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Unit 20: Organizing Counseling Services at College Level

(iii) Sensitivity to the different aspects of the environment and Notes
(iv) Capacity to be free willed individuals, that is individuals.
• The increased emphasis upon the individual as the center of the entire educational process, the
scope of guidance has been enlarged and now includes help given to the individual in all his
problems and choice. However, occupational decisions are still the central problem facing
many youths.
• The specific aims of vocational may be stated as follows :
(i) To assist the student to acquire such knowledge of the characteristics and functions, the
duties and rewards of the group of occupations within which his choice will probably lie as
he may need for intelligent choice.
(ii) To enable him to find what general and specific abilities and skills are required for the
group of occupations under consideration and what are the qualifications, such as age,
preparation, and sex, for entering them.
(iii) To give opportunity for experiences in school (tryout courses) and out of school (after-school
and vacation jobs) which will give such information about conditions of work as will assist
the individual to discover his own abilities and help him in the development of wider interests.
(iv) To help the individual develop the point of view that all honest labour is worthy and that
the most important bases for choice of an occupation are (a) the service that the individual
can render to society, (b) personal satisfaction in the occupation, and (c) aptitude for the
work required.
• Because many factors influence people in choosing an occupation, various methods may be
used in helping them choose wisely. The factors responsible for the choice of an occupation are
many and often complex. Very often people are not conscious of the influences that were
responsible for the choice of their present occupation.
• Sometimes occupational heredity—family tradition and pride—may influence the choice. People
may drift from one occupation to another until finally, almost by accident, one occupation.
• Organised vocational guidance assists the individual by providing him with all the data that
indicate his interests and abilities and all that are essential to an understanding of the type of
work.
• One of the most startling evidences of freedom of choice has been the great number of women
who have entered occupations previously staffed only by men. Women have now amply
demonstrated their ability in many skilled occupations and in all the professions. This very
freedom of choice, however desirable, constitutes one of the major difficulties in vocational
guidance.
• Another difficulty arises from the slow, gradual process of an individual’s vocational
development. Guidance for choice of an occupation cannot be done in a hurry because it is a
process of development which often requires many years.
• The individual should be helped to make well-founded judgments about his career on the
basis of certain knowledge, including :
(i) As complete an understanding of himself as possible.
(ii) A knowledge of the elements of various vocations.
(iii) An appreciation of the extent to which his characteristics fit the requirements of a particular
vocation.
(iv) Opportunities in and advantages and disadvantages of the various occupational fields.
• Self-evaluation in the college as teachers help the student to appreciate the value of possessing
certain desirable attitudes and behaviour characteristics, to recognise the extent to which he

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