Dear Friends,
When the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 says, “while roughly 170 million new jobs could be created by 2030, about 92 million could disappear,” I was wondering what this really looks like. In fact, the report says it is a net growth, but it is uneven. I am further amused!
On deeper reading, it states, “Analytical thinking and problem-solving remain essential, but resilience, communication, and adaptability are catching up fast.” It also says AI isn’t coming — it’s already part of daily work. The report concludes that the human side of work — engagement, leadership, and trust — will be the real difference-maker.
Further, this year at the World Economic Forum 2026, Elon Musk predicted that robots would outnumber humans in an AI-driven economy.
I am closely monitoring where these trends will lead. Just two days ago, CBSE made the appointment of socio-emotional and career counsellors mandatory in all affiliated schools. It clearly states that mental health and career guidance are critical at the school level.
What does this mean?
Every CBSE school must appoint one regular Counselling and Wellness Teacher (socio-emotional counsellor) for every 500 students. Additionally, the appointment of a Career Counsellor is compulsory. The Counselling and Wellness Teacher must possess a graduate or postgraduate degree in Psychology, or a postgraduate degree in Social Work with specialization in mental health or counselling. The minimum qualification for a Career Counsellor is a graduate or postgraduate degree in Humanities, Science, Social Sciences, Management, Education, or Technology.
In India, there are around 27,000 CBSE schools. This means 50,000+ new jobs are created through this policy alone. If all schools across India implement a similar policy, then nearly 15 lakh schools would require close to 30 lakh counsellors! Now you can imagine how BA/BSc Psychology courses are in high demand.
Recently, the famous Prof. Bharat from Harvard University visited India and addressed the India Today Conclave. A reporter asked him: What courses are going to shape the future, and what is your ward studying? I was truly fascinated by his answer. He said the future will always be about creativity, psychology, critical thinking, etc. As far as I understood, he was not very keen on Computer Science. Please listen to him between 26–32 minutes in this video:
I echo him completely.
After listening to this, I strongly felt the need for a career counsellor in every school and college. Traditionally, we advise students to take CSE/ECE so they can get high-paying jobs and settle well. I have stopped saying this anymore.
The world is undergoing a major transition. In this phase, rather than blindly following package trends, we must follow the Heads-On, Hearts-On, Hands-On, and Heels-On framework, which I designed 15 years ago. When I promoted it back then, people listened but said it was too theoretical and lacked evidence.
Today, I am gaining confidence that it is no longer just theory — the future is clearly trending in this direction.
More about the framework and my earlier reflections:
https://shorturl.at/EZ5uO
https://shorturl.at/6wJAT
https://shorturl.at/xP6oM
Ravi Saripalle
No comments:
Post a Comment