But what is the process, and how can one initiate it? The answer to this question could help parents and students become aware of certain attitudes and behavioural patterns that could be counter-productive in making the right career choice. The various blocks could be discussed at this stage:
Lack of information: A multitude of career options have opened up, but parents are not aware of them. Only careers like engineering, medicine, accountancy, are sought-after, and there is little information on careers in bio-technology, genetic engineering, food/oil technology, travel and tourism and some others. Hence, a career choice is made based on limited information which often leads to the wrong choice.

Peer influence: Often students get swayed by the decisions made by their friends for reasons like:
Not wanting to part company - ``If my friend opts for science, I will also choose science so that we can be together in the same college.''

`Idol Worship' - ``If my friend can opt for this career, so can I.'' He/she tries to ape someone who is considered superior and in doing so is getting some ``borrowed'' self-confidence.

Parental influence:
Confused parents get influenced by what their colleagues and friends discuss. They in turn, try and put subtle pressure on their children to opt for careers which their friends' children have opted for. The pressure stems from the misconception that certain careers will be best for their children as they seem like an easy route to money, prestige, status.

It also stems from the notion that parents know what's best for the child. No effort is made to find out the real capabilities and interest of the child. On the other hand some parent leave all the decisions to the child as they do not want to interfere in or influence the child's decision. Parents play a vital role in guiding the child to make the right decision.

Faulty ratings of careers:
Students rush into careers which they feel are glamourous even when they are not cut-out for these, in terms of aptitude and interest. The end result is stunted growth in these fields. They pay a high price in terms of time and money.

Ensuring the right career choice Parents' role:

From a very young age, parents should be sensitive to the child's natural inclinations. Some children like to draw, some like reading, others writing or dealing with machines and so on. Activities can be developed around these inclinations, the child then gets involved, and by the end of school life, he is clear about this field of study. The choice is discovered from within.

Experimental learning:
While studying for various subjects, certain topics grip the students' interest. More often, they jut overlook it and allow the interest or the `spark' to die down. If at that moment, the student can get more proactive, and do more research on that topic, then there could be total involvement with the subject matter. This could lead to a sense of inner direction -- a feeling that their lifetime could be spent in this kind of work. The work then becomes a vocation, not a profession.

Testing:
A career guidance test, which includes aptitude test, interest test and personality test, is extremely useful in assessing objectively and scientifically, the capacities, inclinations and personality parameters of a student. These scientific instruments impartially measure these factors so that the student's test profile is an actual reflection of what he or she really is. Aptitude test can ultimately validate or disqualify the career choice made by a student. Observation by parents and experimental learning, create the base and tests confirm or modify the direction.