Imagine the career you love, and work backwards: Career guidance counselor Dr Sonia Kapoor

What do you want to be is no longer a simple question says Dr Sonia Kapoor Soni head career guidance counselor international faculty and psychology faculty at Tardeorsquos Aditya Birla World Academy Robotics to help with assisted animal care was the ambitious answer she recently received to that questionCareer guidance counselorDr Sonia Kapoor SoniThe exposure the school offers its students ends up acquainting them with a universe of careers early on ldquoWe have celebrated tennis players Boris Becker and Steffi Graf come and speak to the studentsrdquo she says of the institution that offers both International Baccalaureate and A levelsAnd early is good To start pondering career choices as early as Class 8 Soni the schoolrsquos chairperson Neerja Birla and principal Radhika Sinha donrsquot consider premature They are interested and involved in every childrsquos career not just education says Soni And with their students landing placements in top universities the team knows they are on the right track In edited excerpts from an interview Soni slips into the shoes of international university stalwarts to discuss what goes on in the minds of those who decide a studentrsquos destinyWhen should a student start working on their university applicationI would say Grade 8 First we ask them to imagine what career they see themselves pursuing and then work backwards Which subject will help you get there and what college to study it at are the next steps Itrsquos not necessary that you look at universities abroad There are good universities in India too Whatrsquos important is to derive focusDoes taking a gap year which is a popular trend hamper your prospect of landing a seat at universityThe perception of the gap year has changed Whatrsquos important is how a student spends the year Those whose applications become stronger after having taken a gap year are those who are academically strong anyway They take on various internships to enrich their journey This is what universities are looking for They wish to know how students will eventually enrich the communities they are inHow important is an internshipA summer internship can change your perspective on a career For instance one student would tell us that art and colour was her life She wanted to be an artist But after interning at a studio she realised she was curious about the market and selling art So she ended up joining a management courseHow does a student ensure she picks the right universityThe choice determines your path to the right job right career right environment even the right partner Which is why you need to spend time weighing possibilities and seeing where you fit bestIn India parents spend as much as 70 per cent of their income on their kidsrsquo education But when a student spends four years at university we need to ask ourselves will she be happy there What does a university look for in the statement of purpose SOPThey want to see more of you in the SOP This is especially true of universities in the US and UK Which is why I say lsquodo it yourselfrsquo Donrsquot hire someone to do it Even in our school we get students to work on the SOP independently We may help them improve upon it but they must write itAny specific placements that you would want to highlightAt Aditya Birla we celebrate each and every placement if we believe itrsquos a perfect match between the studentsrsquo aspirations and career prospects ahead A budding chef at Les Rochees to a musician at Berklee an entrepreneur at NYU Stern CITY UCL UCLA and University of Chicago an ambitious researcher at Brown and Imperial an aspiring engineer at Georgia Tech and Birmingham And management at UBC Warwick and USC mdash we celebrate it all