Adoption of latest Technology remains the key factor for growth of any sector. Education sector has also evolved greatly in last one decade due to technology innovations.Students and young generation need proper guidance when it comes to select their desired path. The role of career counselors is very crucial because of the extreme competition, every student wants to have a great career path and career counselors help them to find best one. As careers and jobs change dramatically, counseling needs to stay dynamic and relevant. Mr. Ganesh Kohli, IC3 Conference Chair and Former High School College Counselor shares all the relevant information briefly about role of career counselors today.
Q: Why 80% of India's engineers remain unemployable in the software sector?
Mr. Ganesh: It is quite clear that it is the “herd mentality” that has led to such a situation. Students opt for STEM subjects (often despite of their interest in other areas such as humanities, art, etc.) assuming that it will lead them into a secure future, but they don’t analyze the demand or the number of students who apply for the same stream.
Additionally, we are at a stage where companies expect employees to possess more than one skill. Research states that 65% of pupils entering primary school today will end up working in completely new jobs that don't even exist.This is where both students and career counselors need to scrutinize upcoming trends and foreseeable shifts in the industry.
Q: What would your advice to the students who're not chosen for an interview or a job?
Mr. Ganesh: Students need not lose hope and they need to take every interview as a learning experience. It would be best if students/candidates can request for constructive feedback from the interviewer and this would help in making amends for the next interview.
Q: What will be the role of technology in future counseling practice in India and abroad?
Mr. Ganesh: Career counselors across the globe have already started using technology that complements traditional techniques. Counselors are well versed with online training, technology tools used for research and data mining, webinars and mobile applications. It is only time that we begin to see cutting edge technology such as virtual reality, virtual fairs and more digital mediums that will take career counseling to the next level.
Q: What are prerequisites for becoming a career counselor?
Mr. Ganesh: The first and foremost step in becoming a career counselor is conducting a thorough research on the sector and get a clear understanding of education trends and industry demands. College and career counselors will also need to attend relevant events and professional development courses that will help them to gain more knowledge on the sector.
We at IC3 aim to offer the best of knowledge to all school counselors and this is done through our unique initiatives such as the IC3 Institute, IC3 Regional Forums and the Annual IC3 Conference.
Q: How do you see career counseling can help the people opting for engineering courses?
Mr. Ganesh: Career counseling is the need of the hour and we require it not just for engineering courses but also to provide a holistic and unbiased view to the students.
It is also important to understand that counseling does not help find absolute answers but allows for comprehensive evaluation of options. As careers and jobs change dramatically, counseling needs to stay dynamic and relevant. Students also need help in choosing out of love, rather than fear. Most career choices are made because students are scared of choosing something that is non-traditional.
Q: How students can choose the right career in the ever-changing Information Technology field.
Mr. Ganesh: Education has evolved greatly, and careers of today expect students to imbibe dynamism and transferrable skills. These skills include analytical thinking, reasoning abilities, managing data, technology and communication. Engineers today may need to learn psychology, so that they can effectively design products or write software for an evolving generation with lower attention spans. Journalists today need to understand and use technology as much as their communication skills. These are some of the factors that both students and counselors need to be mindful and choose wisely.
Q: Please tell us about 2018 Annual International Career and College Counseling (IC3) conference and where is it planned
Mr. Ganesh: The 2018 Annual IC3 Conference will be held from 29-30 August at the Taj Diplomatic Enclave, New Delhi and interested participants can register from the website www.ic3conference.com
Q: What sparked the idea behind organizing the annual IC3 conference?
Mr. Ganesh: Based on a recent research conducted by the team along with our observations over the years, we found that many mid career professionals were unhappy (often very grumpy) on Monday mornings. We discovered that at least 50% of their unhappiness was rooted in their career situation. On further investigation, we traced this unhappiness back to the advice that many of these adults received when they were in school - in class 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. It became amply evident to us that career and college counseling in school directly impacts the happiness quotient among employees in the industry. The idea of the conference was born through this research and we determined the need for a platform to bring schools, universities and industry together to look at the subject of career and college counseling.
Q: How many counselors participated during the 2017 conference and how many do you expect in 2018
Mr. Ganesh: The second edition of the Annual IC3 Conference witnessed over 530 delegates, which included 310+ high school delegates and 170+ University Delegates. The two days of the conference had representation from 21+ countries and the educators had the opportunity to attend 40+ sessions.
We are embarking on a yet another journey towards our mission by entering in the third edition of the conference this year and we expect the number to be well over 700 delegates from over 21 countries.
