"Pursue a career you have the aptitude & passion for and you will never have to work a day in your life". Being a psychologist, my profession brings me in constant interaction with students and their parents. Sometimes it's to discuss the temporary issues that students want to seek professional help for, whereas other times it's for making the right career decisions.Yes, I call it a career decision and not a choice because as I met more students, I realised many of them are sandwiched between parents wanting them to excel in everything they do and have a career that pays them well. Young students have thus started believing that a successful career is all about the highest paid jobs or trendsetters. But really is a success only determined by a well-paid job?Students need to be helped to understand that they might have a strong liking towards certain professions because of the perks it offers but they might not necessarily have the aptitude for the same.An incorrect career decision based on just liking or well-paid salary might lead to job dissatisfaction later in their careers. Job dissatisfaction might then affect the other areas of life. Lately, career assessment is a mandate in most schools. It assesses 4 different areas: IQInterestAptitudePersonality These together determine the options that students can explore to pursue as careers. In schools usually, there is a brief orientation regarding the assessment process and its importance to the parent-child team in the group for students of higher grades. followed by group testing which approximately lasts for a day or two. Once the reports are generated each student-parent team gets a brief time with the psychologist to get the report and the top career options explained Q&A is also a part of this session. A quick peep into the career assessment process for the individuals’ consultation with the parents/caregivers. Followed by the actual process of assessment which lasts for approx 5 to 6 hours. After the report is generated by the psychologist, an explanation of the same is carried out in a brief time with the Parent-child team. Just like cautious parents, you would watch the trailer of the movie first before you let them choose to go watch the movie. Opt for a career assessment to learn their potential in various streams. Everyone is born with a different set of abilities, intellectual capacities, aptitude and skill set. Be mindful of their career decision, so that they do not end up only in the highest-paid job but a career that fulfils their professional goals. A career that they can stick to for most of their life in a satisfactory manner, without having to compromise their professional desires. Remember to get an assessment done by contacting a psychologist be it before choosing a career or when one is wanting to switch a career at any stage in their professional cycle. Carpediem would like to acknowledge the use of Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash