Interest means to make a difference; it describes why the organism tends to favour some situations and thus comes to react to them in very selective manners. The intelligence and aptitude are unable to predict educational and vocational success without considering the individuals interests which is one of the key factors among the non- intellectual factors. An interest is a tendency to make consistent choices in a certain direction without external pressure and in the face of alternatives i.e. it selects certain others. It means teachers; educational administrators and guidance workers should have a close watch on the student’s interest from the beginning of the life of the individual. Educational Interest- Educational interest is intimately related to child’s acquisition of knowledge, understanding, and skills which actually forms the basis for his educational choice. Educational interest plays a very significant role in educational guidance. A faculty or staff member has a legitimate educational interest in accessing or reviewing a student’s educational record. If the faculty or staff member is performing a task that is specified in his/her position description or contract, performing a service or benefit related to the student or student’s family. In educational psychology, the concept of educational interest is interpreted as a content specific motivational variable that can be investigated and theoretically constructed. An important analysis lies in the manifold interrelations between educational interest, learning, and human development. There are many students who pass the examination, yet they fail to achieve as much as they could have in terms of their ability. Many parents and teachers have the concept that the failing students lack intelligence but the fact is that failing students have sufficient intelligence but they are unable to reach the desired level of success due to certain non-cognitive factors such as educational interest, self-concept, family climate, personality makeup and adjustment. DIMENSIONS OF EDUCATIONAL INTEREST a) Agriculture : The agriculture interest area includes the subjects and activities like-reforms in villages, study of Manures, Animal Husbandry, Farming, Fruit Preservation, Dairying, Agriculture Extension, Veterinary Sciences, Rural Sociology Agriculture Botany etc. b) Commerce : Commerce area has been covered through elements of Commerce, Transport Principles, Typing, Commercial Mathematics, Business Correspondence, Short Hand, Accountancy, Banking, Shop-Management, Insurance and Foreign Trade etc. c) Fine Arts: Fine Arts area of interest is represented by the subjects/activities like sculptures, Music, Songs, Toy making, Woodcraft, Art, Drawing and Painting, Art of Decoration, Dance, etc. d) Home Science: Home Science area is covered through the subjects of General Home Science, Preparation of Home Budget, Hygiene, Cooking, Home Management, Home Decoration, Sewing, Embroidery, Knitting, Child Care and Musical Dances, etc. e) Humanities: Humanities area of interest is represented by the subjects like Hindi, Logic, History, Geography, Economics, English Literature, Anthropology, Philosophy, Sociology, Education, Psychology and Civics, etc. f) Science: Science area includes the subjects like Chemistry, Physics, Zoology, Botany, Geology, Meteorology, Science of Atoms, Mathematics, Surgery, Science of Health, Physiology, General Science, etc. g) Technology: Technology field of interest is represented by the subjects/activities like Fitters job, Electrical, Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Welding, Engineering-Drawing, Radio/TV Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Indian Technology,General Technology, Science of Maths etc. MEANING OF COUNSELLING Counselling is a specialized service of guidance and it is an enabling process designed to help through learning to take responsibility and to make decision for himself/herself. ‘Counselling’ denotes, “Giving of advice” Current Scenarios of Career Counselling in Schools Today, India has significantly one of the largest student populations in the world. The approximate figures of students might reach up to a massive mark of 300 million. There are abundant career opportunities present today that need a specific set of skills and dedication. However, many Indian parents or students find it hard to choose anything else but the conventional career paths like engineering and medicine. It deprives the potential candidates of having the opportunity to establish a brilliant career in some other field, where they would have been an excellent fit. The fact that many engineers go unemployed and the medical field has too many poor professionals, isn’t a secret anymore. It is because tons of low-quality students are graduating in these fields. Who knows, if they could have done way better in a different course? This mainly happens due to the lack of professional guidance. The students need to realize their capabilities and make decisions accordingly. That is where career counselling is important. How Career Counselling is Helpful for School Students Every school student needs career counselling irrespective of their school name or location. There was a time when people opted for career counselling only before getting into a professional world. However, as time has changed, people can realize how counselling at an early stage can be helpful and suggest better ways to plan career growth. Career counselling is vital for school students especially for the ones of higher grades who are on the verge of choosing a new stream or specialization. It helps them choose the stream based on their interest and capability. Surveys state, there are many instances where lack of correct guidance has de motivated the student causing them to leave their streams halfway. It is nothing but a complete waste of time. Let us explore how useful is career counselling for school students and how it helps them in significant ways: 1. Making a Firm Decision: Career counselling sessions take the students through different topics, explaining the pros and cons of different streams and subjects. The students will get to understand how things can turn out for them in the future. For example, an aspirant might be very good in science and wants to pursue a career in architecture. He might feel being an exceptional science student is everything and there’s very little to do withdrawing. However, this is certainly a misconception. Career counselling aids various such misunderstandings among the students, giving them a prompt reality picture. Henceforth, they can make firm decisions. 2. Ensuring Job Satisfaction: Choosing the path of your choice and investing time in your favourite job is satisfying. If you are engaged with something that you hardly enjoy, you can’t have a fulfilling career, I’m afraid. That’s why career counselling for school students is crucial as it helps them figure out their capabilities and move forward accordingly. 3. Making the Right Use of Your Abilities: Career counselling will help you analyze your core strengths and utilize the talent in the right place. Like for a person, who has supreme command over English, teaching might not be the only fit for him. There will be various other opportunities too, that he can explore. How to Find a Career Counsellor for School Students? A career counsellor is someone who will take the student through a series of events and explanations that will help him understand his capabilities and interest. Eventually, he will be able to make a firm career decision. Now, comes an interesting question. How to find quality counsellors who will help you or your children to understand the self-capabilities and get ahead accordingly. Before looking for a career counsellor or coach, make sure to note a few things. 1. Always do a proper background check of the counsellor you are choosing. By no way do I mean to demean anyone here, but the fact is the scam rate has increased considerably over the last few years in every sector. Therefore make sure you do a thorough background check before fixing an appointment with the person concerned. 2. You must be sure of the timing as to when taking the counselling session will be helpful. Career counselling for school students is usually recommended for higher grades since they have the upcoming thing of selecting a particular stream. A session right on time will be significant as it helps the candidate choose their respective specializations accordingly. 3. Whether you are the student or the parent, one thing is mandatory while undergoing a counselling session. Its patience. Yes! Yielding fruitful results takes time and you have to be very patient throughout the procedure. A little deviation from the track or slight miss concentration might be responsible for ruining the entire thing. Now comes the question of finding career counsellors for school students. There is a list of common ways that you can try out to reach a qualified professional. However, cross-checking every piece of information is mandatory, as discussed in the points above. 4. Reach out to Friends or Acquaintances: A popular method of getting in touch with qualified counsellors is through common connections. You can reach out to a friend, relative, or acquaintance who has sought these services before and get the name of the counsellor. 5. Social Media: In this digital world, the best way to collect information or track anything is through social media. You can browse over several names from popular sites like LinkedIn, Face book or Instagram and get references for many eminent professionals. Students spend their maximum time in schools. Yes, the post-pandemic scenario has been different due to the emergence of e-learning classes. But there’s no denying the fact that students spend a considerable time in association with their school through online classes. Therefore counselling in schools isn’t a luxury, a need rather. It is the perfect way to shape the future world, helping the candidates to move ahead with ambition. Career Counselling is nothing but assisting the students in ‘self-realization’ and ‘self-discovery’ that aid them in choosing a life filled with purpose.