DPS I



Delhi Public School Society

Celebrating 60 years of Excellence in Education

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Paper Presentation by Dr. Ruchi Seth, Principal, DPS Sushant Lok

Topic: Career Choices

Introduction

Publication: The Times of India Education Times; Kolkata Date: May 17, 2010 Page: 29

An IIM graduate gave up her job in McKinsey and now runs a publishing company. 

A student who opted for chemical engineering completed his studies, but somehow never cleared all the subjects in every semester. 

A doctor, who had done well in his medical programme, was very clear that he wasn’t keen to practice medicine at all. 

The above mentioned cases are not random, one off instances one hears of. In fact, such students are growing in numbers. While there are quite a few students who are focused, determined and have planned out every minute detail of the career they would want to opt for, a majority of them are still undecided. The multitude of career options available today further compounds the confusion in the minds of students regarding which career to zero in on. Although choosing a career may be a lengthy and difficult process, it is certainly worth it. After all having a successful career will lead you to a happy and satisfying life ahead.

Student, parental, and societal considerations

The ultimate choice of a career is driven by 3 primary considerations – student’s own personality, parental orientation/expectations and societal norms and values.

Student’s personality: Many of us forget that we must first understand who we are, before we can begin doing what we like. Super’s (1990) model lists personal traits such as internal locus of control, curiosity, information, identification with key figures, and self-esteem as central to decision making in choosing a career. “Career concerns are also highly contingent on the psychosocial context” (Savickas, 2001, p.309) and are defined by what adolescents’ perceive to be personally important and essential to their development. The personality characteristics of hope, willpower, purpose, competence, and fidelity described in Erikson’s (1963) model of psychosocial development are also important determinants of a student’s choice/success in a career. Most importantly, a student must be able to introspect to know himself, be aware of his strengths and weaknesses, as well as his interests, values, skills and aptitudes before he can embark on a choice of his career. He should be able to identify the nature of his preferred environments. In fact, doing a SWOT analysis of one self is a good practice.

Learning experiences are unique to each individual and play a crucial role in determining occupational choice. Individuals differ both in their access to different learning experiences as well as their ability to benefit from learning experiences because of their inherited qualities, genetic endowment and special abilities which include race, gender, physical appearance & characteristics. Further, as a result of the complex interaction of these various types of influencing factors (i.e. genetic endowment, environment, learning, etc) people form generalisations (beliefs) which represent their own reality. These beliefs about themselves and the world of work influence their approach to learning new skills and ultimately affect their aspirations and actions.

Parental Orientation/Expectations: As many of us know, in India, most parents start planning their child’s career almost as soon as s/he is born. A majority of students opt for a particular course that leads to a certain career under the influence of parents or peers. A fact that is validated by several authorities right from school principals to deans of B-schools. “Scores of bright young boys and girls get into the ‘herd’ because their peers are doing so or their parents have asked them to,” opines Debashis Chatterjee, Director, IIM Kozhikode. Though the dreams and aspirations continue to grow with the child, what often also grows is confusion. Traditionally ‘stable’ careers like engineering, medicine, chartered accountancy, defence/civil services to name a few find many takers in parents; new age career options like Food Technology, IT, Hospitality, Avionics, etc, are also beginning to gain more acceptance.  However, there is a plethora of alternative careers such Life Management, Adventure Sports Management, Fashion Photography, Food Reviewing, Coffee Tasting, Gaming, working in BPOs, or as DJs &RJs, etc are still frowned upon by parents. In some families children are heavily affected by their family profession or traditional job. To ensure that the family business is inherited by the next generation, parents begin inducting their children into the business at a very early age without giving them the option to choose any other career for themselves.

Without a doubt, parental guidance is a critical element in one’s career choice and parental guidance and encouragement can make a significant difference in their child’s success. Being with their child ever since birth, parents fully understand the potential as well as personality of their child and can offer valuable suggestions. When taking advice from parents, children have no fear of dishonesty or vested interests. However, parents must guard against imposing their expectations on their child. Parental help comes in handy if, “parents can be objective of their children’s strengths, skills, qualities and are aware of the range of options. They should be a part of the decision making process and guide the thinking process of the child, by laying out the logic of the right approach,” explains career counsellor Jayanti Ghose. They should participate in services, trainings, and workshops on career guidance that improve their ability to support their children in this process. Monetary considerations also determine the students’ choices of subjects. Some families cannot afford giving good quality higher education and a lot of good students miss out on good opportunities because of this. Parents must be aware of their financial capacity and loan facilities to offer the best options to their children.

Societal considerations: Environmental conditions and events, which include social, cultural & political; economic forces; as well as natural forces & natural resources also have their bearing on the selection of a career. These are generally outside the control of the individual. Culture has a profound influence on the career path a person chooses to follow. When we look at careers from a functional perspective, a person contributes his time, skills and effort to a job to make a living. Different cultures have different ideas about the meaning of a career, what value is placed on it, and the type of person who should perform the job. That being said, the way people find their career path varies significantly from culture to culture. For example, fighting mindsets against stereotypes relating to sex-role typing, dignity of labour, social esteem, etc, is a major factor influencing career choices, especially for girls, in our country. Both the school and the family can provide information and guidance, directly or indirectly, to influence a young person's choice of career.

School Systems

Possibilities and Limitations: A career is like an investment, a good investment is sure to yield good results. Fortunately one has myriads of career options available today. Although there are no clear statistics available, it seems there are about one lakh career options to choose from, and in this age of specialization the nos. are still growing. Since we spend a large amount of time at work, almost three decades, it is extremely important that our job not just satisfies us but enriches our life. In this context, the school has a crucial role to play in helping students to correctly identify the field the student is most suited for. Planning a career carefully by choosing the right course and educational institution with the help of accurate and complete information makes it possible for students to realize their dreams without settling for less.

Providing Career Guidance Services in schools

Irrespective of the number of supporters of young students deciding on careers by themselves, paranoia about the final outcome of these decisions prevails. Selecting a career for the wrong reasons can come at a cost. It is common to see students secure admissions to professional courses like engineering a nd then drop out. “About one to five per cent students cancel their admission. A few change their mind and continue with the course after being counselled. The idea being that once you have taken admission, your only goal should be to complete the course,” says Dr SK Narayankhedkar, Principal, Smt Indira Gandhi College of Engineering. 

Debashis says, “About 20-25 in a hundred students are total misfits for management but want to do an MBA. They do so either due to peer or parental pressure. One moves in the fast track of narrow competition and eager acquisition. Some of them, however, turn out to be genuinely good managers.”

Almost 60-70% students (applying to the higher-end PG management courses focusing on media and communications area) are from engineering background and at least half are with work experience, who see studying for this as an option to a management (business) qualification,” explain Chandan. These are the students who do end up in the wrong career due to the wrong reasons. “There are many cases where students find themselves to be a misfit for a job they have been offered but then they continue anyways and turn into below average performers,” Patil points out.

     

“Many students opt for beneficial and popular careers. They do not look at their aptitude,” finds Dr Narain. “Students select careers based on which company pays what package and the job without knowing if that sort of profile will fit his/her personality. Many join well known companies instead of doing very selective work in small to medium size companies. Everyone wants to work for companies with big names due to the status attached but in the process they miss out on the intense training of various functions that is provided in small

companies,” Patil elaborates. 

The process of deciding future career options can be challenging and involves careful considerations. This makes career guidance and counselling in the Middle and Senior School levels and tertiary institutions a crucial subject needing urgent attention. Career Guidance in schools should provide students with an understanding of their own strengths and interests through valid assessment. Career Gurus help to create an awareness of the varieties of vocational opportunities that exist. They could also help students to develop a portfolio highlighting their skills and explore the benefits of accommodations to the workplace to ensure a job-environment fit. Through internships/summer placements they should provide students with the opportunity to explore desired vocations. Financial guidance is also provided to ensure the availability of funds.

However, there are many challenges to Career Education and Guidance in schools. Some are listed below:

1. There is an urgent need for schools to provide comprehensive career guidance services to address all issues relating to the student’s careers needs, such as his personality, interest, aptitude and attitudes through use of valid and reliable psychometric tests combined with school achievement profile; information about career clusters and specific careers; parental inputs, etc, to enable the students to make an informed choice of subjects which will steer his/her career in the desired direction.

2. Those who provide career education and guidance in schools often lack specialized training. In fact they are often not career guidance specialists but teachers or counsellors (for personal problems and study difficulties). Many school career guidance services do not have strong links with the world of work. They often know little about the labour market and what is involved in different types of jobs.

3. Career fairs and career guidance services which provide career information are often outsourced and since there is a dearth of such experts they are not easily available to schools to meet student needs and demands. Further, these services should be combined with the psychometric testing services provided by the school /external agency followed by face-to-face follow up career planning sessions. Careers fairs should invite employers to come to the location to provide information to students. If done systematically, and in co-ordination with all the agencies involved, the students benefit greatly in achieving a clear sense of direction in their careers. However, this is often not the case.

4. In most schools parents are given an option of availing of career related services, which comes at a cost. Underpinning the importance of career planning, parents choose not to spend on this vital service.

5. Most schools in India do not provide opportunities to students to experience life at the work place through internships.

6. Career education and guidance are often considered the sole responsibility of the career guidance staff, rather than the joint responsibility of teachers, counselors, parents and students.

7. Few career guidance services have structured approaches aimed at helping students develop an entrepreneurial spirit and skills. They therefore tend to focus on guidance for paid employment, rather than for self-employment.

8. School career guidance services are often not audited, and users have little opportunity to signal satisfaction or otherwise with the services provided. No data is collected on student, teacher, and parent or employer satisfaction with the service.

Ideal age for tracking careers

A very important question that haunts teachers and parents alike is – is a student of class 10/ 12 capable of making his/her own decision regarding his/her career. Most parents do not

think so.

     “Since in our society we don’t really encourage children to think independently, students in class 10 and 12 are sometimes completely under the influence of their parents. If parents are not very well educated then the reverse is true”, says Sunil Patil, Director of Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management. “It is unlikely that students in class 12 can make career decisions on their own independently as in most cases they are not exposed to all the facts and practical realities and often only see the upside of a career. Hence, they may not be in a position to take a balanced view,” offers Chandan Chatterjee, Director, Symbiosis Institute of Media and communication. Others may disagree and feel that high school students are capable of making independent career choices to the extent that they know what subjects to choose at high school and university level and further extend it to make a career in that area of interest. As Dr Kirti Narain, Principal, Jai Hind College states, “Students are getting more aware of the career choices

that they have, but parental guidance is still valued by them.” 

Studies reveal that students’ career concerns include difficulties related to (a) education & training, (b) job security, (c) job satisfaction, (d) failing, (e) commitment, (f) wrong occupational choice, and (g) having to decide. With mid career switches being a possibility they are also concerned about career transitions and career adjustments. The results of these studies suggested that an integrated career planning curriculum beginning at the middle school level may be helpful to address students’ unanswered questions and unaddressed career concerns. In fact, career planning is a lifelong process and requires different decision to be made at different developmental stages of the child.

Psychometric testing:

Tests commonly used for testing: (aptitude , personality, interest, and attitude)

1) David’s Battery of Differential Abilities (DBDA) - It is a standardized test for objectively measuring the individual on verbal ability, spatial ability, numerical ability, mechanical ability, reasoning ability, closure ability and clerical ability. DBDA has been seen to be a fairly accurate test.

2) Differential Aptitude Tests (DAT) – quite similar to the DBDA, it contains seven subtests that measure verbal reasoning, numerical ability, abstract reasoning, space relations, mechanical reasoning, language usage, etc.

3) The Student Global Aptitude Index (SGAI) recently launched by CBSE is a battery of Aptitude Tests combined with the Interest profile of a student. Unlike the conventional Aptitude Tests which indicate professional orientations, the CBSE SGAI will indicate subject orientation at +2 stage, i.e the stage at which career concepts are beginning to form.

4) Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one of the most popular personality tests in the world. The MBTI asks the candidate to answer a series of ‘forced-choice’ questions, where one choice identifies you as belonging to one of four paired traits. The basic test takes twenty minutes, and at the end you are presented with a precise, multi-dimensional summary of your personality. The MBTI test classifies people into types based on 4 bi-polar dimensions; Extraversion-Introversion (E-I), Sensing-Intuition (S-N), Thinking-Feeling (T-F), Judging-Perceiving (J-P). The sixteen personality types resulting from the cross-products of these four dimensions are illustrated below.

4) Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) is one of the most well-know aptitude test which is used to predict college performance. The Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test (PSAT) is often used to assess how well a student will perform on the SAT.

5) The NEO-PI is a popular well-researched personality test that identifies how strong core personality characteristics are. These traits include emotional stability, social interaction, optimisim and openness to a variety of experiences.

6) Multi-dimensional Assessment of Personality Scale (MAP Series) - MAP - Form T (TEENAGERS): (The dimensions measured are: Adaptability, Academic Achievement, Boldness, Competitiveness, Creativity, Enthusiasm, Excitability, General Ability, Guilt Proneness, Individualism, Innovation, Leadership, Maturity, Mental Health, Morality, Self-Control, Sensitivity, Self-Sufficiency, Social Warmth, and Tension.

7) Eysenck’s Personality Questionnaire (Revised) (E.P.Q.-R) – is designed to give a ready measure of three important personality dimensions: Psychoticism, Extraversion and Neuroticism (commonly known as PEN scale).

8) Eysenck’s Maudsley Personality Inventory - gives a rough-and-ready measure of two important personality dimensions: Neuroticism and Extraversion.

9) Cattell’s 16PF Questionnaire - by R.B. Cattell and IPAT Staff - is a test of normal adult personality. It is widely used by psychologists, for research and in industry for selection, placement, training and promotion.

10) High School Personality Questionnaire (HSPQ) - by R.B. Cattell and IPAT Staff - measures 14 personality dimensions is meant for 12-18 years and Children’s Personality Questionnaire (CPQ) - by R.B. Cattell and Porter is meant for 8-12 years.

11) TerraNova - a widely used achievement test is used with children from kindergarten to the 12th grade. This test is usually given to entire groups by schools.

12) Wide Range Achievement Test 3 (WRAT3). This test is not given in groups but administered individually and is designed for ages 4 through 75.

13) The Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement (K-TEA) is another individually administered achievement test use to assess children's academic achievement.

Indian Tests

1) Comprehensive Interest Schedule (CIS) - by Sanjay Vohra

The CIS is an objective device measuring interest in eight broad vocational areas. Each vocational area has two sub fields (except the last two). These eight broad areas are as following: (1) Influential - administrative and enterprising, (2) Venturous - defense and sports, (3) Artistic - creative and performing, (4) Scientific - medical and technical, (5) Analytical - expressive and computational, (6) Social - humanitarian and education, (7) Nature and (8) Clerical.

2) Global Adjustment Scale (GAS) - by Sanjay Vohra (English version only) - GAS Form S (for Students) tries to obtain reliable information from the individual concerning what he thinks and feels about his: Family, Health, Social, Emotional, School and Sexual adjustment. This test has been standardized on more than 800 protocols tested at more than 7 locations throughout the country.

3) Adjustment Inventory for School Students - by A.K.P. Sinha & R.P. Singh (Hindi and English) - This 60-item inventory measures adjustment of school students in three important areas - emotional, social and educational. This test has been standardized on a sample of 1950 students of both sexes.

5) Self-Concept Questionnaire - by R.K. Saraswat (Hindi and English) - This 48-item questionnaire measures self-concept in six areas - physical, social, temperamental, educational, moral and intellectual aspects of school going children.

6) Self-Esteem Inventory - by G.P. Thakur (Hindi and English) – measures the individuals level of self esteem.

7) Sodhi’s Attitude Scale - by T.S. Sodhi (Hindi and English) - measures attitude of higher secondary students towards teachers, parents, discipline, life, humanity, community, country and religion.

8) Crite's Career Maturity Inventory-Indian adaptation by N. Gupta measures aspects like decisiveness, involvement, independence, orientation, etc.

9) Educational Interest Record (EIR)- S.P.Kulshreshtha - measures educational interest in seven areas agriculture, commerce, fine arts, home science, humanities, science and technology.

Of the various psychometric tests, aptitude tests are extensively used to predict success or failure in a career. Aptitude is defined as the innate learning ability needed to facilitate learning a task. It refers to aptness, knack, suitability, readiness, tendency, or natural or acquired disposition or capacity for a particular activity. Take the example of two persons of equal intelligence who have the same opportunities to learn a job or develop a skill. They attend the same on-the-job training or classes, study the same material, and practice for the same length of time. One of them acquires the knowledge or skill easily; the other has difficulty and takes more time, if at all he ever masters the skill. These two people differ in aptitude for this type of work or skill acquisition. Research data show that individually administered aptitude tests provide a profile of the students’ strengths and weaknesses and are excellent predictors of future scholastic achievement. They allow us to compare a child's performance with that of other children in the same situation. They assess differences among individuals. They help in uncovering hidden talents in some children, thus improving their educational opportunities. They are valuable tools for working with handicapped children. In addition, group aptitude tests can be given quickly and inexpensively to large numbers of children.

On the other hand, achievement tests tend to measure recent learning and are closely tied to particular school subjects. Achievement tests tend to measure recent learning and are closely tied to particular school subjects. For helping a person find and pursue a career, course of study, or work experience program, aptitude assessment should logically precede achievement testing or skills assessment. It helps to objectively clarify what you would like to do and would likely succeed in and is useful in planning and for future learning and work.

Comparing aptitude with achievement scores can identify discrepancies that suggest attention to either learner or instructional inadequacies. In vocational counseling, aptitude tests help point out differential aptitudes and compare relative strengths to skills required in different occasions. The results also help counselors to diagnose the reasons for student misbehaviour.

Perhaps the most important use of aptitude tests involves selection, classification and placement. In situations where only a limited number of students may be admitted from a large group of applicants, aptitude tests provide a common basis of comparison for all students; in conjunction to other information, the scores are used to decide which students will be admitted. The aptitude tests can be used by teachers, counselors, administrators and students to improve the quality of education and individual decision making.

A combination of Interest, Personality and and Aptitude Tests helps to show types of work that a person would most likely enjoy and perform well. Although a student has not shown satisfactory level of achievement for any number of reasons s/he can still have the "aptitude" to do well in a career and related studies if s/he is interested and has the right attitude - although they might have some catching up to do academically. After all, the ultimate goal of career counselling is creating satisfying lives, not just making a decision.

Word of caution about use of psychometric tests:

The MBTI is one of the most popular tests, being used by two and a half million Americans a year. Eighty-nine companies out of the US Fortune 100 make use of it, for recruitment and selection, or to help employees understand themselves or their co-workers.

The following are words of caution we can’t ignore –

David M. Boje, Ph.D., Professor of Management in the Management Department, CBAE at New Mexico State University (NMSU) states - “…do not treat the archetype scores of M-B as anything more than Astrology”

“The test is not valid or legal to use for personnel assignments, hiring, or promotion. It does not have predictive validity for such uses. It is a useful guide, and no more. Problem is, people go to a workshop, get excited and treat M-B as a secret window into the mind of their co-workers.”

Robert Spillane, Professor of Management at the Graduate School of Management at Macquarie University argues that research shows that efforts to predict performance from personality and motivation tests have been consistently and spectacularly unsuccessful.

"[Tests] trivialize human behavior by assuming that (fake) attitudes predict performance. Not only is this incorrect but testers offer no explanations for behavior beyond the circular proposition that behavior is caused by traits which are inferred from behavior,".

"The technical deficiencies of most personality tests have been known for many years. Yet they are conveniently ignored by those with vested interests in their continued use,"

CBSE Circular no. 62/10 dated 21.09.10 on CBSE SGAI states that ‘the test should be taken only as an indicator or facilitator’. ‘The tests will help initiate a dialogue on subject choices leading to careers ahead in life. Results taken together with students’ assessment from other sources will ultimately help in making informed choices.’

Although most of the psychometric tests used in schools for career counseling are standardized, reliable and valid instruments, the use of psychometric tests assumes that results are not misinterpreted or misused. Without a thorough understanding of such factors as cultural bias, error in testing, and score interpretation, there is a potential to overemphasize results. Discretion must also be exercised in the use of tests available online, as there are several such tests available, and all are not standardized or reliable.

To sum up, tests are often required, but not necessarily accurate measures of ability to succeed. The ability to succeed is determined more by the desire to be successful and willingness to work hard.

Global vs. Indian scenario: Changes in the last decade.

Let’s just look at the change in the job scenario in the last decade:

• In spite of the recent recession in the US economy, IT has been growing at an explosive rate with the requirement for skilled manpower in this sector desperately falling short of demand. As a result, countries that face such a shortage are busy recruiting manpower (on work permits) from countries, which have an adequate supply. Hence, the mushrooming of cybercities all over India, and an influx of KPOs and BPOs. IT and English language

communication skills have become important.

• Geographical boundaries have become blurred, thus, people born in one corner of the world migrate to another to pursue a careers of their choice in another part of the world. Skills of adaptation to a different culture have become important.

• Knowledge about Information, Communication and Entertainment, commonly referred to as the ICE Age has become increasingly important, rather inevitable for the students,

specifically with the onset of IT.

• The focus today is on acquiring multiple skills and cross functionality rather than specializations. Today organizations are not made up of different departments each of them having a focused task and a limited role; instead today they are made up of teams. These teams consist of people who have specialized skills, but they are expected to synergize their efforts in achieving a common goal. Soft skills, particularly ability for team work is imperative for success.

• People are moving away from purely monetary considerations while considering a career. The weightage of other factors like emotional satisfaction, spiritual fulfillment, family time, flexible work hours, etc. is increasing and acceptance of these factors in a career decision is universally increasing. Consequently, too, there has been increase in midcareer switches and gap years for various reasons ranging from growth prospects to personal factors like need for creativity, etc.

• Currently almost all economies are facing financial sector crisis & threat of global recession. However Indian economy appears to have a strong foundation and solid structure. Therefore both advantages and disadvantages are pushing the country into a fuzzy state. There are many factors affecting most of the fields into growth or into perish. Many lessons can be learnt from this recession.

• Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization (LPG) are also opening new opportunities for different people. Procedures like delicensing to encourage entrepreneurial activity, which leads to a lot more people taking initiative and exploiting their talents to their fullest potential. It is astonishing how many 21-year-old millionaires exist today and it is anybody’s

guess how many more are expected tomorrow.

• There is an increase in the presence of women in the working force, even in areas traditionally considered male bastions, such as the armed forces, civil aviation, journalism, as

well as in MNCs.

References:

1. Publication: The Times Of India Education Times; Kolkata Date: May 17, 2010 Page: 29

2.

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