Girls, plan your future! Helping students plan their future.

Guiding Lamps, a District 3230 Vocational Service initiative, recently held a workshop for career guidance at a city college in ­Chennai. The workshop focused on “What next? — an oft-asked question before we make a career choice,” says Rtn ­Vasanthi ­Ranganathan, District Chair – Career Guidance. “Dreams need to be big, but the steps we take to achieve them have to be small,” she told the 500-odd girls in the auditorium.

DG ISAK Nazar handed over the charter certificate to Charter President Nalini for the college’s ­Rotaract Club of Madras Silver Beach. “The installation of the Rotaract club is timely as your college steps into its 50th year,” he said. He congratulated the District vocational service team led by Chair Suchitra Sagar for organising an event to “exchange thoughts and help these students plan for a better future.”

“You can get bored by doing the same thing over and over again, but repetition makes you better,” said Vasanthi. Time and again she emphasised on “Me, It’s about me, I study for me, eat for me so why not plan a better future for me?”  She also listed out options to help them “explore, understand and plan the future.” Speaking on professional ethics she explained, “If I were a watchman, I wouldn’t accept a drink and let anybody into the campus. Every job has certain rules related to punctuality, honesty and integrity.”

Students exchanged their views on Bharati kanda ­pudhumai pen (Bharathiar’s vision of a modern woman) followed by a singing and painting competition on ‘Say No to Violence.’ “I would like to thank Rotary for making me realise that it’s about me,” said Sasi, a student. Another thanked her “for helping me think what next? I have big dreams, but the first thing that I will plan is my small steps.”

Sagar said, “When we were college students we did not have career guidance programmes. But today it’s different. You have the internet; you have various other programmes … Make sure you take full advantage of these sessions.”

“Shaping a child’s future is a great responsibility that we want teachers to understand”

Guiding Lamps has already addressed Corporation School teachers in Chennai. ­“Shaping a child’s future is a great ­possibility and responsibility. We want ­teachers to understand the ­importance of education and impart it to their students,” adds Vasanthi.