"The paradigm for vocational guidance is to...increase occupational information"

"The paradigm for vocational guidance is to...increase occupational information"

Dr. Mark Savickas recently contributed to the Journal of Counseling & Development and it was insightful. There was one point that I wanted to highlight.  Savickas outlined how vocational guidance works and the second step was to increase occupational information. What does this mean? Why is it important?

Increasing occupational information means knowing what kind of jobs there are and what they do. If you only know about 20 different types of jobs you should learn about 200 more. Every person has a unique vocational identity and it is easier to figure out where your place in the work world is if you have a complete picture. If you believe your choices are limited to doctor, lawyer, accountant, psychologist, and businessman than those are the only jobs you can do.

It is important to make career decisions based on an extensive knowledge of occupations because it betters your chances that you will be at a job that fits your personality.  If your personality doesn’t match any of the jobs you know about there could be negative implications. Two websites that I like to use are bls.gov and onetonline.org.

Feel free to shoot me an email…jonathangoldstein@ymail.com

5 Steps in a Career Development Walk

5 Steps in a Career Development Walk

1. Getting to know yourself

2. Exploring career possibilities

3. Decision making

4. Getting ready

5. Job Search

I find the first step very interesting. It is a foundation upon which you will build your career and is often fraught with unforeseen obstacles and challenges. Maybe you are thinking: “C’mon! A job is a job is a job! What is the big deal?” Well, let me tell you. Sometimes people do not have the luxury to reflect on what type of career suits their identity, but if you are one of the lucky ones there are many things to consider:

• What are your interests? (Trains? Cake baking? People? Business? )
• What is your personality like? (Introverted? Intuitive? Perceptive? Pragmatic?)
• What are your work place values? (Supportive management? Independence? Job Security?)
• What are your abilities? (Oral Expression? Stamina? Manual Dexterity? Time Sharing?
• How does your upbringing affect your life outlook? (Does everyone in your family have to be a doctor, lawyer or take over the family business?)
• Does being a male/female influence your decisions? (e.g. girls are nurses/ boys are doctors)

Your answers to these questions make you the foremost expert on the product you are trying to sell, namely, YOU. There are certainly various ways of approaching questions like these, and one way may not work for everyone. Sometimes it is just a matter of having that conversation with yourself, perhaps in quiet contemplation. Others may find it helpful to discuss these questions with a close friend. Many times, however, it may be wise to work with a trained professional who utilizes empirically-proven methods including counseling techniques and formal career assessments. By having a focused picture of your vocational self, the career development process will be more successful and hopefully lead to a proper fitting job. 

If you want to continue this discussion than you should send me an email at jonathangoldstein@ymail.com