Ch 21

• Vocational preparation is essential in the highly competitive world to compare with competition and opportunities
• Choosing a vocation is more than just deciding what one will do
• It is better to choose a vocation than merely hunt for a job
• Vocation refers to the world of work and occupational opportunities
• Career choice has replaced the terms occupational choice and vocational choice
• Choosing the appropriate stream of education is a process that requires serious thinking
• General education provides elementary skills in reading, writing, and knowledge of physical, social, cultural, environmental values
• Special training institutions include Professional Institutes, Polytechniques, Commercial Institutions, Craft Training Schools, Special Institutions, and Correspondence Institutions
• Career is broader than occupation and refers to the course of events that constitute a life
• Occupation is a group of similar jobs in several establishments
• Vocation is an occupation, either professional or voluntary, carried out more for its altruistic benefit
• Understanding the world of work is necessary, with each job having specific requirements such as age, gender, citizenship, physical, personality, educational and training, experience, legal, and licensing requirements
• Physical requirements for jobs vary, with strict requirements for Armed Forces and less importance for sales workers
• General education aims to develop a positive attitude and respect for all types of work
• General education includes stages from Primary level to College/University level, such as Elementary, Secondary, Higher secondary, etc.
• After educational and vocational planning, one should go for vocational choice
• Importance of planning necessary for vocational choice
• Importance of aptitude, interests, and personality characteristics in choosing a vocation
• Correlation between ability and interest, along with personality characteristics, should be considered before making a vocational choice
• Counselors can help in providing a clear picture of interest, aptitude, and personality characteristics
• Minimum educational qualifications required for a job should be known
• Interest changes with time, and abilities as well as personality characteristics are not entirely fixed
• Alternative choices can be made if the first choice is not achievable
• Steps for making a good career choice:
• Assess yourself: Learn about your values, interests, skills, and personality characteristics
• Make a list of different occupations: Shortlist occupations you are interested in and explore them
• Narrow down your occupational list: Limit the list to 2 or 3 and identify job aspects, qualifications, requirements, opportunities, earnings, locations, and hazards
• Set your goals: Put a plan in place and set goals for the chosen occupation
• Prepare an action plan: Decide how to reach your goals with a career action plan
• Avoid myths about career choice, such as thinking choosing a career is simple or that making a lot of money will lead to happiness
• What you have learned:
• Choosing appropriate education for a career is a process
• Special training required in an occupation is useful for students preparing for those occupations
• Importance of planning at every step in life
• Consider abilities and personality characteristics while choosing a career
• Career building is a crucial task in life
• Counselors can assist in making a wise career choice with guidance and psychological testing