There are different ways of understanding the notion of orientation.
The concept of orientation is linked to the verb orient . This action refers to placing something in a certain position, to communicating to a person what they do not know and that they intend to know, or to guiding a subject to a place.
Educational guidance
In this communicative sense, we can include what is often talked about today about what is called educational guidance. This is an activity carried out by the counselor in the different schools that basically consists of helping students to direct their present and future education. Thus, for example, it will help you decide which university degree to pursue based on your tastes and also your abilities.
In the same way, educational guidance extends to teachers and the students' own parents. In both cases, the professional of said discipline will support and help both in their roles so that they contribute in the best possible way to the development of young students.
The concept in the professional field
Nor can we ignore another term that has acquired a lot of presence in our society, it is the so-called work or professional orientation. In this case, the personnel who undertake this function try to advise and analyze the person who is unemployed about what measures and actions to achieve to find a job.
Thus, among the most frequent actions that said expert will carry out to help the unemployed or those who want to change jobs are the preparation of the curriculum vitae, the search for job offers, advice on how to prepare and face a job interview as well as various initiatives to ensure that the unemployed have good self-esteem.
For a long time, the compass was an indispensable instrument for orientation.
Physical or spatial orientation
It is common that orientation consists of locating the east : hence its name. All living beings appeal, in one way or another, to orientation, from human beings and plants to animals.
For example: "I'm going to ask that farmer for guidance: maybe he can tell us how to get to the city" , "Thanks to my parents' guidance, I became a good man" , "Carlos, I need your guidance: What is the form that I must complete to make the sworn declaration? .
Orientation, in short, implies knowledge of the space and context through certain references. There are numerous methods of orientation: determining the meridian from the shadows generated by the sun, locating the North Star (if the person is in the northern hemisphere), locating the constellation of the Southern Cross (for those who are in the northern hemisphere). south), etc.
The compass , on the other hand, is an artifact whose purpose is to guide the user. This instrument has a magnetic needle that indicates magnetic north . This north does not always coincide with the north of geography and varies according to the region of the world in which we are.
According to historical records, the Chinese in the 9th century were the ones who invented the compass to improve orientation.