Reena Sharma, a bright Class 10 student from Lucknow, is at a crucial turning point, trying to figure out her next steps. Even after scoring an impressive 90% in her exams, she’s torn between two paths—her love for Biology and her flair for English Literature. Feeling confused and a bit overwhelmed, she turns to ChatGPT for guidance on this big decision.Surprised? She’s not alone to seek advice from AI. A recent survey shows that 85% of school students worldwide now prefer turning to artificial intelligence over traditional counselors or mentors when it comes to making career choices.
The survey, 2024 Annual Student Quest Survey conducted by IC3 Institute and FLAME University underscores the emerging trends and reliance of students on artificial intelligence for evaluating career choices. The IC3 Institute is a volunteer-driven organization dedicated to assisting high schools globally by offering guidance and training resources for administrators, teachers, and counselors. FLAME University is a private, coeducational institution offering a fully residential liberal education, situated in Pune, India.
2024 Annual Student Quest Survey: Key insights
The report has gathered inputs from over 2,200 students in grades 9 to 12 and 35,656 counselors across 56 countries. It mentions that over 85 percent of students are utilising AI tools like ChatGPT for career guidance. In India, 62 percent of counsellors are using AI tools in their work.
Take a look at the key insights of the 2024 Annual Student Quest Survey report:
- Over 85% of students are using AI tools, such as ChatGPT, for career assistance, while 40% have never consulted a career counselor, revealing gaps in traditional counseling practices.
- In India, 62% of counsellors are incorporating AI into their work, with 74% believing it enhances and automates the counselling process, and 73% reporting reduced workloads, particularly with administrative tasks.
- 83% of students have access to AI resources for tasks like essay writing and university research, suggesting a shift towards technology-driven support.
- The report identifies ages 12 to 14 as critical for initiating career discussions, yet 40% of students still lack interaction with counsellors, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive school counseling programmes.
- 8% of Indian students have opted for some form of counselling service, while 25% do not and 7% lack structured support, pointing to significant access issues.
- Concerns about lengthy application processes and insufficient personalised feedback were reported by 48% and 38% of students, respectively, indicating the need for more efficient, student-centered application procedures.
- Counsellors in India face challenges including managing parental expectations (26%), lack of student planning (24%), high student-to-counsellor ratios (18%), and inadequate technical training (16%).
- 67% of Indian counsellors have additional responsibilities like teaching, which may restrict their ability to provide focused counselling services.
- The survey underscores the importance of parents in shaping career paths, with 73% of students starting career conversations with parents between ages 10 and 14.
PTI reported Ganesh Kohli, founder of IC3 Movement saying, “The findings highlight the need for counselling in every school to help students gain clarity on their academic and career paths, ultimately reducing stress and anxiety. By integrating structured career counselling services, personalized guidance, and the use of technology, we can better support students in navigating their educational and professional journeys, promoting both their personal growth and long-term success,”.
Can AI be your ideal career counsellor?
A recent report by the World Economic Forum, titled Shaping the Future of Learning: The Role of AI in Education 4.0, released in 2024, delves into the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in the education sector. The study explores how AI can revolutionize the way educators teach and students learn by offering personalized learning experiences, automating administrative tasks, and much more. The report emphasizes that if harnessed responsibly, AI could bring about a new era in education, one where learning is more efficient, engaging, and tailored to the individual needs of each student. However, it also raises critical considerations about the role AI should play in education.
As AI becomes increasingly integrated into our daily lives, especially in fields that require nuanced decision-making, a crucial question arises: Can AI genuinely replicate the empathy, understanding, and context-awareness that human judgment provides? This concern is particularly relevant when it comes to significant decisions like career counseling, where the stakes are high, and a wrong choice can affect a student’s future. Here is a look and the pros and cons of resorting to AI for career guidance.
Benefits of using AI for career counselling
AI in career counseling offers personalized guidance by analyzing students’ strengths, interests, and market trends. It provides real-time, data-driven insights, increasing accessibility and efficiency, especially for those in remote areas, ensuring tailored career paths that match individual skills and aspirations.
24/7 Accessibility: AI does not sleep or rest, hence this counsellor would be available around the clock providing instant access to guidance and resources. This is particularly beneficial for individuals who may need assistance outside of traditional counseling hours.
Personalized Recommendations: AI can analyse the data and preferences and then offer customised career advice. By effectively measuring skills, interests, and market trends, AI can suggest career paths that align closely with an individual’s profile.
Data-Driven Insights: AI tools leverage vast amounts of data to provide insights into job market trends, salary expectations, and skills in demand. This data-driven approach can help users make informed decisions about their career paths.
Cost-Effectiveness: Many AI career counseling platforms are less expensive than traditional counseling services, making them accessible to a broader audience. This affordability can democratize career guidance, especially for students from diverse economic backgrounds.
Reduction of Bias: Since AI lacks human perceptions and stereotypes it can mitigate personal biases that may influence human counsellors. By depending on data, artificial intelligence may help ensure that recommendations are based on merit rather than subjective opinions.
Cons of choosing AI over human counsellors
While the benefits have to be factored in, it cannot be denied that choosing AI over human counselors can lead to a lack of emotional understanding, as AI cannot grasp personal nuances like empathy and motivation. It may also introduce biases, privacy concerns, and over-reliance on technology, overlooking the value of personalized human mentorship.
Lack of Emotional Intelligence: No matter, artificial intelligence has made a mark in every domain, what still cannot be exhibited by its algorithms is human intelligence. It is not equipped to comprehend and respond to emotional cues, a much-needed factor in career counselling. Deciding your career is not blatantly weighing career prospects and forte, it involves measuring feasibility according to your demographics, background, and various other factors. To rightly evaluate all of these factors, counsellors need to put themselves in the shoes of students to provide them with apt guidance, and hence the need for emotional intelligence cannot be overstated.
Narrow Scope of Advice: AI algorithms are the backbone of these tools and it analyses data patterns. This can lead to recommendations that are overly generalized, missing the complexities of individual career paths, such as unique experiences, passions, or long-term goals.
Inadequate Guidance on Soft Skills: Career success hugely depends on soft skills like communication, teamwork, and adaptability. AI can assess you on the basis of your technical prowess and hard skills, overlooking the significance of soft skills in deciding the path of your career.
Dependence on Data Quality: The effectiveness of AI career counseling is heavily reliant on the quality of the data it processes. If the underlying data is outdated, biased, or incomplete, the recommendations generated by the AI may be misleading or unhelpful.
Limited Adaptability: While AI excels in analysing trends and patterns, it may struggle to adapt to the fluctuations and changing scenarios of the job market. Economic shifts, emerging industries, and personal life events require a level of adaptability that AI may not provide.
Regardless of where you stand in the debate between AI and human intelligence, striking the right chord of balance between the two is crucial. In the age of artificial intelligence, AI literacy and leveraging it in education and job search is more important than ever. However, over-reliance on these technologies can backfire. By effectively weighing pros and cons it is high time that we draw a line.
