Do I need a certification to become a mentor on Beyond Brochure?

No. Certification matters for professional career counselling, which involves psychometric assessment and structured career planning. Answering what a specific college or job is actually like requires lived experience, not a credential. Verification confirms you attended or worked where you say you did.

Can recent graduates become mentors?

Yes, and they are often the most useful. Placement realities and campus culture change quickly, so a recent batch can answer questions an older alumnus genuinely cannot.

What is the difference between a career counsellor and a Real One?

A career counsellor helps you work out what direction suits you, using assessment and structured planning. A Real One tells you what a specific college, course or role is actually like, from having been there. Different questions, different jobs.

You Do Not Need a Counselling Certificate to Be a Real One

You do not need a counselling certificate to be a Real One. The qualification is having actually attended the college, or worked in the field, a student is asking about. Certification matters for professional career counselling — a different job, involving psychometric assessment and structured career planning. Answering what a specific college was really like needs lived experience, not a credential.

Two different jobs, often confused

Career counsellor vs Real One

Career counsellorReal One

Assesses aptitude and interestsAnswers from lived experience

Helps pick a directionExplains what a specific place is really like

Certification is genuinely usefulAttendance is the qualification

Both are valuable, and they answer different questions. If the counselling route interests you, how to become a career counsellor in India covers it. This page is about the other one.

What actually qualifies you

You attended

You studied there. You know what the brochure left out.

You work in the field

You know what the degree is worth years later, and what actually gets hired.

You made the decision

You chose between the same options a student is weighing now.

You will be honest

Including about the parts that disappointed you.

The objections that stop people applying

"I am not senior enough." Recent graduates are often the most useful, because placement realities and campus culture change fast. A 2015 answer does not describe 2026.

"I did not go to a famous college." That makes you more needed, not less. Most students do not attend famous colleges, and those are exactly the colleges with no honest information available.

"My experience was mixed." Mixed is the useful kind. A student can already find people who will tell them everything was wonderful.

"I am not a trained advisor." You are not being asked to advise. You are being asked what it was actually like.

What verification does check

Every Real One is verified before listing — that you attended where you say, or worked where you say. That is the bar: not a credential, but a confirmed connection to the experience you are speaking from.

You are probably already qualified

Free to join, you set your own rate and hours, and verification is quick.