Chapter 2/Week 2

After completing this week’s assigned readings, in addition to reflecting upon my own experiences, I have become aware that my career development experience has been much richer than I originally thought. When our class started, I was thinking of career development as a formal process or series of classes implemented during the middle school/high school years. Now I have a greater understanding of how this process begins as far back as early childhood. From a very young age, my parents expressed how friendly and compassionate I was toward others—even complete strangers. According to Holland, I would be classified as having a social personality type (Brown, 2012). As I reflect upon my own career development, a definite pattern emerges. That is, all along I have been consistently considering careers that involve a helping role of some sort. I grew up knowing that I wanted to help others in some capacity, and this identity as ‘helper’ became very important to me.

My experiences growing up were consistent with Holland’s belief that an individual’s job satisfaction and career achievements are maximized when the individual’s work environment matches their personality (Brown, 2012). I knew that I would be most happy in a job that would best match my specific passions and abilities. Similarly, Gottfredson stated that “career aspirations are attempts to implement one’s self-concept” (Brown, 2012, p. 49).  An individual’s self-concept includes values and personality variables, as well as self-perceptions regarding intelligence, social status, and gender. As someone who values people and their well-being, it is no surprise that I chose a career that allows me to continue my role as a helper.

Throughout my life, I have had several jobs that fit my social personality. Each of these positions was satisfying because it allowed me to use my talents and gifts, matched my personality type, and was also congruent with my self-concept. As Donald Super stated in his theory, all of these elements help determine work and life satisfaction (Brown, 2012).  

My personal career development has also not happened in isolation. My family has played an important role in my journey as they have helped me determine my personal strengths and weaknesses. According to Gibson (2005), parents play a key role in determining their child’s career aspirations. They often have the earliest influence on a child’s career and educational aspirations. Much like the research indicates, in my own life I have identified more with my mother’s occupation than my father’s occupation. I believe this is so because she also has a social and helping career as a nurse.  Gibson’s (2005) article highlighted the importance of families beginning career-related dialogue at a young age. I thought it was great that she suggested children not only ask what career Mommy or Daddy chose but also why they chose that particular job and who influenced their decision. This could provide a great opportunity for parents to share why they are passionate (or not!) about the career they chose.

Brown, D. (2012). Trait-and-factor and developmental theories of career choice and development and their applications. In Career information, career counseling, and career development (10th ed., pp. 24-58). 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.