Discussions pertaining to social inclusion quickly arrive at the issues that surround work, employment and career. This paper presents data from a large Indian survey to describe the differential impact of socioeconomic status on career preparation self-efficacy, the perception of career development barriers and career beliefs. The psychosocial factors that are intertwined with the perpetuation of social exclusion are delineated and the role that career counselling could play to empower the socially excluded to engage with life chances is discussed. (Contains 1 table.)