How Virtual Counselor Is Useful for Parents

In the struggle to meet daily expenses, dealing with pack routines, and insufficient time for  interaction, it has become difficult for parents to keep a tab on how their child is progressing in school. In addition to time constraints, sometimes it can also be financially challenging to find the right mentor for your kid.
If your child is attending a boarding school, or you are facing problems in matching time to ensure proper discussions with kids, is there a way to stay updated about your child's academic performance? What can be done in such cases? The amazing innovations of technology have made it possible to access any help at the tip of your fingers just by clicking the right buttons on your computer screen. You can always take help of virtual counselors to get the right guidance for your kids and be assured of their overall development.

A virtual counselor acts as a distant mentor and gives the parents access to information like grades, attendance, academic records, and overall progress. It gives parents a better chance to see how the child is faring at school. These services are available right from the kindergarten level to grade 12 and give the parents a better idea about their child's school life. Following points demonstrate how virtual counseling is helping parents.

Connect easily 

With impressive revolution in the telecommunication industry and availability of different  applications like Skype, FaceTime, and video calling features in various chat messengers, it provides parents with on demand services.

They help to convey emotions through facial expressions and body language, which are absent in telephonic conversations. It gives them an opportunity to connect from any part of the world at any time and get in touch with mentors to solve child-related problems.

Provides a safe approach

It gives the parents to get in touch with the virtual counselors from any place and helps to maintain privacy to the issues a child might be facing. You can speak to the mentor from the comfort of your home, a hotel room or any other place, provided you have a stable Internet connection. You can talk with the counselor without taking the effort to travel to his/her office, thus saving time and cost.

 An individual must schedule a prior appointment and fix the day when you want to have a discussion.

Helps in student growth

The ultimate aim of virtual counseling is to help the student have good performance at school and make him/her realize career goals. It helps the parents to select strategies that will ensure academic growth and also have a social-personal development.

By consulting the counselors, parents can understand what problems their child is facing at school and take appropriate steps to motivate him/her to overcome the obstacles. The mentor helps the parents understand how their kid is progressing at school and thus keep them actively involved in their education. This can help a parent to set realistic goals for his/her child.

Serves as a liaison 

A virtual counselor can form the link between the parents/guardian and school. He/she can help identify children with special needs or students who face learning problems and provide support to turn them into able individuals of the society. A mentor can inform the parents of such students about the various services available at the school and reduce their anxiety levels.

The parents can get to know about the school staff who are actively involved in education of special children, the resources available and also learn about the progress by having maximum virtual interaction with the counselor. These mentors also assist in finding parents with similar children and motivate them to be a part of a community or group to get the extra support.

Virtual counselors ensure communication between school and parents and provide suggestions about what could be done for academic improvement of a child. They ensure that the students develop a learning attitude and help the parents connect better with help of live video chats.

What should we choose: life or career?

      As children, we always wanted to grow up and become doctors, astronauts, pilots, engineers, actors, and sportsmen. None of us really had the ambition of being happy and leading a blissful life. The society that we live in functions in a way where we are  nurtured and trained to acquire the necessary skills for exchange in the society so that we fulfill its needs, and in return earn wages to satisfy our own needs. Right from the kindergarten, parents start pondering on school that is best for their child, college that he/she should go, and career to pursue.

     
When work becomes life

Everyone is driven by ambition and wants to be successful. Pursuing a career that garners success, status, and opulence in the society is what everyone yearns today. In the wake of that desire, they are always ready to walk the extra mile. Author Karen Dillon says, “Most early-career professionals are obsessed with achieving milestone after milestone in their careers. They are ready to work on the weekend which they should be spending with their family, skip social events of their children in school, and cancel the vacation that they had planned.” Instead of being a part of  life, work has actually become their entire life. However, the end result of it is not always favorable.

 People working round the clock are devoid of a social life and prefer staying alone. Living a desolate life can hamper your  emotional well-being. The instances of a rise in stress and depression can be inferred from the rise in the number of suicides. We often come across cases where the reason for suicide are work-related issues. Therefore, choosing a career over life takes a toll on their lives, but it is only at the end of their career they realize that they probably should have made better choices.


Consequences of sacrificing career 

Given the hardships and misery that people face on giving a preferential status to their careers over their lives, choosing a happy and healthy life appears to be a better option out of the two. But then the question here is - are the people who sacrifice their careers for living a happy life really happy? Just as choosing a career instead of a life has its consequences, sacrificing your career for a happening life also has its effects. Sacrificing a career could mean missing out on all the opportunities and benefits that come along with it. Not choosing a career or deciding to quit is not an option, which is financially unsound.

 Having a successful career and a job can guarantee regular paychecks that can pay all your bills, mortgage for your house, and the tuition fee of your children. Whereas not having one, can make you dependent on someone else, or lead you to earn a living carrying out mediocre jobs. There are cases where women face the predicament of being dependent on their spouse, suffering exploitation, and consequently adding misery to the lives which they chose by sacrificing their career.
     

We live in a world where having a successful career and a quality life are equally important. The result of choosing one out of the two may not yield results that we want, and is a difficult task altogether. Given the importance of life as well as a career, choosing one such that the other doesn't suffer, can be an option worth considering. Pursuing a career with a proper assessment of the pros and cons associated with it can help you mitigate the risk of choosing a career that takes a toll on your life. While at the same time being pragmatic about sacrificing a career in order to live an ideal life, can save you and your career from being misled on the path of regression.

Online Jobs Vs On-field Jobs - Which One Is Better?

With many job options available, some might get confused as to which field one should go for. Apart from the domain, an individual often struggles to choose a job since he or she is confused whether the selection would suit their personality and what they enjoy doing the most. Hence, before selecting, you must understand the different available alternatives and then take a decision. The following points highlight the main differences 

between online and on-field job:

Type of work 

An online job allows an individual to work from home and manage the work schedule as per his/her choice. You can have munching breaks whenever you desire or even take time-outs for recreational purposes. On the other hand, if you are someone who like traveling to client locations and interacting with new people to generate business, you can go for on-field jobs. In these jobs, you are bounded to achieve daily targets and will be required to follow a disciplined schedule for work. 

Flexibility 

In an online job, since you will be operating on your own, you can start your day as per your convenience. You just need a device such as laptop or mobile, an Internet connection and clients to carry out your job. Your workplace could change almost every day until you find a comfortable position. This type of job allows you to carry out your work by sitting on your bed or sofa, from your balcony, dining table or your work desk table. However, if you are an on-field professional, then reporting on time becomes a mandatory thing. You will have to reach the meeting place at a right time irrespective of weather conditions. 

Job outfit 

When you are freelancing from your home, your interaction with your clients will be limited to calls or at the maximum a video conference. For a video call, you might just  wear a  professional attire on the top and even casuals under the table, and no one will be able to notice it. You might even carry out your work just in your casuals from any corner of the house. When you are going for on-site location, it will not only demand to keep yourself well groomed but also attend the client meetings in proper apparels.

Holidays 

Online jobs offer individuals to carry out their tasks as per their mood. You could work extensively for a specific time period and then be vacationing at some exotic place the very next month. As you will be solely responsible for your work, you won't have to take permission for leaves, provided you have delivered the completed task. As for on-site jobs,  you will rarely get long holidays and would be required even to work on weekly offs as per the demands of the client. 

Risk factor 

While online jobs give you ample freedom to carry out tasks in hand, it also comes with serious disadvantages. As you would be relying only on an online profile and photographs when you take the job, you might never know if the employer is real or unreal. Moreover, it may be difficult to find if such a firm exists in the specified location and whether they would pay the remuneration as promised. On the other hand, as you will be actually meeting your clients at their organization in on-field jobs, it becomes easier to analyze them and decide whether they can be trusted. 

Pay scale

Online jobs do not have a fixed bracket of income, and it may vary depending on the amount of work done in a month. The on-field jobs come with a decided salary but have additional benefits like traveling expenses and health insurance. 

While every job has its own pros and cons, you must choose your field wisely as this is going to play a major role in your life. You can study the job requirements in detail to understand the kind of work you will be expected to do once you are hired by a company. To achieve correct work-life balance, you must decide on an option that you are truly passionate about and get the best out of you. 

7 Ingenious Ways You Can Do With Career Coaching For Students

The ample number of career options that are available today have created chaos in the minds of students. They are now aware of the different opportunities and are willing to take risks instead of going for traditional options. However, even if they are clear with the motive to do something different in their lives, they find themselves stuck right at the start. This happens because even if the goal is fixed, they have no idea where to begin. At this point, it is advised that the students seek help from a career coach. They not only help you identify your strengths but also assist you to take a proper decision.

A career coach is a trained professional who helps an individual make a right career choice. They make use of innovative techniques that aid their clients in making the correct decision.  Some methods used are -

Does a SWOT Analysis

The foremost step you must take as a career coach is persuading your client to do an SWOT Analysis test. It is useful in recognizing the individual's strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It can be used to map transferable strengths with the skills required for a particular career. Moreover, as the weak points are identified, the client can focus on improving in those areas with the help of training.

Makes use of The Rocking Chair Technique 

In this, the mentor helps clients to conjure up a picture of how they want their lives to be with the help of imagination. It is a simple writing exercise where clients have to imagine themselves as a ninety-year-old person and backtrack on their lives as to what they have achieved in all these years. It delves deeper with points such as what gratify them and what were the moments or accomplishments in their careers that they are truly proud of.

Performs a Psychometric Test

Psychometric Tests can be used as a platform to identify an individual's mental abilities and his/her overall behavioral personality. They convey characteristics and cognitive abilities of a person which can be then used to decide a specific career. These tests help to highlight the skills and interests of individuals and even find their inclination towards a particular profession.

Applies Guided Meditation

Deciding on a career is important as your entire life is going to be dependent on it. Therefore, one must be very conscious and calm while choosing it. Guided meditation is an effective tool which the coach can use to relax students and tell them to imagine where they want to be in the future. This can be done by giving instructions at regular intervals or with the help of  soothing music. It will not only remove the cluttered thoughts but also help them visualize their goals. Further, it will aid in getting answers to future questions.

Integrates career with mental health

Once the areas have been identified, the coach then must motivate students to do a complete research on the listed options. It will help them to understand the job role, responsibilities and even identify the stress levels involved in it. This can be used by students to analyze whether they will be able to deal with stressed work environments and give efficient output.

Helps to identify work values 

Figuring out what type of work values an individual wants to form an essential part of career coaching. For example, you may be spontaneous at your home but maintaining the same attitude at work might not be a good idea. Hence, prior to making a career choice, a career coach can  help you understand what work values are important to you based on your personality and how they might play a key role in shaping your career.

Encourages the client to go for new things 

A career adviser must motivate students to try new things. This can be done by encouraging them to take up fresh activities, telling them to enroll in various courses or convincing them to take up their favorite hobby again. Interactions with new people can alter their thought process and stimulate them to explore all options rather than sticking to just one.

Instead of judging a career merely on factors like growth, and future opportunities, taking help from a career coach to remove doubts concerning a particular career is a good idea for  students. These mentors along with their unique techniques are bound to clear their uncertainties and also guide them to achieve thriving success in their lives.

7 Steps That Guides How To Choose A Career

Opting for a particular career is a big decision as it is going to be an important part of your life. You will be spending maximum time in the office hours during week days, and hence it is necessary that you opt for a profession which you are truly passionate about and won't mind working in it for long. Choosing it  without considering its pros and cons can affect the routine of an individual and also have a negative impact on his/her life.

When you are ready to step in the professional world, it will take no time for you to realize the multitude of alternatives that are available today. It may also happen that you have no idea of who you want to be in your life and where you see yourselves a few years down the line. At this point, it is necessary that you follow certain steps that will help you find which career suits you the best. These steps are:

Self assessment is the key 

Before making a hasty decision, you should do a self-evaluation of your traits, skills and personality to identify where exactly your interests lies. You could make use of tools like aptitude tests, career tests or even consult mentors to find out which occupations  are the best fits for your personality.

Jot down the prospective occupations

Once you are done with your analysis, you will have a complete list of careers that can be pursued matching with your skill set. The list will help you move in the right direction. Further, you can also use it in case the thought of changing the job touches your mind.

Do a research 

Only preparing the list is not enough. The next step is to study each option properly and collect basic information about the noted careers. You should understand the required educational qualifications, tasks involved in the job, annual income and growth opportunities in that career. Try to acquire this information using the Internet or by contacting to professionals who work in that particular field.

Make your final list 

After a thorough analysis of the listed options, you will be crossing off most of the enlisted choices. You may find yourself striking the job fields that you do not find appealing or those careers where you do not satisfy requirements.

Go for an informational interview

After removing improper options, you will be having very few occupations present on your short list. Prior to making the final decision, a little more homework needs to be done. An excellent method to achieve this is by fixing informational interviews with a person who has excelled in that particular profession and have profound knowledge about the profession.  Apart from meeting the concerned people, you can also grow your network and reach out to groups related to your chosen field.

Prepare your career action plan 

Now that you have fixed the field, you should also decide short-term and long-term goals. Once you have formed  your goals, you need to write down the career action plan diligently. It should convey a road map to your  dreams and the steps you will take to achieve it by overcoming barriers and effectively using available resources.

Get the required training

To excel in any career, you should learn the skills associated with it. You might have to take a formal education in the respective field or polish your capabilities by doing short internships, vocational training or registering yourself for peculiar courses.

Selecting a career is a crucial phase in your life. Making the right decision can help you grow by leaps and bounds in your profession. Even if you have a gist of it and are searching for a concrete plan to materialize as your dreams, just follow the above steps and walk with pride in your road to success.