A wise person once said, “We teach children how to walk, but we do not guide them in which direction to walk.” Students are rigorously taught in a wide variety of subjects, but are not guided on the career most suitable for them or on how to select it appropriately.
With wider choices, changing norms and innumerable new universities offering specialised courses, students and parents get confused about what course to choose and how to choose. Many students progress far into a degree without knowing what comes next, while others invest significant time and money in courses without clear direction—all due to a lack of proper guidance.
Gallup’s 2024 State of the Global Workplace report found that only 14% of Indian employees feel they are thriving, far below the global average of 34%—and hence, the immense potential of our younger generation is being wasted.
UN-sponsored studies in 2025 show that only about 10% of Indian students receive professional career guidance; most rely on family, peers, or trends, leading to misaligned choices and wasted potential.
Despite efforts by schools and the government, this gap remains wide. While some professional agencies in large cities offer quality guidance, they are too few and often unaffordable. Therefore, students, parents, and teachers must collaborate to provide accurate information, support sound decision-making, and ensure that human-led, individualised guidance cannot be replaced by AI.
Start early
Students in primary and middle school should be given information about all possible careers available to them. Every visit to a mall, hospital, bank, or museum can be an opportunity to learn about the various personnel working there. Introduce children to different professionals in the neighbourhood or their social circles, and have them talk about the work they do. The exposure should also include blue-collar workers, since, with the advent of AI, they are likely to be in greater demand and unlikely to become redundant.
Encourage children to ask questions and explore all aspects of each career. Make them think about how attracted they feel towards particular fields of work. Until a student completes Class 9, allow them to change their ambitions as many times as they wish. Taking an interest in a wide range of professions will ensure that the student will not regret missing out on something that could have been promising. Never kill the dreams of a child, even if they sound unreasonable, e.g. one who says he wants to become an astronaut, another who aspires to become a film hero, someone who desires to become a YouTube influencer. At this stage, let them keep visualising a great future to motivate them to work harder.
When a student enters Class 10, they need to plan which subjects they will take in Class 11 and Class 12. Hence, this is the time to start narrowing down. The method to be adopted should be: first, identify the most suitable long-term career for a specific candidate, or at least a cluster of careers they are most suited for, e.g. technology, life/health sciences, human behaviour, creativity and design, language-related, research or finance. List out the courses/degrees that would qualify the student to attain expertise in the chosen profession. Accordingly, the options to be taken for a smooth transition into those degree courses can be finalised.
After gathering all relevant information, begin identifying the student’s characteristics and matching them to the listed careers. This includes subjects they are good at, personality traits, social and interpersonal skills, commercial acumen, concentration span, memory retention, general knowledge, kinesthetic abilities, and any unique talents beyond academics.
This should be done on an ongoing basis, taking into account the opinions of neutral and experienced people. Each trait of an individual connects to specific careers. This also helps identify the talents needed for the chosen career, but not very well developed in the candidate — hence, training and practice can be provided to sharpen those skills.
Keep abreast with changes in rules
When the time comes to prepare for higher studies or entrance exams, it is necessary to stay up to date on the rules and regulations, as well as any recent changes. For example, there was a time when students who had not studied science at the +2 level were allowed to become architects. Then the Council of Architecture changed the eligibility, and now only those who have studied Math and Physics can appear for the NATA entrance exam. Similarly, for the 2026 entry, the Karnataka Examination Authority has made it compulsory for aspirants of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy to appear for NEET, unlike earlier.
Students should be made aware of various options within a career group, e.g., lateral entry into BE after a polytechnic diploma, alternatives to MBBS, such as AYUSH medicine courses, and paramedical courses. Candidates who find it difficult to get through the highly competitive NDA exam can opt to become Agni-veers in the military, continue with their studies beyond 12th, apply for commissioned officer selection, or opt out after four years and get preferential recruitment into paramilitary services. There are many such opportunities.
Career guidance from professionals may seem expensive. But a few socially minded institutions offer free or subsidised services. A one-time fee for Aptitude Assessment may be a small price to pay for a lifetime decision. However, care should be taken to ensure testing is holistic, with all aspects of the candidate considered, rather than relying solely on computerised psychometric tests that yield impersonal, vague results.
At least one or two teachers in every school should be trained to offer career guidance. There are a few private institutions that train teachers and others to gain this expertise, but they need to constantly update themselves on the latest changes and norms so they can guide accordingly.
Most students feel unsure about their future path and often choose courses or jobs under pressure or because they are popular, not because of aptitude. Therefore, each stakeholder has a role to play, and we should all rise to it.
(The author is an academic cousellor)