Recently, while jogging in the evening at a park in Dwarka, I struck up a conversation with an 8th-grade student from a nearby Delhi government school. That day, he had just finished his English exam, and given my interest in children’s career guidance, I asked him how his exams were going. As we talked, I asked the all-important question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” His answer was simple but uncertain — he didn’t know.

So I probed further: “What are you interested in? What excites you?” His face lit up as he shared his love for bikes. He told me how much he wished he had one and how much he enjoyed the idea of riding. That’s when I asked a follow-up question, hoping to guide his thoughts: “How do you think you could turn your love for bikes into a career?” His response was heartbreaking — he said he would love to ride Rapido bikes.

This response speaks volumes about the limited exposure and awareness children from economically weaker sections (EWS) often face. This child’s father works as a watchman in an apartment complex in the Dwarka area, and the child’s aspirations seem shaped by his immediate environment and what he sees around him. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated observation. Over the past 1.5 years, I’ve had several conversations like this, and they all point to the same underlying issue — a lack of career awareness and guidance.

Government schools, especially, need to integrate career counselling and guidance as a standard part of their curriculum. Children need the opportunity to explore their interests, understand their strengths, and dream beyond their immediate surroundings. They need to know about the wide array of career options available to them and the steps they can take to achieve those dreams.

This is where Career-9 steps in. Career-9, through its 6-dimension framework — Interest, Knowledge, Values, Ability, Career Personality, and Intelligence — provides students with a holistic understanding of their potential. It helps link their passions with viable career paths, offering not just a list of options but a roadmap tailored to their individual profiles. For students like the boy I spoke to, this kind of structured guidance can be life-changing.

By nurturing aspirations and aligning them with strengths and opportunities, we can help children from all backgrounds dream bigger and reach higher. Career-9 aims to do exactly that — because every child deserves a future shaped by possibilities, not limitations.

This idea is rooted in texts like the Bhagavad Gita, which emphasize that a person’s purpose aligns with their inherent nature and the work they do. Imagine a world where people’s professions were driven by what they excel at and what they love — where teachers taught because they were natural guides, leaders ruled because they had the wisdom and courage to serve, and creators built because they were driven by passion and innovation.

This ancient wisdom isn’t just a romanticized ideal — it’s a framework that makes complete sense even today. When people align their work with their natural abilities and inner motivations, they thrive. They find fulfillment, perform better, and contribute more meaningfully to society.

At Career-9, we bring this principle into the modern world. Through our Navigator360 assessment, we help students discover their unique combination of interests, knowledge, values, abilities, personality, and intelligence. We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all career advice. Instead, we guide students toward paths where their guna and karma align — where their strengths and passions meet opportunities.

For students, this approach means finding careers that don’t just pay the bills but fuel their sense of purpose. For educators and parents, it means supporting children in becoming their most authentic, capable selves — not molding them into societal expectations. And for the workforce of tomorrow, it means a generation driven by passion, excellence, and alignment.

The world changes when people love what they do and do what they’re naturally built for. That’s the vision ancient wisdom had, and it’s the vision Career-9 carries forward.

Let’s help our children discover their true calling. Because when passion and purpose align, extraordinary things happen.