Counselor

Plenty of job opportunities are available for career counsellors as most students and adults seek help from these professionals to enable them to make good career choices. Career counselings involves exploring the students/ client's aptitude, preferences and skills for a given career by evaluating their academic or other performance. A career counsellor has to be a teacher, confidant and adviser to the clients. The major task and duty of a counsellor depends on the individual they serve and the settings in which they work. A counselling session begins with a detailed examination of a student's profile with special focus on his/ her academic background, strengths and weaknesses. Students come with a range of issues. Some may have an idea about what they want to do while others may not have any idea about the career pathway that they want to follow. Counsellors guide students based on their grades, aptitude, other eligibility criteria and finances. By listening attentively and without passing judgement, they give students the opportunity to explore, discover and clarify how and why they feel as they do.
A career counsellor can work in different kinds of settings like schools, colleges, universities, career guidance and counselling centres as well as do private practice. Career counsellors can work with career information centres and conduct career education programmes. Counsellors offer services in the areas of aptitude and psychometric testing, higher-education consultations and financial aid. They provide students the details of courses available in different institutes in and outside India, their entrance tests and the course fees. They can also specialise in employment and placement counselling to assist students with career development, in locating and applying for jobs. Internet has also opened new vistas for counsellors, with features which facilities online chat with the counsellor.

Hi,
For a career in counseling, after 10+2 one can do their graduation in subjects like psychology, social work, etc. and can go for post-graduation in counseling, Life skill education or psychology from an accredited educational institution. Candidates who have Master's degree in any area are eligible to apply for Diploma course in counseling, but some institutes prefer students with psychology background. The duration of the course varies from 1- 2 years. Those having a graduation in psychology can opt for PG Diploma courses. Besides regular studies, most courses in counseling and guidance are also offered as part time as well as correspondence.
Counseling courses cover almost every major area of career counseling through course notes, regular assignments, mock career counseling cum testing sessions and more. With these courses, one can acquire skills to help and guide people for coping with their educational, social or personal crisis.
Skills needed:
More than academic qualifications, counselors must possess high physical and emotional energy to handle the array of problems they address. The most important attributes needed for counselors are effective communication (both verbal and written), active listening and observation, clarification, reflection and effective questioning skills. Counseling is a job that requires a lot of patience, tolerance, sensitivity and devotion. They should have a strong interest in helping others, be sensitive and perceptive in assessing people and be able to inspire respect, trust, and confidence. A counselor needs to be empathetic, so that he can ask appropriate questions and lead the client to positive conclusions. They should be quite soft hearted to handle clients of every nature and kind. They should be able to work independently or as part of a team. Since privacy is essential for confidential and frank discussions with clients, counselors would need private offices.