How can Students plan their Career Post-Covid | Dr. Seema Dutt |

Pitfalls for students to avoid when deciding on a career:
1. Choosing the same career as that of your parents or one that they want you to choose: Granted that parents always want your best. That however does not mean that the career that worked best for them, will also work for you. The economy has changed, business has changed, options have increased, choosing a career should be a personal choice. One that plays to your strengths and to your interests.
2. Choosing the first job that you get: Day one during campus placements are a big deal for students, often day one companies are the most coveted on campus. Just because they work for the majority of the students, does not mean that the companies work for you too. Along with the role being offered, it is important to consider whether or not the culture of the firm fits in with your personal values.
3. Choosing a job that has the best title: The younger we are, the more lured we are by big titles, students want to be vice presidents as soon as they start working. Most organizations are however moving to flatter structures, where a manager would have more than 15 years of experience and one would not expect to make a vice president before 20 years. On the other, even if you do get the title of a vice president, you will probably still be doing entry level work that is suitable for your experience levels.
4. Choosing a job based on compensation: This one is probably the toughest pitfall to avoid. The key is to remember that if the role that you are choosing, does not interest you, or does not play to your strengths, you will likely not do well in it. That will lead to getting branded as a non-performer, very early in your career. That is not a tag that you want or one that you can get out of, very easily. You may also find yourself bound by ‘golden handcuffs”, where your high salary does not permit you to take another lower paying job, even though you may realize that the lower paying job is better for you.
Finally, a word of caution. It is not enough to just choose the right career. Making the right career work for you, takes effort. A lot of us believe that once we land the dream job, we can take it easy. Making a true success of your career takes continuous learning.