Stylish Adaptation – career decision making styles and adaptability dimensions John Hannon

What’s my role?

Give them lots of information

Choices, choices….How do we adapt?

Values

But they’re only young…

Growing up and taking control

You can’t drive a parked car!

Transitions Arnold (1997) ‘An event or non-event resulting in a change of assumption about oneself and the world, thus requiring corresponding changes in one’s behaviour and relationships” Parkes (1971) - psychosocial transition  Only a transition if so defined by the person experiencing it To understand meaning we need to examine:  Anticipated v unanticipated v non-event  Perspective  Context  Impact

How are careers like this guy?

Career Adaptability  The capability of an individual to make a series of successful transitions where the labour market, organisation of work and underlying occupational and organisational knowledge bases may be subject to considerable change (Bimrose et al., 2011) ...individual’s readiness and resources for coping with current and anticipated tasks, transitions, traumas in their occupational roles that, to some degree large or small, alter their social integration (Savickas and Porfeli, 2010: 3-4).

What’s the moral of this?

Evaluative Ongoing self - evaluation / self- appraisal (of needs, values, abilities...) Approach - base decisions on emotional and practical considerations. Always learning... Uncertainty and ambiguity Feel able to start identifying longer term goals…and growing in confidence Aspirational Identify vaguely focused but distant career goals…happy to pursue interim goals/jobs to ‘get by’. Goals often highly competitive / challenging… sacrifice is OK Approach - heart rules head. Personal and career decisions intertwined Strategic Very focused. Base decisions on assessment of options and like planning. Approach - rational. See career as something you rationally construct, have well- developed problem-solving skills. Opportunistic Take opportunities that present themselves, often unexpectedly. Can cope with high levels of uncertainty/ambiguity. Reluctant to close off options. Approach - intuition, what ‘feels right’ and resist planning. Flexible. Career Decision Making Style Bimrose et al. (2008)

Control Decisive, self discipline + regulation, upbeat, negotiate STRATEGIC – I don’t think anyone has influence over me... I can still try and get more experience, more qualifications and more of everything... ASPIRATIONAL – ‘there’s lots of choice out there, I just don’t think it applies to me. I’m kind of like stuck on this path because I want to be there’ EVALUATIVE –’trying to see around corners’. Procrastination? OPPORTUNISTIC –I am decisive but I am very unpredictable, I think that’s the way. I need to kind of go yes, I will go for it. I don’t really go…oh no…..I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.

Curiosity Inquisitive, explore, seek info., experiment, future, reflect STRATEGIC - So that was the only careers activities that I did because I was quite confident starting so I really didn’t bother to do anything else ASPIRATIONAL – ‘freaking out’ – very limited EVALUATIVE – Very limited, thinking too much OPPORTUNISTIC – Why? Sure it will happen anyway!

Confidence Self efficacy, overcoming obstacles/problem solving, learn new skills, SE coping with transition STRATEGIC – Absolutely! ASPIRATIONAL – fate EVALUATIVE – yes...seems to improve for interview 2 OPPORTUNISTIC – yes some so much for one - issues around feeling young, not ready...

Transitions  Turning points (Levinson, 1986; Hodkinson and Sparkes, 1997)  Opportunity for growth and transformation  Letting go of self, learning new roles (Schlossberg and Goodman, 2012)  River and raft metaphor – chaotic power beyond our control v adventure requiring readiness and vigilance  Contextual – meanings are personally constructed out of experience

Where’s your role?

Someone else will do it for me

If I continue to sit in the car

Select bibliography Amundson, N.E., Borgen, W.A., Iaquinta,M, Butterfield, L.D. & Koert, E (2010), Career Decisions From the Decider's Perspective. The Career Development Quarterly, 58 (4) : 335 – 351 Bimrose, J., Barnes, S.A., and Hughes, D.(2008) Adult Career Progression and Advancement: A Five Year Study of the Effectiveness of Guidance Hodkinson, P., Sparkes, A.C. (1997) Careership: a sociological theory of career decision making. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 18, 1: Inkson, K. (2007). Understanding Careers: The Metaphors of Working Lives. London: Sage Publications Paton, K. (2007). Conceptualising ‘Choice’; A review of the theoretical literature. School of Education, University of Southampton. Pryor, RGL, Pryor, JEH (2009) Applying Chaos Theory to Careers: Attraction and Attractors. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 71 : Savickas, M.L. (2013). Career Construction Theory and Practice in Lent, R.W. and Brown, S.D. (eds.) Career Development and Counseling: putting theory and research to work (2 nd edition). New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons :