Career Counselling: A Vital Yet Overlooked Aspect of our Social Discourse
Many fundamental questions such as: What is the essence of our life? Do we have concrete plans for the future? Are we confident in our career choices? And so for so forth carry immense Importance for everyone, especially for students. However, in our society, these crucial imperatives remain elusive, leading to the wastage of time and talent. Despite their significant impact, both our societal structures and educational systems have yet to adequately address these issues, offering various reasons for their neglect.
The career or academic path we choose often mirrors the expectations of our parents or family members: a doctor’s child may feel compelled to follow in their footsteps, just as the offspring of politicians, engineers, bureaucrats, or army officers might feel pressured to do the same. Meanwhile, for many typical students, their future prospects seem to hinge on the prestige of the universities they gain acceptance to. They may prioritize simply getting into a university over pursuing their true passions or long-term goals. In both scenarios, the individual’s aspirations, the merits and drawbacks of their chosen field, and the potential opportunities ahead often take a backseat. Consequently, both the individual and society grapple with the ramifications of these decisions.
Inadequate career choices result in the squandering of talent. Consider a scenario where an individual possesses a natural aptitude for arts and literature but is steered into the field of natural sciences, either due to familial expectations or insufficient guidance. This misalignment represents a significant loss of talent. Moreover, such individuals often struggle to excel in their chosen professions as they lack the inherent resonance with their inner selves. Consequently, we encounter engineers devoid of innovation, doctors lacking in quality, artists stripped of creativity, and teachers bereft of persuasiveness.
A lack of seriousness in choosing one’s major specialization can worsen inefficient time management, which is likely the most negative outcome. Individuals who chose their path without careful consideration frequently find themselves unable to change their major or career choice midway through, resulting in a waste of time. Transitions from natural sciences to social sciences, engineering to business management, and vice versa are common in modern culture. These uncertainty are largely due to the insufficient career guidance provided by educational institutions.
Furthermore, people fail to pursue their desired field both initially and later on, they may experience identity crisis, detrimental to both themselves and society. This can lead to social alienation, resentment, cynicism, and dissatisfaction becoming ingrained aspects of their personality. They may attribute their inappropriate behaviours to societal structures, rendering them estranged from society or even prompting extreme actions such as suicide.
In contrast, developed countries lay a strong emphasis on guiding their kids in the proper direction. When someone exhibits ambiguity, they are sometimes recommended to take a gap year after completing 10th or 12th grade in order to resolve their misunderstanding. Furthermore, parents and instructors are concerned about their children’s futures, and different social organizations offer students helpful advice on their professional goals and labour market demands. These traditions and conventions help to promote personal and social fulfilment on a larger scale.
The solution to these social difficulties is excellent career counselling, particularly for young people. Parents and children should have open and extensive discussions about the subject selection, with the goal of convincing each other rather than forcing decisions. Moreover, teachers and educational institutions can make a big contribution by offering counsel to their students and using their knowledge of their students’ strengths and limitations. In conclusion, including career advice into the social discourse is critical for Pakistan’s future, and the sooner this occurs, the better.
