The theory that I
felt most connected to is Super’s Life Span, Life Space Theory. I agree with
his idea that each individual possesses the skills required to succeed in any
number of occupations (Brown 2012, p. 42). In fact, I believe this idea can be
applied to other areas in life. For example, the idea of having a “soul mate”
who is the only person on the planet with whom a person can find true happiness
seems unrealistic. While people are unique, we are not entirely unique. It seems
likely that for each person there is a set of individuals of which any one of
them could become a successful romantic partner.
Super
also discusses how important opportunities are in the development in a career
(Brown 2012, p. 45). While possessing the right education and skills are crucial
components of career development they do not guarantee that a person will get a
specific job. This idea was studied in the book Outliers, and examines that success is often a byproduct of the
opportunities the individual had leading up to the point of success. For
example, Bill Gates had access to computer equipment as a teenager that most
people in the world would not have for years down the line. This fortunate
opportunity allowed him to become an expert at a young age and at the perfect
time in history to capitalize on his expertise (Gladwell 2008).
There
were several questions posed that school counselors can use to help students in
their career path. The first question asked what the counselee would be if he
or she could do anything. This is similar to the question I asked my partner on
the first day of class where I asked what she would do if she did not need
money. The answer may be unrealistic, but it gets the person thinking, and with
follow up questions like the ones listed in the text, the counselee must let go
of the fantasy and begin analyzing their self-concept (Brown 2012, p. 45).
Another
strategy school counselors can employ is the use of Career Genograms. Having
little to no personal experience with this concept, I found Gibson’s article to
be very interesting. Of particular interest was the progression of the
assignment from elementary school through high school. Looking back I do not
remember school counselors being an active part of my K-12 education. Based on
Gibson’s article, I like the idea of there being continued interaction between
the counselor and students throughout the educational process (Gibson 2005).
Coming
from a position of not knowing much about the field of Career Development, I am
finally beginning to see the scope of the discipline with the introduction of
key theories as well as practical applications like the Genogram. Considering
how much of our lives we spend at work, it is no wonder why there is a field
dedicated to studying how we choose careers and how to best counsel those who
need guidance.
References
Brown, D.
(2012). Career
information, career counseling, and career development (10th
ed.). New York: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Gibson, D. M.
(2005). The use of genograms in career counseling with elementary, middle and
high school students. The Career Development Quarterly, 53, 353-362.
Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The story of success. New
York: Little, Brown and Company
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