Students from all over the world might have encountered the worry of career and future educational plans when completing of secondary or high school education. However, the traditional formal education syllabus with a fling of modern business scenarios cannot justify the growing demands of the younger generation worldwide.

Though the argument of machines replacing humans in corporate space is in quite a swing, the world has also witnessed a smooth transition from old manual jobs to automated and more intellect jobs. Old jobs being replaced by new ones have always been there, but due to the lack of awareness in the global employment sphere.

Introducing and guiding the younger generation to a prosperous career with a futuristic vision, Ms Devipriya, founded Sree Ramanujar Intellect Services, a prominent and well-known career counselling service provider from Pondicherry.

The Knowledge Review Magazine, in its venture to find the Best Career Counsellors, came across Ms Devipriya, and in an interactive conversation, she shared her inspirational story and the roadmap to lead students to have incredible careers.

Let’s dive into the unique and inspiring story of Ms Deviprya and Sree Ramanujar Intellect Services:

One of its kind Overseas Education Company

SRIS is a one of its kind overseas education company, established in Pondicherry, providing quality counselling for students from the age group of 12-21. SRIS, under the able guidance of Ms Devipriya, guides students to make the right career choices and have a high-quality education in Indian and Foreign universities.

An Experienced Journey to Remember

Talking about her career and how Ms Devipriya entered the counselling space, she says, “Having 10+ years experience in the education industry, have seen students really struggling hard to make the career choices. I used to work for TCS Subsidiary during my early career, and where I saw a lot of youngsters who were in IT jobs were dissatisfied with their job roles& responsibilities. I have also seen many quit their jobs and follow their passion for photography and cooking etc. Ideally, on the other hand, I have also seen candidates from different streams like mechanical and HR desperate to get into the IT field. This provoked my thought, and I realised that there is a big gap in the identification of the real strength during the early childhood of an individual.”

“I was also deployed as Marketing Supervisor from a Leading MNC managing a team from India, UAE & Africa. During this tenure, I really understood the traits and personalities of different nationals and their way of handling things and decision-making that made a person successful in their career. I decided to quit my corporate career and help students identify their career choices and help them progress themselves in the job market,” She further adds.

Today, as the founder and CEO of SRIS, Ms Devipriya has successfully counselled more than 5000 students. Being the only large education institute in Pondicherry, SRIS has predominately expanded its wings in reaching out to students from all over the world.

Simplifying the Way Ahead

SRIS’ Mission:

Making the way simple for students to find the correct direction towards their educational choices and assisting them towards a great career.

Talking about the mission, Ms Devipriya says, “With a team of experienced counsellors and guided expertise, we also make it easier for students to pursue education overseas and settle for better opportunities across the world.”

Prioritising Holistic Development Approach

The approach that SRIS has been unique and prioritising the holistic approach in pedagogies and counselling process, SRIS has successfully created a bridge between personal skills and career prospects of students.

Talking about the expected career outcomes of the students, Ms Devipriya says, “We aim at touching the lives of the student, and ultimately transforming the generations to come. Our strong belief is that young minds speak volumes, and they do need an overseer to assist them towards right decision making.”

My Way Programme: Student’s Introduction to New Age Careers

To help students explore different careers and help them choose the right one for them, SRIS has initiated a My Way Programme with a roadmap of the proper execution plan of action. My Way programme is an exclusive transformation programme for students which can help build a strong foundation for their skills.

Ms Devipriya asserts by saying, “ MY WAY is a life-changing programme with five elements of self-discovery, self-image, career mapping, goal setting and presentation: we assist to arrive to a roadmap to a successful future by exploring at least 50+ career options matching to their skillsets. We make them realise of the digital transformation and how they can add value to the growing demand in the industry.”

Differentiating MBA and PGDM, the Modern-Day Business Study Courses

Since the introduction of PGDM, many students have been confused about choosing the right course for their business studies. Differentiating them and explaining which one can be suitable for whom, Ms Devipriya says, “The first and basic difference between the two programs is that the MBA is a degree program whereas a PGDM is a diploma program. An MBA program is offered by a government or private university or a college affiliated with a university. Only the University Grants Commission (UGC) can award degrees. While A PGDM program is offered by AICTE recognised b-schools and standalone/autonomous b-schools, under the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD), which do not come under the UGC.”

Explaining what MBA is and how can one benefit from it, Ms Devipriya says, “MBAs from IIM in India are considered to be the most effective place to build knowledge in management. However, the selection process is very critical, and the lack of determination makes the students choose the programme from alternatives. The main objective of doing an MBA is to either build advanced knowledge in the 5 typical functions of Business and apply to perceive a strong organisational skill to get deployed in the key position in corporate companies {or} to start entrepreneurship and scale up a business in a productive manner. Also, now there are too many specialisations available for MBA such as MBA in Strategic Management, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Risk Management, International Business Management etc.”

Further explaining PGDM courses and the process of counselling, she further explains, “On the other hand, most candidates, after having relevant work experience, consider doing a PGDM to enhance their skills and upgrade themselves to a higher position in their hierarchy. Considering all these, the requirement is more important to understand how, where and what level of knowledge can be obtained and how can its value add to one’s career.”

Preparing Students for a Holistic Future

When asked about what and how the counsellor influences a student’s career decision, Ms Devipriya answered, “I am the sole pillar and shoulder all responsibility concerning the student’s career decision making. I counsel the students to plan higher education in foreign countries like UK, USA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, FRANCE AND GERMANY. Many students are unaware of which country will be an ideal location to build international career prospects. Firstly our engagement with the student on helping them get a clear picture of different options and their opportunities give a deeper understanding for the student to rightly chose. Moreover, we help the parents on preparing the funds required for the whole process.”

The 3-Step Framework

While the students prepare for their venture to study at some of the world’s best institutions, SRIS has developed a 3 step framework program which helps them to have a comfortable life abroad.

• Part-time Jobs: Different avenues of part times jobs are available as direct applications, online applications, University jobs, and many more. SRIS’s engagement in this area will give no clue about experimenting and failing in the foreign land. It also eventually helps students make extra money with their available time to manage studies and part-time jobs together.
• Internships: Internships provide an opportunity for international students to directly get deployed with the employer and prove their skill set which will enable 100% jobs in the future. Getting an internship is a very challenging task as there are a series of rounds of the process to shortlist the right candidate. However, when our student knows how to build the profile, how to approach etc. gives them a great advantage of getting selected in the first place. The personal branding sessions, which include emotional intelligence, self-esteem, and LinkedIn profile preparation, give the student a holistic way to deal with the Internships.
• Job Search: Job prospects to help them maximise their income 10X folds.

“Almost all the countries are giving students a stay back option for 2- or 3-years post-study to help them meet the skilled employment category. IF this is achieved, it’s the biggest value add for the student’s career, as well as the best saves for their educational investment. So, we help figure out top companies and their job prospects while they are in India in such a way that from day one the students aim to be skilled and covert their student visas to work permit visas. Also, coming back to India is suggested as the best plan and help them understand the high paying careers and companies, which can they be the biggest honour to their home country,” she further adds.

Envisioning the Future of SRIS

“I feel obligated to make a difference in the lives of this young generation by initially reaching out to small groups, to society and to the nation. Our personal vision is to touch the lives of 1,00,000+ students within the next 5 years, so we empower a very strong student community. Eventually to become the top career counsellors in India which will be very high growth to the company and the personal vision,” explains Ms Devipriya.

An Advice to the Future Counsellors

Advising the aspirants entering the field of career counselling, Ms Devipriya advises, “It’s a very huge responsibility of a career counsellor to shape and help build a successful path for a student. Learning will be an eternal process, and those who continuously wish and strive for knowledge will alone be considered to be effective career counsellors. Moreover, the student engagement is just not about jobs and satisfactions alone, but emotional inspiration is required as many times more than counselling, the extra push and motivation to help a student realise their potentials are very significant.”