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What factors should define your career choices?

Students should choose streams that are concurrent with their personal goals and academic aptitude

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Life is full of opportunities, but which one is the best for you? Getting on the right path for a successful career is a challenging task for every student and parent. Ideally, hopes of what we want to be are instilled at an early age (think of kindergarden where teachers would ask you to write down what you want to be when you grow up). In addition, our peers and surroundings influence and encourage us to pick up interests to excel in.
However, with the evolving needs of global sectors, competition is on the rise and finding the thread to follow a desired programme could prove to be difficult.
"The job landscape and needs of almost every industry is changing. Students should not follow the most popular career path, but must select one based on personal goals and academic aptitudes," says Ambuj Khare, Founder and Managing Director, ProEd DMCC (University Admissions and Higher Education Services).
ProEd DMCC is an ISO 9001 certified organisation located in Dubai, licensed under Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), with an interest to serve students globally. The team, which is composed of education consultants seasoned in business, professional and higher education realms, helps students realise their educational dreams by bridging the gap between their goals in future, and finding the best way to get there.
It takes on a holistic approach to admissions, career counselling, studies abroad and education consulting. Boasting presence in most top schools in Dubai, the group has seen most of its clients get successfully admitted to their dream universities worldwide.
"Since ProEd's establishment in 2015, we have worked with students who gained admission to over 200 schools, with over $500,000 in scholarship offers, two Ivy League acceptances, and 11 Russell Group acceptances. Most students have attended a 'Top 50' school globally. All in all, we have had almost 95 per cent of our students admitted to the universities they had been aspiring for," he said.

ProEd also takes other concerns of the student, such as budget, family, geographical and vocational into consideration and delivers accordingly. Besides working with students in the UAE, ProEd also has clients in the US, Africa, Europe and India. 
"Our proven track record is due to our customised approach to consulting and guiding families, not just the student. In fact, this has been the cornerstone of our services, we believe that our guidance coupled with student's hard work and dedication can only reap good results if the family behind is convinced and supportive of their children's decision," said Khare.
The organisation serves students directly, and works with secondary schools and universities. At first, an initial one-on-one complimentary session with the family takes place to understand their needs, resources, to clarify their doubts and notions. Counsellors then meet the student to gain insight on his/her aspirations and educational goals, and map them to their inherent skills and aptitude through assessments and questionnaires.
- farhana@khaleejtimes.com

"Students should keep in mind future job prospects, market requirements and vision of changing world economy, besides their interests and aptitudes. Good grades in school, admission tests, entrance exams, etc. do hold a pre-requisite to your dream universities, but these are not the only consideration for university admission officers. It is imperative that aspiring students work towards sharpening co-curricular skills along with academic skills to have their profile shine out amongst thousands of applications." - Ambuj Khare, Founder and Managing Director, ProEd DMCC (University Admissions and Higher Education Services).

Other expert services offered are:

. University/application counselling: A one-on-one service to help students understand the requirements to apply to universities in the UAE and worldwide.
. Career counselling: Helps students to understand different career options based on assessment. It not only lays down information for the "Big 4" - Business, Law, Engineering and Medicine - but also highlights other careers in demand in the UAE and abroad.
. Psychometric testing: The group's CAP test helps students discover their strengths and weaknesses in academic and personal capacities, as well as potential areas of career aptitude.
. Out-of-house services: This includes working with universities and organisations to develop programmes to prepare students for university and career. It also provides services to secondary schools, with workshops and seminars on university applications, essay writing, as well as art and design.
- farhana@khaleejtimes.com