Adolescence is a big time in our lives with big life decisions to be made that will direct our futures. Making the right career choice is just one of them. From as early as ten, they are asked, 'what do you want to be when you grow up? Why have you decided to pursue that career?
It's a lot of pressure! The fear of choosing the subjects, arts, science, or commerce, and wrong jobs is reduced by focusing on what you do well. First-class students are encouraged to go into the science branch, an above-average mark - then the trade is good. Even with lower results, you will be fine in the art branch. Now that the workplace and world are changing, children are becoming more curious, exploring the myriad of career options, but still facing the challenging question of precisely what to choose. The children of Snehalaya are no exception.
Hoping to help them, Snehalaya organized a "Choosing a career direction" workshop for our children. Sandhya Patil was the speaker of the workshop. She has been working in the Career Counseling Center at Shriram Geet's Dnyan Prabodhini & Shyam Chi Aai Foundation in Kolhapur for over ten years. The four-hour workshop was attended by 50 of our Rehab Center, Snehasparsh, and Snehadhar beneficiaries.
Gradually explaining the career selection process, the team asked the children, what is your dream? They then explained that to fulfill their dreams, they have to make an effort, be consistent, and it takes discipline and giving time to the process. They shared SMART goals and the roles of skills, abilities, and aptitude in the recruitment selection process. They also explained the essential skills that are the foundation of all careers: observation, listening, memory, reasoning abilities, implications of knowledge, curiosity, questioning, logical thinking, social skills, and health and personal grooming habits.
Simple examples colored the discussion with questions such as if you are smart but can't understand others, how will your career be? Working in pairs, the children did role-play to appreciate their partner's strengths and weaknesses, essential for career progression.
An explanation of many of the options in the fields of arts, commerce, science, diplomas, ITI, etc. was also given, helping the children to understand the different career options from doctor and engineer to some new and exciting careers and to identify their future jobs according to their merits, skills, personality, ability, and intelligence and the importance of having a Plan A and Plan B.