week 10

            When it comes to career choice it would seem that people could use as much as help as they can get.  It is one of the primary questions that I have heard from teenagers and young adults over the years.  They often struggle with which path to take for a decision that seems life shaping for many years to come.  The decision can be overwhelming at times, particularly in light of the multitude of options that may be available.   Many teens that I have known have expressed amusement at the career testing that has often been done by their local guidance counselors.  I’m sure the counselors had great intentions and are certainly to be lauded for at least entering into the career discernment process in some way.  And to be fair they are typically limited by time constraints to do much more than a test that can be administered to a large group of people.   Still, the overwhelming feedback from teens I have known is that the career test they received in high school was more of a joke than any help at all.  So how do we assist these young people with a search that they are likely on before we as counselors even begin to assert our presence in the 10^th or 11^th grade year of high school? 

            I can only speak from the anecdotal evidence of my own children’s reports and of the many youth I have worked with over the years.  They have seemed to benefit the most from four things:  a one-on-one interview with a parent or other adult, interactions with those in a particular career, job experiences, and internship opportunities.  It would be wonderful to give parents/youth leaders tools that they can employ one on one with youth and young adults as they discern their interests, abilities, and values.  Although one school counselor could never accomplish this for hundreds of students, perhaps they could encourage and equip others to provide this opportunity.  I have also been very appreciative of the teachers who have brought in employees in a particular field in order to talk to students about what it is like to do the work they do.  My son is in 9^th grade, and his engineering teacher brought in several engineers in several different specialties to talk to the students.  My son’s mind was broadened and intrigued by the various possibilities, and how they meshed with his interests and work style.  Internships are also a wonderful opportunity to try out various job situations.  And students learn as much from the ones they do not enjoy as they do from the ones that are a good fit.  Although some of these things from which students have benefitted may not be “tests” per se, they can be very helpful pieces of career assessment for students as they determine what careers may be a good match for them.  There is one other thing that I have always found to be helpful to remember:  no student should ever feel that choosing a career is a once and done decision.  Particularly today, many people change jobs and careers over their working years.  Hopefully that helps to take off some of the pressure, and helps to reframe career choice as a fun, interesting, and exciting opportunity.

Drummond, R.J. & Jones, K. (2010). Assessment procedures for counselors and helping professionals ( 7^th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.