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It is summer vacation time for school going students, though not for the ones in Standard 10 (SSC, ICSE, CBSE, IG) students. Their parents are already beginning to worry about their child’s success at the exams.
The buzzword has not lost its sheen over so many years. Generation X tends to demonstrate similar pressure and criticality as their parents did! I wonder if there will be any change once Millennial makes it as a parent. Students of standard X are merely getting Sundays off, and the rest of the days, they are busy shuttling between Maths to English classes. I am told that some of the schools have portions of 10th std from 9th std onwards.
I wonder where this will end. I just finished doing a session with a bunch of 10th Std students where I was invited. At the beginning of the session, I asked them what they expected to take away. Most of them said I would motivate them and help them manage stress. I was pretty taken aback that these young kids were using such words. I could feel the anxiety in them, and this was not in them but seemed it was put in them, and the levels were building up.
I wanted to make this session interactive, so I asked them what their challenges are and all of them said – Pressure, stress, peer pressure, competition. First, I thought I was speaking to leaders from the corporate office as I was surprised to hear words like this from students transitioning from 9th std to 10th std. Incorporate, we talk a lot about transitioning from an individual contributor to people leader, and I could feel the same amount of ambiguity, stress and tension in the eyes of these students. I didn’t stop there; I went further to inquire what message they wanted to give to their parents. It was surprising to hear what they told me. It seemed that they were yearning for their voice to be heard.
They said - Don’t compare, do not taunt at me, have some hope in me, give me some space, understand my world, stop pressurizing me. The sound of their voice bothered me and made me think about how to secure this young kid. People who have crossed this milestone know it is not The Milestone. How do we ensure that this year is given enough emphasis but not to the extent that it paralyzes the students?
Parents and the school play a significant role in setting the right momentum for the students. School and home should act as a foundation for building intellect and emotion, respectively. The focus should be given to developing intellectual capability and making students feel emotionally healthy, which will help in living a healthy balanced lifestyle. 10th std is a transition from school to college, and the focus should be given on how a child will transition from dependence to independence and how s/he should not misuse the freedom. Educate them on the distractions that may give them the false and temporary notion of excitement rather than just focusing on studies.

There are many Career Aptitude Assessment tools, from free tests to paid, from specific theory-based to AI-driven, currently available in the market.
If you want to know the right tool, it's often tricky unless thorough research is done. Yet, finding an accurate test is even more difficult because results vary from test to test.
So how do we know a test is accurate?
The results are often a reflection of yourself, and the results should bring out your interests themselves. Certain times some strengths are highlighted, which you may not have noticed yet.
Also, as you upgrade yourself with skills and knowledge, the results would slightly shift, but a general trend would remain. Career tests can be thus considered an assurance for the decisions you have made for yourself or as a direction indicator if you cannot decide for yourself.
The results, however, need to be continuously compared with the job market relevance and should be compact with your particular constraints, if any.
Talking to people with exposure in specific fields will help you understand the course you may want to take. Platforms like Quora can be used to ask questions.
However, taking help from a career guide will give new perspectives as they would have gone through many such cases and can share with you related decisions made.
Best Wishes for a bright future!

Be it in our school, our office or, in our life, we often come across some who are struggling to keep up to the expectations.
Have you thought about them?
They are lovely human beings, but somehow they are a misfit in the group.
Do you know why?
It's because they are not in their fair playground. They look misfit, as they haven't yet find the right area of their strength.
Why do you think it happens to them?
They lacked information, they lacked the motivation to think differently, and they couldn't take risks. Sometimes it also happens that they know their strength, but the alternative is unaffordable for them. Or, by the time they found their playground, it was too late for them.
Have you been in such a situation?
It is a terrible situation to be in. But there is always a way out by knowing the strength, aptitude, and interests and getting promoted to a new role.
How does it feel?
Like a winner? Here is a chance to help such people in your life who are currently left behind.
Career counselling gives the platform for people who are left behind to discover themselves and find their fair playground.

Today students are perplexed about selecting subjects; they either follow their parent's advice or their friends. The problem comes when they complete their education and enter the job market. There they find that high marks and degrees are not at all relevant. As a result, even after attaining a good percentage and degrees, they grab petty jobs and curse their lives.
Today, students must analyse themself for their genuine interests and then research the job market aligned with the same.
Skills are paid richly; we must spend our time during the education years to attain skills and update the same regularly.
There are many advanced techniques available which can tell about ourself; we should use them through an experienced counsellor who has exposure to real job market preferably the working or retired executives to know the ways.
We must enter the job market prepared and keep a second option open as there is very tough competition.

"What should we do to succeed?" is the one big question that is thrown at me during the innumerable interactions I have had with the students over the last decade and a half. The answer that I have learnt over the years covers five compelling but straightforward aspects.

• Attention span – The youth's most significant challenge (even the middle-aged executives) is the dwindling attention span. The intelligent gadgets around you are slowly but steadily making you dumb. It has reached such alarming proportions that people are talking about going in for a "digital detox" therapy. The more time one spends away from the TV, Laptops, Smartphones, etc., the higher the attention span.
• Burning Desire to succeed – You must have a burning desire to succeed; that is what sets apart a match-winner from an also-ran. Half-hearted efforts would only give half baked results.
• Willingness to work hard – If you are willing to acquire the required skill and ability, you will achieve tremendous success.
• Dream Big – Please remember the lesson you learnt in primary school to aim for the stars to reach the treetop still holds good. Smaller dreams are meant for lesser mortals, not for you.
• Persistence – A persistent effort alone yields the expected results. You should be the one mine digger who did not give up; for all you know; a big success could just be one knock away!!

What has your experience taught you!!! Would you please share it with me?

Parents and students come to their first decision point right when they are in grade 10th. So this the point that the course of study narrows down and students tend to select their streams, primarily- Science, Humanities or commerce. But what if I, as a student, am not ready with the most appropriate stream of my choice yet? You need to select a board that gives you the correct alternative and the right strategy to lay the foundation stone of your career. 

Important points-

1. It is not a matter of the next two years but for the next few years. So take time in choosing.
2. A subject gives more trouble or nervousness? analu=yse your options without it and see you can still do a brilliant job.
3. Do not simply follow the crowd. Every student has her/his Expertise, strength and weakness, so while my friend chooses commerce, I may be better off with performing arts!
4. Planning your higher studies abroad? Here the selection of the board is essential. You have to score, perform, and at the same time, there has to be a comfort level with your chosen subjects. So choose what has the best option to offer you.
5. Psychometric Test and Analysis: These are essential tools that offer great insight into the best options available, especially when there is confusion.

So this is the first edition of the Lesson for Choosing the right Board, Stream and Subject. Stay tuned for the second edition, wherein we shall delve deeper into the most prominent subjects that are to be chosen and the challenges associated with the same. Please post your questions in the same line.

There can be many courses based on your current qualification and the subjects you teach. If you have not completed B.Ed yet, you must get it done first. Also, if you are an Early childhood trainer, the same course can help. Also, you can extend your teaching through ESL courses that will make you a trained teacher in the English Language.