One of the theories I actually like, I think it is a real honest and true theory.
As it is a contemporary theory it has borrowed from traditional theories, however, I can’t quite believe it took until 1999 for it to be really formalised into a theory by Mitchell, Levin and Krumboltz.
Happenstance, as a term, refers to when chance events affect an individual’s career path or planning. The theory is held in high regard, partly due to the number of people able to account for when and where chance has played a part in their own career. I myself maybe particularly drawn to this theory, as I fell that it relates to me. I had throughout school and college planned everything around becoming a primary teacher, as I thought this is what I wanted to do. It wasn’t until I took a year out from the course for a variety of reasons (one being my deep dislike for what I had so far spent 3 years doing). It was on this year out that I was offered training at my current work on the Connexions Line; it was from here that I found out about career advisers, and this course. It was sheer luck that I was offered that work and that I liked it so much that I decided to do this Postgraduate course. This is a clear example of how chances lead me to find out what I truly wanted to do.
Where traditionally, vocational confusion would be considered a problem or an issue to be resolved, Happenstance actually embraces it. The theory effectively promotes uncertainty. “Work world shifts challenge career counsellors to adopt a counselling intervention that views unplanned events as both inevitable and desirable.”
However, I am able to see the weakness in this theory; I can see where some might find the concept difficult to digest. It may be that a client has never experienced any of this ‘luck’ that Happenstance bases itself upon, it may also suggest that there is no need for focussing on formal support, planning or guidance when it comes to career choices or accessing the job market. However, I still feel that as a contemporary theory it is going someway to acknowledge the other factors which now affect an individual’s career journey.
(Levin, A., Mitchell, K., Krumboltz, J. (1999) Planned Happenstance - Constructing Unexpected Career Opportunities. Journal of Counselling and Development, 77(02), P. 115 – 125)
Saturday, 25 April 2009
Friday, 24 April 2009
Communities
Along with my thinking about moving to London or whether to stay here in Glasgow, I have also been looking for jobs in which to fund either of these decisions after finishing University in May, and this got me thinking about communities and guidance.
It seems that every job which I look for, which centres around giving guidance in a careers context always seems to suggest that they would ‘prefer/or it would be desirable’ that the applicant have knowledge of the area which they will be working in.
I can understand on the face of it why this would be- having an understanding of local issues, being able to relate with the local communities.
However, for someone coming out of a University course where we have been told that jobs in the Career Guidance sector wont be easy to come by and that we should consider relocating, then it is a further hurdle to learn that you would be looked down upon in your application if you did not come from the area.
Can it be possible to learn enough and integrate yourself enough into a new community in order to give the best guidance that you can to people affected by the local issues in the local area? Could enough research be done beforehand to function within this new community? These may be the many questions which worry an interview panel.
I feel that your role within your (new) job would be your small-knit community, where you could integrate fully eventually and learn the inside and outsides of how it works, functions and interacts with the wider community (your clients)?
Surely working within a job which deals directly with the public and social issues that it faces, you would quite quickly grow and learn the community as a whole and how you yourself can work within it and achieve the targets of your job for the benefit of the community’s members?
I realise the importance of community and understanding the community in which you work as it will form belief systems, ways of life for an individual, even for some people a way of thinking.
My granddad often used the phrase ‘small town mentality’ and what he meant, and quite harshly, was that people from small industrial towns where there was little work and little to do had the mentality that this was the way life was, that they couldn’t do anything about it; there was no jobs in their local area, and so for them benefits and unemployment was the way that they lived and would continue to live.
In this case it can be important to know the ‘mentality’ of a community. Bill Law (1981) stated that;’ the way in which who does what in society is decided is the product of a plurality of interpersonal transactions conducted in local settings, and on the basis of interaction within and between groups of which the individual is a member- the “community”.’ This suggests that the ‘mentality’ of a community can be passed down through the generations and can be difficult to get out of, in this way communities allowed to exist without intervention could be dangerous and stagnant.
In this case, I have realised right here and now through typing this out, that maybe the answer is to actually have guidance workers who are not from the area to break this cycle and to bring a new ‘mentality’ to members of the community- hopefully this could change the communities thinking in the long term and benefit the community as a whole.
….I wonder if it would be possible to convince an interview panel that not knowing about the community you were going to be working within was a good thingJ!!!
Kidd, J.M. (2006) Understanding Career Counselling. Theory, Research and Practice. London, SAGE Publications
It seems that every job which I look for, which centres around giving guidance in a careers context always seems to suggest that they would ‘prefer/or it would be desirable’ that the applicant have knowledge of the area which they will be working in.
I can understand on the face of it why this would be- having an understanding of local issues, being able to relate with the local communities.
However, for someone coming out of a University course where we have been told that jobs in the Career Guidance sector wont be easy to come by and that we should consider relocating, then it is a further hurdle to learn that you would be looked down upon in your application if you did not come from the area.
Can it be possible to learn enough and integrate yourself enough into a new community in order to give the best guidance that you can to people affected by the local issues in the local area? Could enough research be done beforehand to function within this new community? These may be the many questions which worry an interview panel.
I feel that your role within your (new) job would be your small-knit community, where you could integrate fully eventually and learn the inside and outsides of how it works, functions and interacts with the wider community (your clients)?
Surely working within a job which deals directly with the public and social issues that it faces, you would quite quickly grow and learn the community as a whole and how you yourself can work within it and achieve the targets of your job for the benefit of the community’s members?
I realise the importance of community and understanding the community in which you work as it will form belief systems, ways of life for an individual, even for some people a way of thinking.
My granddad often used the phrase ‘small town mentality’ and what he meant, and quite harshly, was that people from small industrial towns where there was little work and little to do had the mentality that this was the way life was, that they couldn’t do anything about it; there was no jobs in their local area, and so for them benefits and unemployment was the way that they lived and would continue to live.
In this case it can be important to know the ‘mentality’ of a community. Bill Law (1981) stated that;’ the way in which who does what in society is decided is the product of a plurality of interpersonal transactions conducted in local settings, and on the basis of interaction within and between groups of which the individual is a member- the “community”.’ This suggests that the ‘mentality’ of a community can be passed down through the generations and can be difficult to get out of, in this way communities allowed to exist without intervention could be dangerous and stagnant.
In this case, I have realised right here and now through typing this out, that maybe the answer is to actually have guidance workers who are not from the area to break this cycle and to bring a new ‘mentality’ to members of the community- hopefully this could change the communities thinking in the long term and benefit the community as a whole.
….I wonder if it would be possible to convince an interview panel that not knowing about the community you were going to be working within was a good thingJ!!!
Kidd, J.M. (2006) Understanding Career Counselling. Theory, Research and Practice. London, SAGE Publications
Thursday, 23 April 2009
Recent Experience- Centigrade Interviews
I found the centigrade interviews to be useful in a number of ways. It was firstly interesting to have experience of trying to take part in an interview using the results of a matching technique. I found this particularly difficult as I felt that a great amount of time was spent beforehand trying to reassure the pupil that what was in the centigrade results wasn’t something that they would have to stick to, that these results were what was produced at a particular moment in time, that the results were a guide to possible career routes- it seemed that I was almost talking down the whole centigrade process at times.
I felt that the whole centigrade booklet could leave the pupils with a huge burden on their shoulders; if they didn’t choose something that was reported as being a ‘good match’ for them, would it be in the back of their minds that they wouldn’t be good at the route they eventually choose, I personally didn’t like the defectiveness of the report.
In both my interviews I felt that the individuals had answered the questions in the survey deliberately to have the outcomes that they wanted. In my first interview, the pupil was very quiet and almost, it seemed, completely disinterested in talking about his career choices (this was almost commented on by Pete).
When I delved further into family aspirations, the outcomes of his report seemed to relay what his parents wanted him to do rather than what he wanted to do. They had suggested that he do medicine as they thought it was a good career and that he was good at sciences, however, although his report only detailed matches to science subjects, when we discussed them he was un-emotive about these choices and also suggested that he would hate to be a doctor…..how did his results match him to a Medical Course when personally he suggests he would hate to be a doctor….is he answering the questions as if his parents will see the results!
He recognised that he was good at sciences but he had no interest there, in fact I feel now, with hindsight, that he was so disinterested in talking about his career choice as the centigrade results may have mirrored what his parents where already doing- forcing him into something he didn’t want to do!
I feel that maybe the school careers service could be doing more to address the issue of trying to really find out what interests you. This could happen through work placements and trials, why is it that pupils only have the chance of 1 placement within a working environment in their whole secondary school education; surely there is room for this to happen more often. This would allow children to, at least, have some confidence in knowing what areas of the working world they do and don’t like.
This may also lead to confidence in which to answer these surveys more openly and honestly as they would have genuine experience at their backs and may also help someone like the boy I interviewed to have the confidence to say to his parents ‘no I don’t want to be a doctor- I experienced something at school that I much prefer’-they would also have the confidence that he had.
I felt that the whole centigrade booklet could leave the pupils with a huge burden on their shoulders; if they didn’t choose something that was reported as being a ‘good match’ for them, would it be in the back of their minds that they wouldn’t be good at the route they eventually choose, I personally didn’t like the defectiveness of the report.
In both my interviews I felt that the individuals had answered the questions in the survey deliberately to have the outcomes that they wanted. In my first interview, the pupil was very quiet and almost, it seemed, completely disinterested in talking about his career choices (this was almost commented on by Pete).
When I delved further into family aspirations, the outcomes of his report seemed to relay what his parents wanted him to do rather than what he wanted to do. They had suggested that he do medicine as they thought it was a good career and that he was good at sciences, however, although his report only detailed matches to science subjects, when we discussed them he was un-emotive about these choices and also suggested that he would hate to be a doctor…..how did his results match him to a Medical Course when personally he suggests he would hate to be a doctor….is he answering the questions as if his parents will see the results!
He recognised that he was good at sciences but he had no interest there, in fact I feel now, with hindsight, that he was so disinterested in talking about his career choice as the centigrade results may have mirrored what his parents where already doing- forcing him into something he didn’t want to do!
I feel that maybe the school careers service could be doing more to address the issue of trying to really find out what interests you. This could happen through work placements and trials, why is it that pupils only have the chance of 1 placement within a working environment in their whole secondary school education; surely there is room for this to happen more often. This would allow children to, at least, have some confidence in knowing what areas of the working world they do and don’t like.
This may also lead to confidence in which to answer these surveys more openly and honestly as they would have genuine experience at their backs and may also help someone like the boy I interviewed to have the confidence to say to his parents ‘no I don’t want to be a doctor- I experienced something at school that I much prefer’-they would also have the confidence that he had.
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Comparison: Careers Scotland and Connexions
As I was one of the few to go down South on placement and spend sometime with the Connexions service and we have all done some work now with Careers Scotland, I thought it might be useful to post some of the differences between the two organisations, as I realise some people may be about to embark on a placement down there this time around.
‘Connexions is for you if you are 13-19, living in England and wanting advice on getting to where you want to be in life. It also provides support up to the age of 25 for young people who have learning difficulties or disabilities (or both).’ (www.connexions-direct.co.uk, 2008)
In this case this is the first major difference between Connexions and Careers Scotland; they work solely with young people and thus have no experience with adult guidance.
Connexions is a modern public service and young people are actively involved in its design and delivery. The service is managed locally by your Local Connexions Service and it brings together all the key youth support services. (www.connexions-direct.co.uk, 2008)
Connexions Personal Advisers work with young people in Local Connexions Services. They can give you information, advice and practical help with all sorts of things that might be affecting you at school, college, work or in your personal or family life. They can also refer you to specialist support if it is needed.
This is another clear difference between Careers Scotland and the Connexions service, although Key Workers or Activate advisers may develop an informal relationship with clients were social and personal issues may be discussed it is not within the Careers Scotland remit to be approached in order to gain advice on these issues specifically. This may be an area Connexions personal advisers are happy to engage with as they are working solely with young people who often have many issues while growing up and must in this case be specifically trained to have this experience. Connexions also provide drop-in clinics for the C-Card, a scheme which young people over the age of 12 can pick up free condoms from their local Connexions centre. This I found was awkward for some people within the orginisation, however, I found that the kids who took part really appreciated this service as they were often far too intimidated to go to a drop-in clinic at a local sexual health clinic. I feel that these sort of services, along with having a closer relationship with their personal adviser may allow the kids to be more open about their sexal behaviour and can thus get the information that they may previously have not know: the aim obviuosly would be to make them more aware of sexual relationships and not to encourage underage sex.
Connexions also targets the NEET group and works closely with individuals with learning difficulties and multiple barriers to learning, this echoes the youth work done within Careers Scotland. (www.everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2008)
The Connexions service has recently been through a process of transition. Following the publication of Every Child Matters: next steps, and children's trusts were set up in each local authority area. From 1 April 2008 the funding that went directly to 47 Connexions Partnerships now goes directly to all 150 local authorities (LAs), via the new Area Based Grant, with LAs now responsible for delivery. (www.everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2008) In this case Connexions is also subject to government policy in how their service is delivered and what is delivered, however LA’s can be more specific with the needs of their community problems and how best to spend the money that they are given.
‘Connexions is for you if you are 13-19, living in England and wanting advice on getting to where you want to be in life. It also provides support up to the age of 25 for young people who have learning difficulties or disabilities (or both).’ (www.connexions-direct.co.uk, 2008)
In this case this is the first major difference between Connexions and Careers Scotland; they work solely with young people and thus have no experience with adult guidance.
Connexions is a modern public service and young people are actively involved in its design and delivery. The service is managed locally by your Local Connexions Service and it brings together all the key youth support services. (www.connexions-direct.co.uk, 2008)
Connexions Personal Advisers work with young people in Local Connexions Services. They can give you information, advice and practical help with all sorts of things that might be affecting you at school, college, work or in your personal or family life. They can also refer you to specialist support if it is needed.
This is another clear difference between Careers Scotland and the Connexions service, although Key Workers or Activate advisers may develop an informal relationship with clients were social and personal issues may be discussed it is not within the Careers Scotland remit to be approached in order to gain advice on these issues specifically. This may be an area Connexions personal advisers are happy to engage with as they are working solely with young people who often have many issues while growing up and must in this case be specifically trained to have this experience. Connexions also provide drop-in clinics for the C-Card, a scheme which young people over the age of 12 can pick up free condoms from their local Connexions centre. This I found was awkward for some people within the orginisation, however, I found that the kids who took part really appreciated this service as they were often far too intimidated to go to a drop-in clinic at a local sexual health clinic. I feel that these sort of services, along with having a closer relationship with their personal adviser may allow the kids to be more open about their sexal behaviour and can thus get the information that they may previously have not know: the aim obviuosly would be to make them more aware of sexual relationships and not to encourage underage sex.
Connexions also targets the NEET group and works closely with individuals with learning difficulties and multiple barriers to learning, this echoes the youth work done within Careers Scotland. (www.everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2008)
The Connexions service has recently been through a process of transition. Following the publication of Every Child Matters: next steps, and children's trusts were set up in each local authority area. From 1 April 2008 the funding that went directly to 47 Connexions Partnerships now goes directly to all 150 local authorities (LAs), via the new Area Based Grant, with LAs now responsible for delivery. (www.everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2008) In this case Connexions is also subject to government policy in how their service is delivered and what is delivered, however LA’s can be more specific with the needs of their community problems and how best to spend the money that they are given.
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