MODULE 12: Persons and Careers

TEN MYTHS ABOUT CAREER PLANNING BUSTED!

From procrastinating to submitting oneself to inadequate information, Suchitra Surve, Director, Growth
Centre identifies the 10 common myths about choosing a career and tells you why it will affect you in
the long run. Keep in mind that the road to career happiness is usually full of bumps, curves and
tangents rather than a straight, direct path from point A to point B. While peer pressure and post-study
placements could be major influences affecting your decision at 16, there are those who end up
regretting their decisions even when they are 30. So, what are the mistakes young people make while
deciding their careers? Where exactly are they going wrong? What can you do to avoid getting into a
situation like that? Read on to dispel some common career myths

Myth 1: Arts/humanities majors usually are unemployable after college Fact: Skills matter in every
stream Humanities majors usually provide training in basic areas called transferable skills such as
interpersonal communication, writing, research, and critical thinking. Transferable skills indicate those
skills that are learned in one area can be readily utilized in a wide range of other areas. These skills that
one learns are sought after by many employers. Arts majors are employed in a wide range of careers.
Although humanities graduates sometimes take more time finding a "niche" in the working world, it's
usually because they don't know what they can or want to do or they are not aware of the options
available to them .So, do not assume that a certain stream will open up your opportunities for the
future.

Myth 2: Selecting what's 'hot' at the moment is safe Fact: What's hot today may not necessarily be
10/20 years later Selecting a major or pursuing a career just because it's hot can be dangerous. There
are two things you must understand before opting for this approach. First, what is 'hot' today may cool
down, or disappear completely, in the near future. Secondly, such a choice fails to take into account the
interests and abilities of the student, or the kind of environment in which they are most likely to
succeed. But career satisfaction involves far more than simply being able to do a particular job -- it
requires interest, commitment and passion. These are far better indicators for career choice than any
fad of the moment. New career fields and jobs emerge every year as a result of changes in public policy,
technology, and economic trends. Therefore, you are on much firmer ground when you select a career
goal that genuinely interests you.

Myth 3: Career assessments / counselors will not be of any use for me Fact: You must know what your
aptitude is before choosing a career Psychometric Assessments (Aptitude Test) can provide additional
information that may be helpful as a part of the career planning process. Assessments would provide a
clear idea as to ones aptitude, strengths and weakness and their mental capabilities, which aids in
selecting a career, but with thorough brainstorming with the career counselor, who can chalk out
various career options based on the match between the student profile and the career. Of course, it’s
up to you whether you want to pursue what the counselor advises you to, but do not skip this step.

Myth 4: If X is happy in a particular field, I will be happy too Fact: You are not X Everyone is different and
what works for one person won’t necessarily work for another, even if that other person is someone
with whom you have a lot in common. If someone you know has a career that interests you try and get
more details about the career in terms of the job description, the skills required and market demand of
the career. Then match the description with your traits and then make a choice. Be aware that what
you like may not necessarily be a good fit for you.

Myth 5: If I wait long enough, luck will eventually bring me to the right career Fact: Procrastination is no
substitute for laziness It is unlikely that you will just “bump into” the occupation that will perfectly
match your skills and interests. The more information you gather about yourself and the occupations
you are considering, the more likely it is you will make a wise career decision. It is true that some things
beyond your control will influence your life, but you must take an active role to determine your own
fate. Look around you – those people who are unhappy in their careers most likely just “fell into”
something without careful planning. Do you want the same thing to happen to your career graph? So
think wisely and plan the process.

Myth 6: Making a lot of money will make me happy Fact: The ingredients of fulfilling career also includes
passion and commitment to growth While salary is important, it isn’t the only factor you should look at
when choosing a career. Countless surveys have shown that money doesn’t necessarily lead to job
satisfaction. For many people enjoying what they do at work is much more important.

Myth 7: Once I choose a career I’ll be stuck in it forever Fact: You are never too old to switch careers Not
true. If you are unsatisfied in your career for any reason, you can always change. Discussing your
interests with knowledgeable people who could guide you towards another career could land you in a
satisfying job profile. Remember just being in a job without a lack of interests would hamper your
performance. So it would be better if you make a wise choice later. Many people do change careers
several times over the course of their lifetimes.

Myth 8: If I change careers my skills will be wasted Fact: Being multi-skilled allows you to learn and
adapt accordingly It is true that certain jobs require some specialized skill set. But note that mostly jobs
require a common type of skills which most of the individuals possess. Your skills are yours to keep. You
may not use them in the exactly same way, but they won’t be wasted.

Myth 9: I will decide after the results are out Fact: Impulsive decisions lack planning and direction
Though one can keep options, but having a sound academic background always proves beneficial while
making a career. The two years of Junior college (class 11 and 12) are vey essential as they form a base
for a particular career. One cannot ignore the knowledge gained whilst studying. Deciding after
graduation sometimes leads to impulsive decisions as, the earlier educational qualification may not be
applicable to the area of work that you plan to pursue in later life. Planning in advance prepares you
better to deal with the If-and-Or situations better.

Myth 10: I love this hobby, but I don’t think I can make money out of it Fact: If you love what you do,
you will not feel like you are working An oft repeated line, it explains why part-time hobbies like
cooking, photography and design that were once pursued during weekends are now being pursued as
full time careers. And most of these hobby-turned vocations pay really well if pursued professionally. If
your hobby becomes a career, then there’s nothing stopping you from being satisfied in your job and
life. So, go ahead and make a wise choice!
CAREER CONCEPTS

A career is defined as the combination and sequence of roles played by a person during the course of a
lifetime (Super, 1980). Your career basically dictates a lot of things in your life – it can determine the
kind of lifestyle that you will be leading, the quality of relationships that you have with people around
you like your family and friends, the kind of balance you will be able to keep with your life and your
responsibilities.

There are two other concepts that we often associate with the concept of career. One is a job. A job is a
position an individual holds doing specific duties. For example, if you would look closely at the job of a
lawyer, you can say that a lawyer’s job is working as an associate in X Law Firm.

Another term is occupation. An occupation is defined as the similar work for which people have similar
responsibilities and for which they develop a common set of skills and knowledge. For example, people
who are in the mental health occupation would include psychologists, clinical psychologists, counselors,
and psychiatrists.

A lot of things can influence one’s career choice. A popular career development model, the Trait and
Factor model, believes that skills and abilities need to fit the demands of a particular career field. This
being said, it is then important that you take stock of the skills, knowledge and abilities that you
currently possess and those that you still need to develop as these greatly impacts that kind of career
that could be a good match for you.

Another factor that could influence your success in a particular career field would be your personality
and interests. John Holland, a popular career counselor proposed a theory that strongly believe that
certain careers require certain personality traits and must also fit our interests.

Our life roles are yet strong factors that influences our career choices. Your role as a child, a sister, a
student, and eventually if you choose it, that of a parent would have an impact in the decisions that you
would have to make as an adult. Donald Super, another career development theorist believes that since
we play an array of roles in our lives, these roles are likely to change over time thus requirements, needs
and other external forces would come into play when we are trying to figure out or maintain a career.

One’s race and ethnicity could also impact our choices. The culture in which we belong to shape our
values and expectations. In the Philippines, our collectivist orientation makes our family a strong
influence in our career decisions. More often than not, the choice of course to take in college, the
location of our job, how strongwilled we will be in achieving great heights in our career, would most
likely be influenced by our family roles, duties and obligations.

Our social identity, specifically our gender, also possess challenges and opportunities for us when
choosing a career. Although nowadays, the gender divide in terms of careers have slowly narrowed, it is
a known fact that men and women experiences career-related stereotypes.

One of the strongest considerations in career decision making has a lot to do with social and economic
conditions. Our choice of career is contingent to our capabilities to sustain the monetary demands of
pursuing formal education to train for it. Also, our financial obligations and roles likewise would
determine the kind of occupation we would be pursuing in order to fulfill these duties. Furthermore,
certain life events can also influence our career choices. The unpredictability of these events may cause
us to make certain concessions in order to meet the demands brought about by these changes.
Likewise, the volatile economic landscape and how it impacts that supply and demand for people and
jobs may also impact how our careers would progress.

Lastly, we are so familiar with the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?”. It is highly
probable that these childhood fantasies may have influenced how you view yourself and your career.

WHAT INFLUENCES YOUR CAREER CHOICE?

Skills and Abilities - Considering your skills and abilities and how they may fit a particular occupation
comes out of one of the earliest career development fields, Trait-Factor theories, and is still used today.
These theories recommend creating occupational profiles for specific jobs as well as identifying
individual differences, matching individuals to occupations based on these differences. You can identify
activities you enjoy and those in which you have a level of competency though a formal assessment.

Interest and Personality Type - Holland's Career Typology is a widely used to connect personality types
and career fields. This theory establishes a classification system that matches personality characteristics
and personal preferences to job characteristics. The Holland Codes are six personality/career types that
help describe a wide range of occupations.

Life Roles - Being a worker is just one of your life roles, in addition to others such as, student, parent,
and child. Super's Lifespan theory directly addresses the fact that we each play multiple roles in our lives
and that these roles change over the course of our lives. How we think about ourselves in these roles,
their requirements of them, and the external forces that affect them, may influence how we look at
careers in general and how we make choices for ourselves.

Previous Experiences - Krumboltz's Social Learning and Planned Happenstance theories address factors
related to our experiences with others and in previous work situations. Having positive experiences and
role models working in specific careers may influence the set of careers we consider as options for
ourselves. One aspect of Social Cognitive Career Theory addresses the fact that we are likely to consider
continuing a particular task if we have had a positive experience doing it. In this way, we focus on areas
in which we have had proven success and achieved positive self-esteem.

Culture- Racial and ethnic background, as well as the culture of an individual's regional area, local
community, and extended family, may impact career decisions. Our culture often shapes our values and
expectations as they relate to many parts of our lives, including jobs and careers. Multicultural career
counseling has emerged as a specialized field to take these influences into consideration when
counseling clients and students. We can't attribute the predominant characteristics of a culture to any
one of its individuals, but having an awareness of the values and expectations of our culture may help us
understand how we make our career choices.

Gender - Both men and women have experienced career-related stereotypes. Gender is a factor
included in multiple career development theories and approaches including, Social Learning and
multicultural career counseling. How we view ourselves as individuals may influence both the
opportunities and barriers we perceive as we make career decisions. Studies of gender and career
development are ongoing as roles of men and women in the workforce, and in higher education, evolve.
Social and Economic Conditions - All of our career choices take place within the context of society and
the economy. Several career theories, such as Social Cognitive Career Theory and Social Learning,
address this context in addition to other factors. Events that take place in our lives may affect the
choices available to us and even dictate our choices to a certain degree. Changes in the economy and
resulting job market may also affect how our careers develop.

Childhood Fantasies - What do you want to be when you grow-up? You may remember this question
from your childhood, and it may have helped shape how you thought about careers then, as well as later
in life. Career counseling theories are expanding as programs related to career choice are developed for
all ages, including the very young. Ginzberg proposed a theory that describes three life stages related to
career development. The first stage, fantasy, where early ideas about careers are formed, takes place up
to age 11.

Work with your career counselor! It’s important to understand that career choice is not made based on
any one factor. Our choices are subject to many influences – individual, cultural, social, and
environmental. The combination and interaction of various influences on your decision-making are
unique to you and your situation. There may also be multiple options, several “good-fits” for you,
instead of a single, right choice. Keep in mind that as you change, learning and experiencing new things,
and external factors change, such as the economy, you will continue to revise and fine-tune your career
choices. There is a lot to consider, but you don’t have to figure it all out on your own. Work with a
career services counselor at your institution’s career center. These professionals will be able to assist
you with assessments and additional resources, and discuss how different theories may be applied to
your career development process.

SUPER’S CAREER DEVELOPMENT THEORY

Donald Super influenced the idea that developing a sense of self and realize that you change over time is
important when planning your career.

One of Donald Super's greatest contributions to career development has been his emphasis on the
importance of the development of self-concept. According to Super, selfconcept changes over time, and
develops as a result of experience. As such, career development is lifelong.

Super developed the theories and work of colleague Eli Ginzberg. Ginzberg’s theory enumerated three
stages in a person’s career development: Fantasy (from birth to 11 years old), Tentative (from 11-17
years old), and Realistic (after age 17). Super thought that Ginzberg’s work had weaknesses, which he
wanted to address. Super extended Ginzberg’s life and career development stages from three to five,
and included different sub stages.

Super argues that occupational preferences and competencies, along with an individual’s life situations,
all change with time and experience. Super developed the concept of vocational maturity, which may or
may not correspond to chronological age: people cycle through each of these stages when they go
through career transitions.