42% students are reconsidering their career choices amid the COVID-19 outbreak, says Mindler survey report
New Delhi: As per a research report published by Mindler, a comprehensive career guidance & mapping platform used by both students & career coaches/ counsellors, COVID -19 will establish a new normal for the higher education sector and will further revolutionise the online education landscape. The objective of the research was to understand the implications of COVID-19 on the student career choices, challenges faced by students and viability of studying abroad
As per the key findings of the report, 63% students feel that their initial career plans have been badly hit due to COVID-19, while 42% students feel that they have been forced to reconsider their preferred career choices and are thinking of having a backup plan now. The ongoing pandemic has further triggered scepticism about travelling overseas. As per the analysis of the report, 78% of students who were originally planning on studying at an overseas university are now likely to change their higher education plans.
The survey report further reveals that in order to make most of the time to improve their skills and learn a new one, 42% of the students have opted for online certification courses, whereas 47% of the students are utilising this time to prepare for their entrance exams. The report also stresses on the fact that students are more concerned about how to pick a safe and promising career choice and, expressed their interest in having access to a career guidance helpline during these testing times. The research also dives into student voice on having the admission process through virtual channels.
Talking about the survey report, Mr. Prateek Bhargava, Founder and CEO, Mindler, said, “In these unprecedented and uncertain times, student have been more restless than ever. The objective of this survey was to highlight their challenges and how we can help them utilise this period in the best way possible. While the ongoing crisis will have a long lasting impact on every sector, for students and online education platforms, the need of the hour is to give them the right direction so that their career plans are not disrupted. The end goal for all stakeholders would be to make sure that the learning process continues.”
In the research, it was not surprising to learn that over 57% of the students said that dealing with confusion & uncertainty regarding their education plans was one of their biggest challenges during these testing times. Procrastination and time management were amongst the other leading challenges being faced by students.
With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting student’s career plans, the research highlighted that careers like Medicine, Life Sciences & Allied Medicines were amongst the top 15 careers which students were looking at pursuing. Top 5 careers being preferred by students include Business Management, Computer Application & IT, Entrepreneurship, Medicine & Design. The survey was attempted by over 45000+ students with 56% of the students being girls and 44% boys.