Plan Ahead: Parents of Children in Class XII

Over the years, I have come across parents who fall into few categories. First ones are very serious about giving their kids the best education and they plan everything well. Second are parents who trust their kids’ choices and support them what ever it may be. Third are parents who believe that their kids will find a way for themselves. All of these parents have had immense success and few failures. But the one that I feel very sad about, fall in the fourth category; Parents who wake up too late to find the horse has already bolted from the stable and then try to latch it. I am addressing the fourth category, in particular.

As a Career Counselor speaking and interacting with hundreds of kids and double that number of parents, I still find there exists this fourth group of parents who wait till their kids complete their Class XII to decide their future. They do not realize by that time; a whole lot of options have already foreclosed for them because the applications and exams for many streams have already got over halfway through the Class XII.

The applications commence as early as July while your children have just entered Class XII. Yes, you heard that right. The first exam in Class XII for which a child is eligible is KVPY Exam for entry to the IISC. Application opens in July and exam is written in November. UPSC NDA & NAVAC Exam, application closes by September and the written exam is in November. The IIT JEE first exam is in December and all Design Exams like UCEED, NID, NIFT etc. get conducted in January for which the application closes by November of the previous year. Even The Film and Television Institute of India application closes in February, so is the case with the English & Foreign Language University entrance Exam. So, unless the parent and the child get the clarity of what they need to do, they may be trifle too late to decide and might even have to forego a year to get the career of their choice. Parents, please realize that the preparation for a good future starts with selecting the right Stream after Class X. That is the start point. It also gives children time to prepare for Competitive Exams in Class XII.

Many such cases are coming to me and it makes me feel sad. I wish they had come a few months before so that the child can usefully utilize the many options with them and get the time to prepare for the same. I still remember one child last year whose final counseling session was done on the day the Design exam UCEED application was closing. Obviously, the child did not make it in the exam because she hardly had any preparation time even though she would have done fantastically well in that, had she prepared. This year the numbers are higher, of the parents who came after Class XII results. What a wasted opportunity. Nevertheless they still found it helpful.

In my series of blogs, I have repeatedly insisted that you should take a call for the right career pathway immediately after Class X Exam or earlier so that the child can get clear 2 years to prepare for the competitive exams along with their Class XII exams. Otherwise taking a drop year is the only option left for the children and parents who do not plan well ahead.

Do get your child counseled early so that they have the clarity to pick and choose their best suited career paths. Please contact counselors near you or write to me at sajan (at) renergetics.com to find a career counselor who has been trained and certified by one of India’s leading psychologist, Dr. Chinu Agrawal, PhD, Director of Feeling Minds.

Thousands of kids have benefited, Why not yours? Think, Plan, Act!