The Emancipation of the Confused High School Graduate

The Emancipation of the Confused High School Graduate


The biggest decision that you make as a child is deciding what you want to do for the rest of your life. It’s never easy to decide what one wants to do with their lives, especially when they are not mature enough to think ahead and make an informed decision. Many university graduates graduate with degrees they never wanted to do or were pushed into doing through the influence of outside factors such as parental advice and peer pressure. High schoolers may feel like they are being pulled in many different directions. On one end parents will be advocating for careers which they perceive will earn you a good living, on the other you’re your friends may be saying let’s do something fun like pop culture or studying why 1940s dresses are back in fashion. But the truth is you don’t really know what you want to do for a good part of your life. Statistics from the U.S. show that about a third of high-school students don’t know what Bachelor’s or career they want to pursue.

Some students find that selecting a major or degree program is a difficult process. Many people seem to know exactly what they want to study and are able to walk into an undergraduate program without considering anything else. Others take longer to make this decision. This brings about the importance of career guidance as an important aspect of education. Without it, education is like an undirected stream of water, which dries up as it fails to join the river. This is becoming increasingly acknowledged by society with a growing focus being placed on preparing students for college and careers. This has fueled a refocus on career preparation and shone a spotlight on efforts to foster early career awareness among students.

The best thing to do when feeling indecisive about your education is to talk to people. Talking to working professionals in careers that interest you and talking to other students in degree programs that interest you and asking them where they plan on heading after graduation may go a long way in helping you decide but the best way to go is to sit down with a career advisor or guidance counselor and talk about the best degree or you pursue.

In today’s competitive world, it has really become difficult to select the right kind of career which not only suits the student’s skill sets but also allows them to excel in their profile. The situation gets worsen with the lack of opportunities and the right direction. In all such circumstances, the role of career guidance plays an important role.

Career guidance helps students to select the right kind of job oriented courses which will help them to take their career in the right direction. The career guidance is provided by the occupation or education in the future which goes well with their capabilities, skills, and interest.

Advantages of Gaining Career Guidance

  • With the help of career guidance, candidates will be able to make their educational and training investments wisely.
  • Through career guidance, candidates will be able to put their complete dedication and commitment to pursue the suggested career and will be in a position to get an edge over others.
  • Career guidance is given by experts in those fields and they will be in a better position to explain the current options and developments in the field and the upcoming changes that are going to positively or negatively affect the candidate who is going to pursue that career option.
  • Career guidance will provide candidates an in-depth understanding of the educational requirements, training, and certifications, schools and colleges, compensation and wages related to the career at hand.
  • Through career guidance, the candidates will be able to fit their career with their short, medium and long term career goals and objectives. Career guidance gives them a better framework to plan for their future career proactively.
  • Career guidance can help immensely in deciding on the career path of an individual which can lead to the candidate being successful in their career life and personal life.
     

Feeling indecisive about your future is not something to be ashamed about. However, by becoming armed with more information about your options, you will have a better sense of what degree program fits your strengths and career goals the best. Even if you are feeling indecisive, you can still set yourself up with success by investing in career guidance.

Though having an education and in-demand skills are crucial components, youth need more to achieve long-term success. They need to know how their economy on a local and national level is growing and changing, and how this influences the job landscape. They need to understand how the available career options related to their own interests and talents. And they need to develop the essential soft and technical skills that employers seek while gaining relevant experience for the workplace. Insufficient or incomplete knowledge of available career paths, and how to pursue them, is a primary barrier to youth entry into the labour force. This can best be expressed by career guidance counsellors and psychologists. Career guidance is a means to an end and is essential in ensuring success for the rest of a child’s life. This is what will lead to the emancipation of the confused high school graduate.

 

Fadzai Danha is a Consultant at Industrial Psychology Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, a management and human resources consulting firm. Phone +263 (242) 481946-48/481950 or email: fadzai@ipcconsultants.com  or visit our website at www.ipcconsultants.com

 


Fadzai Danha
Consultant
This article was written by Fadzai a Consultant at Industrial Psychology Consultants (Pvt) Ltd

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