• Self assessment in the career choice
• Why study abroad
• Country choice
• University choice
• Key to get admission into the university of your choice
• How to choose the right career for yourself
• Self assessment
• Popular careers
• Factors to determine career choice
• Looking for careers change
• Outcome of career planning
• Become a career adviser
• We are coming to you

The question: “What will you be when you grow up” is asked of all youngsters. Many will answer;
“A doctor/engineer/businessman etc.” Why? “Because my father/uncle is one”
Career choice is a very important issue, and most students and their parents are inadequately equipped to cope with this. There are several important factors that influence this decision:

• Family background
• Educational performance in school, especially favorite subjects
• Personal traits
• Aspirations
• Honest self-evaluation
• Job situation in target industry

Few students up to the age of 18 are sufficiently aware of what goes on in a particular job situation/industry. Nor are they mature enough to know precisely what career to follow. In the U.S., a very sensible approach in liberal arts colleges is that the student does not pick a major at the start of his college career. He or she is exposed to a wide variety of courses in the first two years. These courses include: mathematics, economics, sociology, economics, philosophy, history etcetera. Also, exposure to some courses in specific disciplines, such as business administration, economics, accountancy, engineering, journalism.
The purpose is two-fold: Give a broad education that serves as a wide base, and secondly, expose students to many disciplines so that they can decide which one they prefer.

This is a good approach to education. Unfortunately Asian and British colleges do not follow this approach. They want the student to decide from the start exactly which discipline the student will follow.
It is very wise for parents to give their children space to select their own career choice, while advising and guiding and finding information sources. I think it would be healthy to have several family discussions on careers with family friends who are both experienced in a career and wise enough to be open minded about other career choices. Then there are very trained & experienced career counselors in our office who can be of great help.

Our best advice is for parents and concerned friends to carefully consider the 6 factors listed above, over a long period of time, involving actively and in a central role the child in question, and gradually evolving a career decision.
The final consolation to one who hesitantly chooses a particular career to study for is that one is not bound for life to an inappropriate choice. Career changing is often done, and very successfully so.
Exploring occupations and the world of work isn’t meant to be a five-minute exercise. You really need to invest the time if you are going to achieve some worthwhile results. If you want to make ‘informed’ career decisions you need accurate information, advice and ideas.

You have matched possible job options to your interests. Whether you want to include these interests as a part of daily working life, or prefer to keep them as a separate interest or hobby is sometimes hard to decide. You may already have your mind set on a specific occupation. However, you owe it to yourself to really check out the full story.

• How much training is involved?
• Are there certain educational or other entry requirements?
• What is the employment future like?
• Does the work change in different employer settings?
• What are the physical and mental demands?
• Are there opportunities for further development?
• Is the job a realistic option for you?

Having a specific occupation in mind can make it easier to plan career choices. However, it is wise to keep your options open. Most industries have a wide range of job options. If a specific occupation appeals to you, maybe there are some other occupations in the same industry that will also appeal. In some industries, getting a complete picture of the range of jobs and how they relate can be quite confusing.

There are a number of occupations that are required by employers in most industry sectors. If you consider that being able to ‘travel’ easily between employers and industry sectors is important, choosing a portable occupation may be the answer. Jobs that allow for easy transfer across industries include training and development, financial administration, occupational health and safety, industrial relations, information technology and marketing/public relations.

Increasingly, many occupations are being offered on a part-time or casual basis as employers and workers look for better and more flexible ways of using resources and time. Some industries are more suited to this style of employment, particularly the entertainment, leisure, hospitality, fast food, tourism and retail sectors. Many people prefer to work part-time as it allows time for other interests. Do you have any preferences regarding your working hours or mode of work? Are you a workaholic or a later sleeper?

Many occupations across a range of industries involve shift work, where the regular hours of work are not 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday. Manufacturing, health services and computing are examples of industries in which employees may do shift work. Seasonal work, where crops, entertainment events or other activities occur at a set time in a given location, is another way of working. This may involve traveling to a number of locations throughout the year.

The working conditions or environment associated with occupations may be important. For example, you may be seeking a calm or peaceful type of working environment where things are quiet and ordered. Occupations in libraries or research may offer such an environment. Some people may be looking for an ‘outdoor’ job whereas others may prefer to do indoor office work. But not all occupations take place in only one type of environment or with one set of working conditions. These can vary from company to company and from one industry to another. Some occupations can combine both environments, such as field work coupled with laboratory/office research.

In some industries there are many ‘self-contained’ workplaces which have a range of different occupation types and levels of employment. These include a television or radio station within the media industry; a national park within the recreation industry; an international hotel within the tourism and hospitality industry; an airport within the transport industry; or a bank or building society within the finance industry. This means that you can focus on a smaller work environment, rather than on a whole industry. Some people may wish to work in an area with animals, children, people with disabilities or elderly people. Others may prefer working with electronics or products, or items such as motor bikes, computers, plants or ships. The links can be as varied as the range of people, animals, products or items that exist. Quite often there is a range of occupations at different levels and in different settings.

Some people are drawn to occupations that seem to have a particular image or standing in society, for example, occupations with an image of authority or glamour. Make sure you look at the actual duties, demands and responsibilities of a job carefully. In many of these occupations, irregular and long working hours may be expected, and there may not always be a clear career path. It is also important to realize that an occupation that’s considered powerful or glamorous today may not be in the future.

Many occupations with high salaries involve years of study and effort, sacrifices or risks, and unusual or irregular hours. You need to consider what kind of lifestyle you want to lead as a result of your career. For many, the guarantee of good job prospects determines the occupations they are prepared to consider. However, there are often factors that can change employment predictions over time. It may be better to look at a group of jobs that appeal to you and then do your best to show that you have the ability, training and personal skills to do the work. Even when prospects don’t look the brightest, a person with the right background and technical and personal skills will often be rewarded with opportunities.

You can look at occupations that rely mainly on abilities you have which are natural, learnt or a mixture of both. Some occupations can involve skills that may be gained over a short period of time while others require years of training and experience. With a bit of thought, you will be surprised how many skills and talents you can identify which can be used as links to occupations.
How you feel mentally and physically can determine the type of occupation you can do or keep. Increasingly, there are industry standards, which cover the physical aspects of work situations. With the focus on occupational health and safety, as well as the introduction of new technologies, the physical demands are not as great as many years ago. Some occupations will always place more physical demands or expectations on workers. Others require a greater level of alertness or mental capacity. Mental demands, occurring in a more high-paced work environment, may cause stress to one person, yet provide a challenge to another.

Some people hold strong work and/or personal values that they are not prepared to compromise. It may be that you value respect and honesty in the workplace, or in business transactions have a strong commitment to the work and expect a high level of teamwork and support from others. Therefore, it is important to think about occupations, work environments or industries where it is possible to hold and practice your values without them being threatened. There may also be beliefs or traditions that are important to your ethnic or religious background. Environmental and humanitarian beliefs may also influence your choice of work.

You may have undertaken work experience as a part of secondary or further studies, or you may have worked voluntarily in a friend’s business. This type of experience will often give you a ‘feel’ for a job or an industry. Such experience is valuable in helping you to decide if it’s the kind of work that you want to pursue. Occasionally, these placements lead to permanent work because employers have had the opportunity to assess your suitability, energy, interest and potential.

By now you should have realized that there are many ways to think about occupations, careers and industries and, of course, not all have been mentioned here. It’s likely that you will think of other ways as you continue to explore your options. Do you have a clear picture of all aspects of careers that interest you? If you do, it is not time to choose a college or university for yourself which will provide you with the best opportunities to learn about the career of your choice. . Remember that job availability changes from year to year as do course requirements. Make sure your information is up-to-date

Self assessment can be done keeping in view following influencing factors:

• Your ideals.
• Talents and Knowledge
• Interests
• Aptitude
• Personality
• Ambitions
• Motivations / Goals
• Money
• Advancement
• Span of Control
• Enjoyment of Job
• Feeling of Helping
• Others

Most influencing parties in this decision making will be:

• Parents
• Siblings
• Teachers
• Peers

• Very fewer seats available for students in their field of interest in good universities
• Political activities in Universities
• Deteriorating law & order situation in country
• Poor job prospects upon completion of degrees high job competition
• Limited quota for A level student in govt universities
• Lack of facilities in universities

Whether you opt to study abroad, following are main factors which plays pivotal role to decide where one can go to study abroad.

• Affordability of education and living expenses
• Language of instruction and survival
• Reputation of education
• Relatives living abroad
• Meeting admission requirement
• English Proficiency
• Academic achievement
• Available options for study
• Career aspirations
• Academic experience of placed students
• Cultural encounters
• Internship opportunities
• During study job prospects
• Work Permit access after studies
• Permanent residency options

Our expert counselors will here help you to decide quickly on basis of their extensive knowledge, training and experience as what is best place to study abroad by FREE career profiling.

After selection of career, getting admission to the university of your choice is the single most important step for a thriving career. Key factor to determine this are;

• Reputation and longevity of the college.
• Faculty.
• Academic program.
• Acceptability of the students in the job market
• Fee structure
• Extracurricular activities
• Affiliation with and acceptability of the degree by foreign universities

For all universities, your grades in school are one important factor in your selection. Foreign Colleges: For American Universities, SAT scores are all important for admission at the undergraduate level. In fact, a very high SAT score can get a fellowship. At the graduate levels, the GMAT/GRE scores are very important.
For UK colleges, the “A” level results are most important. Australian and Canadian concentrate on the school of origin plus the grades, but look at SAT results as an optional criterion.

Before you being your career planning process, you need to recognize that career planning:

• Is highly personal and individual.
• Is an on-going, lifetime activity.
• Takes considerable time and effort.
• Involves thinking and writing.
• Requires interaction with others.
• Requires taking risks and staying open.
• May be engaging and fun
• Begins with a vision and/or a passion.

All career planning commences with a self-assessment. You will need to know yourself and communicate your value to your customer. One effective way of conducting a useful self-assessment is to write down everything about yourself which you think will sell you as a product to a prospective employer. Note your thoughts about the following aspects about yourself:

• Your ideals. What are your images of the perfect job, location, company culture Etc?
• Where do you visualize yourself?
• Talents and knowledge. What abilities do you have to offer?
• Motivation. What motivates you most? What matters to you most in life? What do you value? In short, why do you work? Is it the power that attracts you, or the money, or the social status?
• Interests. What activities do you find the most appealing?
• Personality and interpersonal style. How do you typically approach life and interact with others?
• Reserved, outgoing, introverted, extroverted etcetera.
• Life goals and ambitions. What contributions do you see yourself making towards your chosen career and community in the course of your life?

Of course, a self-evaluation should not be limited to oneself. View yourself as others perceive you to be. People can sometimes give you insights to facets of your personality which you never realized existed. Self-understanding also involves a thorough evaluation of the past. Events and experiences long forgotten need to be recalled. Analyze what brought on certain major events in your life, how you dealt with them and what the ultimate outcome was. Did it improve your life or make matters worse? This will give you a clearer picture of whom you are, and will go a long way in helping you promote yourself to employers through cover letters and interviews.

You also need to analyze trends in your environment before you set out on a specific career path. Understand the corporate world by doing research on job roles, companies and geographic regions. Do your interests match the overall environment you wish to work in? Will your environment provide you with the opportunities to grow and expand in the future?

The chances are that there is more than one occupation which is right for you, but unless you look at the full range of possibilities, working systematically through the steps, you may never find out all the options suitable for you.

The following are eleven personal interest groups. Are you passionate about any of these areas? Do you frequently indulge in any of these areas as a hobby? If you do then you should seriously consider changing your hobby into a career.

Medical
You may like to work with people in preventing, relieving or curing physical and mental injuries and other medical conditions. You may work directly with patients. Some people feel they don’t have an interest in this area because of a fear of blood or operations but there are other jobs in this field that don’t involve contact with these things.

Scientific
You might like to observe, investigate and enquire into scientific or technical processes. This often involves research and experimentation. You often need patience and persistence, particularly for long-term or complicated experiments and observations.

Technical and Engineering
You might like to work with tools, equipment or machines, in their design, construction, maintenance or use. You could be working with technical manuals, blueprints or plans and use computers as a design or manufacturing aid. You might have a curious nature, wanting to know how and why things work.

Artistic and Creative
Being artistic and creative doesn’t only mean being able to paint, sculpt or make crafts. You may have an interest and/or ability in music, drama, writing or the media, or you may be creative in a more general way. For example, you may be good at thinking of different ways to look at or solve a problem. Your creative interests may also lead you to jobs closely related to the arts, such as those in administration, marketing or promotion.

Clerical and Administrative
You might be interested in writing reports and letters, or organizing, checking and recording information accurately. At higher levels, you might plan, organize and supervise office activities, company programs and other workers. Clerical workers do not necessarily sit at a desk all day and, from time to time, may work away from the office. They may also deal regularly with clients and other staff.

Figures and Computational
You might like to work with numbers, formulae and statistics or make calculations, estimations and costing. You may use databases, sample surveys, computers and calculators to collect, investigate and summarize information. Many people in this area have analytical minds and may also use data to make predictions or forecasts on economic, social, population or other trends.

Helping and Community Services
You could be the kind of person who is interested in helping or teaching people. You could be involved in community welfare, education, health care, protective or information services.

Influencing and Personal Contact
You would normally find it easy to communicate with people. Your work may involve discussing issues and influencing people’s behavior or ideas. You should have good reasoning and listening skills and be able to make a good impression. Being an effective communicator doesn’t mean you have to be outgoing. You can be quietly effective and do this work well.

Liberty
You may like to work with words and ideas. This may involve creating original work or editing and reviewing other people’s work. You may also enjoy expressing your thoughts and opinions in writing or discussion. This area often involves a lot of research.

Outdoor
You might like to work out in the open and move about, often working from and reporting to a central location such as a depot, office or station, mining and transport. Many so-called ‘indoor’ jobs may also involve some outdoor work , and the amount of time spent outdoors may depend on an employer’s operations or the type of job or location.

Practical and Manual
You might enjoy the kind of work which involves using your hands or operating tools to prepare, make or repair things. You may prefer more practical tasks, for which precision and accuracy are often important.

Factors to Determine Career Choice
Of course, a passion sometimes isn’t enough. Ask yourself the following questions about the career choice that interests you the most:

• Do I have the secondary school subjects required?
• Can I see myself carrying out all the different duties of the occupation?
• Would I be happy doing those tasks?
• Do I really want to do all the training involved? (How much study do I want to do?)
• Can I use my abilities in that occupation?
• Does that career satisfy my needs?
• Am I just pleasing my parents?
• Will there be good opportunities in the future?
• Do I like the sort of people I would work with?
• Would I fit into the culture of the workplace?
• Would I enjoy that sort of supervision?
• You should be able to pick those occupations and career paths which satisfy your needs and which are realistic choices for you. For most people there is not just one right occupation. Follow up a number of occupations or courses that may suit you. Do not just apply for one job or course – apply for several, otherw ise you may miss out and be left with nothing.

No matter what job you start out in, you will probably find yourself making a number of career changes during your working life. Both people and occupations change over time. As you develop more job skills, your priorities and work expectations will probably change. The things that are important to you in a job today may not seem so important in 10 years time with a higher level of experience and maturity.
The nature of work is changing rapidly and will certainly continue to do so. The occupation you first start out in may be completely different a few years later. It is very likely that you will find yourself reviewing your career goals many times throughout your lifetime.

All year long good study and preparation for career ends up finding suitable employer which can be done very well by keeping in view of grooming following skills which employer always evaluate so your must have an eye on upgrading these skills during your university study. This is outcome of good career planning.

• Communication skills – both written and verbal.
• Interpersonal skills – the ability to work with others.
• Motivation/Drive/Ambition.
• Analytical and conceptual problem-solving skills.
• Degree of intelligence.
• Integrity and ethical standards.
• Leadership skills.
• Ability to sell ideas and influence others.
• Team play.
• Relevant education and experience.
• Track record of success.
• Sense of direction and clear career goals.
• Initiative and willingness to work hard.
• Confidence and maturity.
• Energy and enthusiasm.
• Creativity.
• Flexibility and adaptability.
• Ability to think independently.
• Common sense.
• Sense of humor.
• Balanced, well-rounded personality

More than 50 Volunteers Advisors are working with us – Why not you!

If you have passion to support Students and have expertise in your field along with guidance approach then join us to become a Volunteer Career Advisor and Counselors in your region. Send us your details and profile summary at career@sieceducation.com

Our team of counselors visit to universities, colleges and schools for helping students so they may discuss about their career and can take our advise to plan their career accordingly.
If you are part of any such academia and want to get benefited then write us at careers@sieceducation.com so we may provide our free counseling services whenever required.