud Architect or Image Consultant, a Career Counselor is conventional. Career Counselors have been around for a long time, guiding students in schools and colleges to find the right courses. How to Become a Career Counselor in India is a meaningful question to make a mark in a distinguished profession that has high ratings in advanced countries. India so far does not think highly of them. How to Become a Career Counselor in India? Choose the level you want to work in. Starting from 3-month courses to 2-year postgraduate programs, India offers a variety of opportunities. 

Online education has the world in its grip 

The pandemic started that shift towards online commerce, education and training, amusement, and social media in a big way. And why not? Consider all the supreme advantages of online study without transport hassles. No worries about the weather or time and expense of commuting each day. Besides, you gain access to the best study materials making effective use of multimedia facilities. Reading alone does not succeed unless accompanied by activities involving the senses. Online courses offer affordable solutions. 

Like in most fields, Career Counseling online consists of short-term courses perhaps with a duration of 3 months. You do get the basic ideas and get the opportunity to test practical skills with seniors too. 

Reading theories and books alone will not serve to learn the lessons well. Practical sessions of working with students would reinforce what the lessons taught. Lots of study materials like ebooks and videos, websites, and questionnaires are found online to supplement the course materials. Assistance from teachers and seniors along with handheld support goes a long way to professional success.  

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Traditional career choices 

How did students in school choose their college courses? Parents often decided and students expressed their interest too. Much depended upon chance opportunities and performances in entrance tests. It has always been a haphazard selection of courses. Children took career decisions alone in many cases. The parents insisting upon medical and engineering careers often did not suit the children. As a result, they were condemned to dissatisfying careers. Career Counselors help make the right career choices according to innate abilities and ensure happy lifetimes. 

Why should you become a career counselor?

Hard to believe that over 90% of students make chance choices of careers that last a lifetime. Schools fail to provide career support for at least 85% of students in schools. Isn’t it a pity that over 400 million students in India have access to only 10,000 trained counselors across the vast land of 36 states and union territories? 
India is a young country and can do so much for a sustainable better future after the pandemic has run its course and vaccines reach everybody. If you wish to help students lead better lives and choose the right careers, why not? You need to assess students in terms of aptitude and passion, among other factors. Creativity, personality, and emotional intelligence form important aspects. Perhaps 5 best career matches would help to reduce the number to one or two during consultations. 

Qualities a Career Counselor needs 

Somewhat like teaching and nursing, career counseling online is a helping profession. Finding the right courses for boys and girls according to their abilities and interests is the paramount duty. Having much to do with psychology and making use of scientific Biometric Testing, the career counselor prescribes the best career options.  

Who can become a successful Career Counselor?  

Graduates in any discipline according to the minimum marks stipulated are eligible to join the 2-year MA in Career Counseling study course. Entrance exam scores may be referred to while some institutions offer spot admissions on a first-come-first-served basis. 
The career world is very vast. A Career Counselor needs to know the professional fields well and specializations help. The medical world does require specialist career counselors to guide aspirants well.   

Have you heard of:

• Financial advisors
• Investment advisors
• Life insurance advisors
• Business advisors and
• Legal advisors?

Indian institutions urgently need more trained counselors. 

A great majority of schools and colleges in India do not employ trained counselors. The situation is improving because the need is now felt to help students make the right career choices instead of wasting their talents and lives. School career clubs may organize workshops, visits to industries, and take tests and answer questionnaires to raise awareness. Students would know about:

• Study courses after higher secondary school
• Eligibility and admission criteria and processes
• Entrance exams, aptitude tests, and placements
• Vocational and business opportunities 
• Advantages of an accredited global certification 

How to Become a Career Counselor in India has several answers. A globally recognized certificate would facilitate working anywhere. How to Become a Career Counselor in India would be an advantage if the certificate enables you to work overseas. Finding jobs abroad is no longer so difficult because of the online media. You don’t need to travel great distances for selection interviews and testing. Video conferencing and online tests are so much faster and more effective. 

An accredited global certification provides comprehensive training. You learn new trends and the latest techniques during the course duration. You need exceptional communication skills. Listening skills are tested. Interpersonal skills, empathy, and patience, career counselors need such qualities all the time.  

Global Certified Career Analyst (CCA) online education 

Such a course follows up study and training with a career assessment facility and business and marketing support. Along with over 30 hours of career studies and counseling training, live instructors lead the training program meetings with clients. Case studies and scenarios analysis provide further stimulus to academic rigor. Career Assessment tools followed by Psychometric and Career Counseling Platform present further lessons. Business support and lead generation are instrumental to job success. CCA credentials go a long way in global terms. 
Bhartiya Counselling Psychology Association (BCPA) and ACCPH (Accredited Counselors, Coaches, Psychotherapists and Hypnotherapists, United Kingdom) recognize the CCA program. The course enjoys a high status in India.   

Complexities of the field of CC 

A close understanding of human psychology comes first. Along with the learning of psychometric theories of career counseling, you have to learn how to apply them. Psychometric assessments work on many levels. 

Gathering detailed latest information on careers and especially the new-age career options keeps you very busy. That is the essential task of guiding children along the career choices highway. Unlike the ordering of food in a restaurant based on the menu, the complexities of a variety of careers are endless. 
The intricate process of preparing a curriculum vitae, facing tests and written examinations for selection along with group work presents many challenges. Practice makes perfect and children need to persevere with a killer instinct when it comes to plush jobs. They need to possess the skills and abilities needed.  

How to stay updated about the latest professional trends?  

Even after the study is completed and you start working, learning continues. Since research and development in every field move fast in a constantly changing world nowadays, keeping updated is very important. We have the great miracle called the internet with Google playing the major part! Webinars and workshops require regular attendance to know what is happening. Advanced techniques and new counseling practices, new developments, learn them constantly. Get familiar with new-age careers since they reflect the emerging trends. 
Professional and personal development goes hand in hand. Start a blog, website, or YouTube channel to broadcast your ideas and practices. Include recommendations and reviews of your work from organizations and clients. Develop your theories. Writing and publishing a book earns great credibility. An e-book is an easy way out.  

Finding jobs or setting up a successful business 

Professional goals in almost every field have 2 aspects, first is the training and skill development program. Secondly, and perhaps more important, is getting the right job or setting up the business. Obtaining employment without experience is the hardest task that requires lots of grit and patience. After some experience, you witness greater demand for your service with higher payments.
Starting an independent business requires capital. Partners have the advantage of pooling resources. Here is the business know-how that is required. Business consultants would show the way.  

MA (career counseling) professional career options 

Perhaps the best answer to the question of How to Become a Career Counselor in India is to obtain a postgraduate qualification. Bharathiar University and Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development are among the top institutions that offer such a course of study. They are located at Coimbatore and Kanchipuram respectively in Tamil Nadu state in India. The tuition fees for the course in India may be around Rs.7000 each year. 

The postgraduate degree leads to professional opportunities as Lecturers and Teachers in a variety of institutions. Human Resource Departments of multinational corporations may employ such candidates. Career Counseling Agencies and Coaching Centers provide openings. Designations such as Career Counselor or Human Resource Development Specialist are offered. Other posts are Community Agency Counselor or Multicultural Counselor. Salaries may vary between Rs.15000 pm to Rs. 50,000 pm. Salaries increase according to experience and expertise. How to Become a Career Counselor begins with study and ends with professional practice. 

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MA (career counseling) focus 

Counseling children about career choices requires certain skills and attitudes. The course concentrates on a range of therapies and behavioral modifications. Those who possess critical thinking skills and are interested in finding solutions for complex problems suit the course requirements. 

Akin to social work goals, a counselor needs a helping attitude. Psychology study is a plus point. Creative thinking along with analytical and logical approaches helps counselors. 

Important study areas in MA (career consoling)

Along with Ethics and Legal Issues in Counseling, Counseling and Psychotherapy Theories are studied. Various Techniques in Counselling, Assessment in Counseling, and Education are essential modules. 

Multicultural Counseling and Lifespan Development along with Psychology of Work and Career. Counseling is a vital unit of study. Group Process and Dynamics, along with Academic and Career Counseling are further areas of intense study. Research and Program Evaluation are followed by practical studies. Internship sessions are vigorous and online and offline studies use real clients to work with.  

The future of Career Counselors in India 

While 1.5 million such counselors are required to cater to 400 million children in India, perhaps less than 10000 exist now. It means that the job requirement potential is very high. Now is an opportune moment to become a successful career counselor in India. It does make sense to make use of opportunities that is the secret of successful enterprises. Supply and demand are basic market forces. 

Yet, it is a mistake to think that any smart young graduate of either sex can opt for the training and succeed at career counseling. A commitment to helping young people and particularly students is a profound requisite. Further, excellent communication skills would help make an impact. Problem-solving is a skill that is required now more than ever in the complex 21st-century world amidst all the complexities.  

Make a beginning somewhere 

Not everybody succeeds in graduate or postgraduate studies. The internet offers several short-term courses of a few weeks or months duration. With commitment and intensive study, it is possible to understand the chief theories that guide career counseling. That lays a foundation for a lifetime of dedicated counseling. 

How to Become a Career Counselor in India offers many opportunities perhaps with social service agencies or NGOs. A base is required, and once a niche is found, it would be possible to progress higher. If luck favors you, an avenue will soon open up. 

Employment of your dreams is hardly possible in India with the tight situation that now prevails. Many companies have reduced the workforce, and many small organizations have shut down because of financial and labor constraints amidst the pandemic. 

Yet, keep fighting, and How to Become a Career Counselor will bring up valid answers. Be prepared to wait and offer voluntary services for the time being. The world of opportunity will open up soon. Employment in a meaningful organization will become a reality soon online, or offline. India or abroad in neighboring countries, the job potential remains, and supply must cater to the demand when life is back to normal.