Charanya Somasundaram is a career counsellor and founder of eQuadrat Consulting Services, who believes good careers aren't chosen once — they're built one clear decision at a time. Careers don't have to be linear. No single choice needs to define a person's entire professional life. What matters most is building the self-awareness to keep making good decisions, at every stage
This belief comes from her own path. Charanya began her career in 2001, moving through senior roles in banking operations and IT services. In 2010, she founded eQuadrat Consulting Services, a recruitment and HR firm — putting her on the other side of the hiring table. That experience, combined with a Master's in Financial Management, gave her a practical, ground-level view of what different careers actually demand.
In recruitment, the same story kept repeating: people had chosen careers without weighing what they wanted, what they were good at, what interested them and what the work could realistically offer in return. The mismatch rarely showed up right away — it surfaced years later, once the path no longer felt like theirs
That pattern became the seed of what Charanya now calls the DISO Framework — Desire, Interest, Strengths and Opportunity, weighed together rather than in isolation. She brings this grounded thinking to every part of a student's journey, from the subjects and streams chosen from grade 8 through 12 to the many choices that follow well beyond it. Getting any of these stages right doesn't mean getting them perfect. It means finding what fits at that point in time, while staying open to where it might lead.
The DISO Framework now shapes how Charanya works with every student — not just building a plan, but building the judgment to keep making good decisions long after the plan changes. It's this same thinking that shapes why career counselling matters in the first place.
Career counselling grew directly out of this work, not apart from it. Years spent working closely with organisations and candidates gave Charanya a practical, up-close view of how varied and fast-changing today's professional landscape truly is — and how often desire, interest and strength go unweighed against what a career can realistically offer in return. That understanding became the DISO Framework, which now extends through eQuadrat into student-focused counselling — working closely with students and parents during grade 8 through 12, when the first real career decisions are made. The aim isn't a perfect choice, but a well-grounded one: professional experience, attentive listening and a clear-eyed read of the career landscape, brought together so students can move forward with room to grow.
At eQuadrat Consulting Services, career counselling starts with real self-understanding — helping students see their own strengths and interests clearly before making important educational decisions. Through personalised guidance and focused assessments, students gain the clarity to explore academic and career pathways that fit who they are right now, while staying open to where their path may lead.
A first, considered step that applies the DISO Framework alongside a student's academic background, helping build the self-awareness needed before exploring specific pathways — not to arrive at one right answer, but a starting point solid enough to build on. For grades 8–10, this centres on identifying the most suitable stream; for grades 11–12, it centres on identifying a suitable career direction and college major.
One-on-one conversations for students and parents to discuss educational choices, concerns and aspirations — grounded in patient listening and fact-based discussion rather than quick advice. No formal testing is included.
A three-stage process — an initial session, a customised psychometric assessment, and a final session — bringing testing and counselling together into one detailed report and recommendation. For grades 8–10, this guides stream selection; for grades 11–12, it guides career and college major direction.
For grades 11–12, end-to-end support through the college and career admissions process — building on assessment and counselling with college shortlisting, portfolio/ resume building and admissions guidance.
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