A lot of factors, most especially technological and scientific innovations have changed the structure of society, which includes careers primarily, therefore, we need to guide the career choices of our students delicately to ensure they have a great understanding of each career option at their disposal.  As educationists, it is behooved of us to understand our children, their abilities, and capabilities from the very early stages of education, and hence we must have a full grasp of the objectives of career guidance and counseling programs in higher Institutions of Learning. Career  Guidance and Counseling Programme meets the need of our educational system and addresses the future needs of respectable careers and status in society: The following are the Objectives of Career guidance in different Institutions of higher learning in Nigeria;
 To greatly assist in the total development of the student
 The emphasis on intellectual development through the teaching of subjects alone cannot help in the total development of students. We must evolve some methods of helping students understand themselves and helping teachers understand the students. The total development of the students necessitates that individual differences among students are expected, accepted, understood, and planned for and all types of experiences in an institution are so organized as to contribute to the total development of the student. This popular saying; “All that a student needs in an educational institution is good teaching,” is a volcanic myth devoid of absolute veracity. Something much more and beyond good teaching is needed to produce competent, mature, and well-rounded students who will be worthy, patriotic citizens.
To help students make the proper choice of courses
 The need for helping students in the choice of a proper career is further enhanced because the majority of our students in different universities are first-generation learners. In their families, they have no one with a first-hand experience of university education background, to guide them in the choice of a career.
We are living in a highly complicated and swiftly changing world of work. There is an innovative and high level of critical thinking requirements in industrial jobs due to great advancement in technology, altered market conditions for professional manpower, the development of para-professional occupations, and many other labour market trends which makes occupational selection even more difficult than ever.
 Young students in higher Institutions of learning need to be well informed about various job opportunities available to them and the requirements, responsibilities, and nature of work involved in them so that they could measure themselves up to the standard and develop their capacity to suit those positions.
To motivate the youth for self-employment or entrepreneurship.
 Considering the magnitude of educated job-seekers flowing into the job market in Nigeria every year, it is worthy of note that a sizable fraction of enterprising youth is initiated into careers of self-employment. Courses that have to do with entrepreneurship should be instituted in secondary schools and universities to identify students fit to take up self-employment and educate them on how to run profitable businesses.
To help fresh students establish the right personal  identity
 In Nigeria, the young men and women gaining admission into University are relatively young. More often than not, they are passing through a stage between childhood and adulthood, between the morality learned as a child and the ethics to be developed by the adult. They find it extremely difficult to establish a satisfactory personal identity and discover themselves. The unforeseen circumstances of the future, the conflicts in diverse languages, culture, regions, tribes, social statuses, etc., and the erosion of moral values has rendered so many Nigerian youths rootless. Guidance and counseling program is needed to help students deal effectively with the normal developmental tasks of adolescence and face life situations boldly.
To minimize the misconception between education and employment and assist in the efficient use of manpower
 Most of our young men and women have no clear objectives or career targets. They lack a full grasp of their career goals. They meander their way through university courses of learning without acquiring much knowledge to prepare themselves for an uncertain future. Every year, our universities graduate thousands of hopeful youngsters into the labor market who are virtually unemployable—despite their fancy degrees and diplomas. Employers often complain that of the hundreds of applications that come in response to a single job vacancy, at least 80 percent have no relevance to the job specifications whatsoever. Few students pursue their education with a clear idea as to what they would eventually like to become. Through proper guidance and counseling, we can guide these students right.
To make up for training deficiencies of Parents
  A higher percentage of students gain admission into institutions of higher learning and their parents are not able to assist them satisfactorily in dealing with their life problems. Due to factors such as rapid mechanization and modernization, political and social changes in the organizational structure of the country, and the growing complexity of life, there are greater pressures and strains on families which inadvertently, affect these students.
 Parents cannot provide the kind of support and assistance as witnessed many years ago. Also, there is a gap in the range of empathic adults who could be turned to in need, which formerly was filled by adult brothers and sisters, friendly aunts and grandparents when communities and families were more intimate.
 Also, our homes are not equipped to be the source of information concerning the qualifications required for different kinds of courses or careers. Such information can come from platforms or Organizations which make it their sole duty to supply adequate and up-to-date materials. In addition, many parents are not trained for helping their grown-up children develop sound study techniques and obtain reliable information in matters of sex, etc.
To identify and help Special Needs receive Specific help
 We have different kinds of students; the exceptional or gifted students, the backward, and the handicapped who need special opportunities and maximum attention. Some arrangement needs to be provided in our institutions to ensure Special Need Students have all the resources to create a beautiful learning experience for them. Counseling can also help children with ‘Developmental Expressive Language Disorder’ (DELD) to learn how to express themselves better.

Dr. Ijeoma Esther Nnamdi is an Education Consultant in Nigeria, an internationally recognized multi-award-winning Digital Media Entrepreneur, and Editor/Publisher of Africa’s leading Health/Motherhood magazine, ‘Mummy & I magazine’  which features Top A- List personalities, celebrities, and result-oriented women Entrepreneurs transforming the lives of over 100,000 women in 14 countries across their digital media platforms. Ijeoma Esther Nnamdi has a proven track record of excellence in management and has been instrumental to several multinationals’ success. She is a renowned Global Speaker, Creative Content Consultant,  Published Author, Scientist, and Global Health Expert certified by the University at Albany, State University of New York, and an Honourary Doctorate Award recipient.