Blog 1

                 Prior to this class, I had never thought about the history of career development counseling. It was intriguing to read in Brown’s textbook and intriguing to learn about how the research has got to where it is today. Currently, there appears to be a call to adapt current methods of career development and career services to incorporate the social contexts that are current with the twenty-first century, as well as the individual who is seeking the counseling (Brown, 2016). Reflecting on how society has changed in just the past twenty to thirty years, it is clear that theories and practices do need to change and that society plays a larger role in a career that an individual may pursue more than what can be seen on the surface. Friedman (2005) discusses economic “flatteners” such as the fall of the Soviet Union, the internet, and the globalization of the world that impacts the job market and in return the people who are pursuing careers in multiple industries (as cited in Brown, 2016). These events and revolutions that have engulfed society need to be integrated when career counseling, career services, and career coaching is taking place because they have had such an impact on society.

            Furthermore, in defining the term career, there is controversy (Brown, 2016). If there is disagreement on how to define the term career, it doesn’t seem surprising that the career interventions and career strategies need to be updated. Brown (2016) adopts Sear’s (1982) definition for career: “The totality of work one does in a lifetime” (p. 8). Seeing all of these definitions has resulted in thinking of my own definition of career. Before reading this textbook, I would have said that a career is a person’s professional skills and development within one specific position, job, or occupation. I did not think that a person’s career included all of the positions/jobs/occupations that they have had across the lifespan. Rather, I believed it was within a similar job field (for example, teaching, sociology, recreation). It makes sense, though, that a career would be an encompassing term for all of an individual’s professional life. According to Herr & Cramer, 1996) “Careers are unique to each person and created by what one chooses or does not choose. They are dynamic and unfold throughout life. They include not only occupations but prevocational and post-vocational concerns as well as integration of work with other roles: family, community, and leisure” (as cited in Brown, 2016, p. 8). After doing the discussion for this week as well as reading the chapter I really appreciate this definition. I think that career is greatly impacted by life experiences that you have had or others close to you have had. I think that this class will continue to expose me to new ideas and will help develop me into a more effective counselor.

References 

Brown, D. (2016). Career information, career counseling, and career development. United States of America: Person Education, Inc.