Career Guidance Insights by Fiona Millar

As we move into 2021, many school leavers are at a crossroads in their lives, asking the question – What now?

Unfortunately, most of our youth, are expected to make particularly important, literately life changing decisions, with little to no support at an already tender age and time in their lives. In a sense, we expect them to fly blind or simply go where the stream takes them.    

The importance of Career guidance

When a young adult stands at the “what to do next” crossroad, only they can decide which way turn. This, however, is a bit like trying to get to the ultimate destination, when they haven’t a clue what that looks like or where it is, and they most certainly don’t have a map to get there.

In this scenario it becomes critically important that young people are given an opportunity to explore what possible destinations could look like. Through a process of career guidance, young people are taken on a journey of self-discovery and end up better equipped to make informed choices and gain clarity in terms of what type of careers they should be aiming towards, whist jointly drafting a map to get to their desired place.  

The key elements of a good career guidance process.

For any youth faced with this life impacting decision, it becomes paramount that they engage in career guidance. It is, however, essential that the individual ensures that they are working with a qualified professional (preferably a psychologist) who utilizes:

·      An appropriate suite of Psychometric and other assessments

·      A structured feedback process

Results of the above will allow for the exploration of possible options and the development of a road map to get to the desired goal.

What to look out for when engaging with a career guidance professional/ company.  

It is critically important that students engage in a career guidance process, yet it is essential to ensure that they are engaging with the right partner. Key pointers to look out for include:

·      The credentials of the career guidance counsellor.

·      The use of psychometric/other assessment tools.

·      The validity, reliability, norm groups and relevance of assessment tools.

·      The uniqueness of the output.

·      The simplicity and clarity of the output.

Before partnering with a career professional, it is strongly recommended that you do some homework.

Career Guidance through Future Ingenium.

At Future Ingenium we offer you on-line career guidance, ensuring that every individual going through this career guidance process never has to leave the safety and comfort of their home. All administration and logistics are done via our online platform, following this the individual will spend face to face time (via Microsoft Teams) with your career guidance professional.  

Our career guidance professionals have been selected according to stringent criteria and come with extremely good references (see below). Our team of in-house psychologists have vigorously researched and selected appropriate psychometric assessments which fulfil the criteria listed above.

Hear more from a Future Ingenium Client – “Chantal Stravens”

“As a parent who has invested a lot of energy in supporting my teenage daughter in her educational journey, it was difficult to hear the words: “I simply don’t know what career I want to choose”. The difficulty was not a result of Isabelle’s lack of focus academically, but more a sense of helplessness as a mother who knew this journey had to be hers alone without undue influence on my part.

The only choice that was within my control was to introduce Isabelle to someone who could help her understand herself better and in return, highlight a path that would lead to natural fit based on her strengths.

Linza Eksteen at Future Ingenium was exactly that person. When all the facets of Isabelle’s ‘character’ was collaboratively evaluated in the personalised mentoring sessions, an eventual plan emerged. Isabelle is now armed with a more solid understanding of her key strengths which has alleviated the stress associated with choosing her tertiary subjects.

Your program is designed with the end customer in mind and for that, a heartfelt Thank You goes out to the Future Ingenium team.”