Continuing our quest to bring you real-life career coaching success stories that Mindler had the honour of igniting, we bring you an interview with three enterprising ladies. They bonded over the course of the ICCC Advanced Program and went on to found their own coaching company called At First Page.
Read on to discover the experiences of Dr. Anuradha Roy, Tina Bhanot, and Aparna Chaturvedi with the ICCC Program and the Mindler Partner Portal. This multipart interview is filled with rich personal insights, light-hearted camaraderie, profound counselling stories, and a three-pronged perspective that anyone interested in the domain of career coaching would do well to heed.
Q – Why don’t we start with a brief introduction of your background and how you found the world of career coaching?
Tina: I started as a teacher, and then was a principal for two schools in India and Bhutan – about 23 years of teaching experience. When I started training teachers in different areas of education, they would ask me to counsel their students. I always told them that I was not a trained counsellor. That got me thinking, why not become a certified career counsellor?
I compared 3-4 platforms and decided Mindler was the best for me. I went through the website, read the blogs and the reviews by attendees and it solidified my choice. That was the start of my career counselling journey. I attended the ICCC Foundation, Advanced, Master, and Overseas Program.
Aparna: I had an IT background and I was in the field for 15 years. I had zero background or experience in education. When my daughter ended up in a premium institute and a course that was not appealing to her, my husband and I were introduced to the concept of career counselling. We did a little exploration and came across Mindler.
After reading Mindler’s reviews, and seeing how beneficial career counselling was for my children, I was very fascinated by the idea of it as my profession. Realizing that Mindler had its own Program to become a career coach made me want to try it out. The Foundation Program was the ideal first step to try and understand the career coaching scenario before making a decision.
Initially, I had a little trepidation about attending the Foundation course which was from 9 am to 5 pm! I thought I’d attend an hour or two, but I ended up being hooked throughout the duration of both days. I was taken in by the whole idea of it and felt it was my calling.
Anuradha: Having taught for almost 30-35 years and then serving as principal of a leading college in Bangalore, one of my passions was guiding my students to find the correct careers. In the 90s, when career counselling and placements had yet to find their feet, I took the initiative to start the Placement Cell in my college.
I realized that my most memorable moments as a teacher were when I was able to guide my students properly, and see them happy and settled in good jobs. At an alumni meet in our college, a girl once approached me and hugged me. She said, “Ma’am, I’m working in JP Morgan and I got it because of you.” Now of course, she didn’t get it because of me but because of the system of guidance that we had worked so hard to put in place. These moments have been very touching and important highlights for me as a teacher.
During the pandemic, I was looking at things to do and got an email about the ICCC Foundation Program. I thought since career guidance was something I had always been interested in, and I was retired, I had nothing to lose. Just as Aparna said, I was hooked on. The sessions were intense but we enjoyed them. The whole thing came alive and I could continue my contact with young people – something I had started sorely missing.
Q. Could you tell us a little more about how you came across Mindler? When you were researching multiple avenues, what made it stand out compared to the competition?
Tina: All your live webinars and coaching were incredibly impressive, with the coaches and guides connecting with us on a daily basis. Their promptness to resolve our doubts really stood out. Every other place I went to had pre-recorded webinars and classes that didn’t interest me; whereas Mindler was giving us a live and interactive experience. That was the main reason for me to pick this platform.
Q. What was your experience with the ICCC Foundation Program?
Tina: The Foundation was like a warm-up session; a summary of what we were going to go through, with all the coaches introducing different segments of career counselling. It was very streamlined, well thought out, and immaculately designed. We were given an overview of what to expect, the level of research involved, and the universities and colleges existing in India. It was an eye-opener for us, knowing that there was so much to do. That was the beauty of the Foundation Program – to take us on a guided tour and introduce us to every aspect of this beautiful journey called career coaching.
Anuradha: The Foundation Program triggered our interest. Before this, “Psychometric Assessment” was just a name for us. We really had no idea about how complex and accurate it could be. It was touching on so many areas and was very engaging. We were excited about learning more, and I think that is the purpose of the Foundation Program.
Part I of the Interview ends here.
If you also want to explore the career coaching landscape and become a career coach to assist thousands of students to find their true calling and build a successful career, start your journey with the ICCC Program today.
International Certified Career Coach (ICCC) is a 3-tier certification program brought to you by Mindler in collaboration with NCDA (USA) and CDA (USA).
You can read Part II here.
