KOCHI: Praveen Parameswar, CEO of city-based educational startup Lifology.com is in high spirits. The organisation, which caters to career assessments and guidance for children from class VIII to XII, has recently earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. The feat? Holding a career assessment test with the largest number of participants, making it the first such academic record from the state.
A total of 2,077 students had turned up for the career assessment test at Girideepam Convention Centre near the Mar Ivanious campus grounds. The event, in which each of the students were handed a questionnaire, was attended by Guinness World Records Adjudicator Swapnil Dangarikar along with a few volunteers.
And as the organisation’s endeavour at getting into the record books turned out to be a success, Praveen is focused on creating awareness on the concept of a scientific career assessment process through written tests. “Choosing a career is the most important decision of your life. However, there is not much importance or awareness given on a more scientific evaluation, as most decisions are taken emotionally,” he said.
According to the Lifology founder, different jobs require various combinations of intelligences. For instance, one needs to have analytical and interpersonal skill sets to be a journalist, while a designer requires mostly visual intelligence. The 40 questions asked were very simple situational ones which do not require too much of analysis or calculations, according to him.
Though ‘a lot of awareness is yet to be created on the topic’, he felt that the schools were very supportive of the unique initiative, while it even received a thumbs-up from the Guinness Book adjudicating team. “It was very encouraging, with many among the 27 city schools sending in around 300 children. The team who had come to supervise the attempt provided a very positive feedback after analysing the questions with their psychology team,” he said.
Praveen has his reasons for being thrilled at the accomplishment. “Kerala has a history of several records including largest human Christmas tree made by school students among others. However, there have been no records in the academic scenario. What makes us proud is this is the first Guinness record earned in the field of career assessment,” he said.