CHENNAI — Thousands of students are expected to attend a two-day career counselling fair this weekend, where experts will provide detailed advice on entering industries that are either contracting, merging, or being replaced by artificial intelligence.

The fair, now in its 23rd edition, will feature guidance on traditional career paths such as banking, which has reduced branch staff by 40 percent since the last edition, and journalism, which has seen similar improvements in efficiency. "We remain committed to helping young people find their place in the workforce," said a spokesperson for the organizing body, who declined to comment on placement statistics from previous fairs.

Counsellors will offer specialized advice on engineering degrees, which 1.5 million students pursue annually for approximately 300,000 relevant positions. "The key is to stand out," explained Dr. P. Venkataraman, a career guidance expert who has attended all 23 editions. "We tell students to develop skills that complement automation, though we're still determining what those are."

A special session will address emerging fields such as data science and machine learning, for which employers require five years of experience in technologies invented three years ago. The session will be conducted by professionals who entered the field when it had different names and different requirements.

Parents accompanying their children will receive materials on realistic salary expectations, adjusted for inflation, cost of living, and the likelihood of competing against 500 other candidates with identical qualifications. "We believe in setting appropriate expectations," said the spokesperson.

The fair will conclude with a panel discussion titled "Passion vs. Pragmatism," featuring professionals who chose pragmatism and are now seeking passion, alongside those who chose passion and are now seeking pragmatism. Registration remains open, as does the question of whether guidance provided today will remain relevant by the time students graduate.