Career Counselling versus Career Discovery

What is the difference between career counselling and career discovery?

Neha recently finished her Chemical Engineering degree from an Australian college and is searching for jobs in Australia that do not require her to work in oil rigs or manufacturing floors. It seems that a software job would be her best option to continue working in Australia and repay her education loan. She wonders why she didn’t pursue a different degree, to begin with.

Neha was a bright student who excelled in Chemistry and happened to meet representatives from the Australian college during Class 12. But it took her a couple of years to realise that her strength in Chemistry didn’t translate into her enjoying being a Chemical Engineer. Despite not enjoying the course, she completed it as dropping out was not an option.

Neha’s younger sister did not want to face a similar situation. So she urged her parents to take her to a career counsellor in high school. The one they met recommended studying in Canada and one university in particular, leaving the family confused about whether to trust the person.

Many Indian students face similar situations, as an increasing number of high schoolers are choosing to study abroad for their undergraduate courses. Not all are from metros; students in smaller cities are also exploring foreign options. But, irrespective of their background, many lack awareness of the admission process and requirements.

Colleges abroad, especially the top U.S. colleges, evaluate a student’s profile holistically to decide whether to accept or reject a candidate. This is significantly different from India, where the majority, barring a few, rely on standardised tests of achievement to filter students. Key components of a holistic profile include having a narrative explaining why the student wants to study a specific programme or attend a specific university and demonstrating a deeper interest in the chosen area of study.

This is where Career Counselling falls short, as it relies on some form of matching tool based on a psychometric test or conversation with a counsellor. The underlying assumption behind such tools is that the content of a career — the work professionals do, the knowledge and skills they use, and the path to enter that career — is stable and has not changed much in recent years. This is far from the truth.

Parents want the best education for their children through school and college that will lead to high-paying jobs and secure their future forever. However, the world today is increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA). AI is poised to eliminate several lower-end jobs, and even companies generating billions of dollars in profit are downsizing. Future career paths will look quite different from what they are today.