CAREER MAPPING
- Friday, November 6, 2009, 6:00
The history of vocational guidance or career counselling can be traced back to the early 20th century and is intertwined with the early beginnings of vocational education. Frank Parson (1909) established the Boston Vocational Bureau and wrote the first ever book on career counseling called ‘Choosing a Vocation’. According to him, in the wise choice of a vocation, there are three broad factors. They are:
A clear understanding of oneself, one’s aptitudes, abilities, interests, ambitions, resources, limitations and their causes.
A thorough Knowledge of the requirements and conditions of success, advantages & disadvantages, compensation, opportunities and prospects in different lines of work.
True reasoning on the relations of the above two groups of factors.
Based on Parson’s hypothesis, a model for CAREER MAPPING has been developed comprising of the following three aspects
Aptitude: Aptitude is the inherent potential of a person.
Personality: A set of traits, which become our strengths and weaknesses. These traits determine our behavior and performances in any environment.
Interests: The careers or areas of work or job we like and at the same time enjoy working in.
Aptitude, personality and interests of a student are captured with the help of a set of tests which are designed specifically for the purpose. These tests have a simple set of questions, which a student can do without any guidance. They are so planned that students do not get confused or nervous while solving them. These tests are described as follows:
Aptitude Test: Analyses and Interprets all seven aptitude dimensions identified till date:
Mechanical.
Numerical.
Abstract.
Spatial.
Verbal.
Language.
Clerical.
Personality test: This test consists of 80 items and interprets 15 dimensions of personality. They are as follows:
Effective Intelligence.
Reasoning Ability.
Organizing Ability.
Power of expression.
Social Adaptability.
Sense of Responsibility.
Co-operation.
Initiative.
Self- Confidence.
Speed of Decision.
Ability to influence the group.
Liveliness.
Determination.
Courage.
Stamina.
Interests
Lists of 40 broadly defined interests are used and the student uses this to narrow down to his/her key interest areas.
In the Psychometric analysis, it is believed that all aptitudes are in born and are difficult to improve upon; while personality traits are acquired and can be further developed or modified. Hence all the suggestions made for improvements, are based on personality traits. The responses of students to various test items in the questionnaires are scored and a predictive report is generated based on the interpretation of these responses.
The Report
Analyses the strength and weaknesses in aptitude and personality.
Suggests areas of improvement in aptitude and personality.
Lists down the aptitudes and personality traits required for the careers of interest.
Checklists how aptitude and personality match with careers of interest.
If there is a mismatch, suggests new careers which match the inherent talents.
Provides clear direction through next step and all subsequent steps required to be taken to achieve the career goal.
The areas of interests of students may change with time. But the aptitude and personality may not change to the same extent, and they open up new opportunities for improvement in realizing their potential. The CAREER MAPPING will help students in understanding their Aptitudes, Personality and Interests. It will also highlight the right career suitable for students so that they can channelize their energies in the right direction and perform well in their respective fields.
The CAREER MAPPING helps to clear the career confusion of the students and the parents. Students, after the counseling may continue their interaction with the counsellors/mentors on their career-related issues, if they so desire. The CAREER MAPPING is a program intended to partner with parents, principals and teachers in helping students realize their best and find their perfect careers that will stand by them in an increasingly competitive world.
Colonel S. N. Swamy (Retd), Academic Director, Leads Academy for Corporate Excellence.
