True to first chapter form
of many textbooks, Brown’s (2016) chapter 1 introduced a historical sketch of
the field of career development, a terms defined section and general
information about the field of career development and introduced the layout of
the textbook. Throughout the chapter, Brown
(2016) not only uncovered some misconceptions that I had not be aware of, he
also presented various perspectives regarding career development terminology and
modern-day concerns within the field of career development.
One common misconception Brown (2016) points out is that
many laypeople use of terms job, occupation, and vocation as synonymous when in
fact all three are different concepts.
Prior to reading the chapter, I was guilty of using these terms in a synonymous manner. Further, I was not aware
that “vocation” has a religious context associated with the term, which causes the
term to be rejected by many career counselors and psychologists since the
belief that one is “called by God” to fulfill a pre-determined occupation
removes the element of free-will. Had I
been aware of the religious sub-context associated with vocation, I also would
have rejected the term for that reason.
Brown (2016) also presents varying perspectives regarding
career development terminology. For the
purposes of the textbook, Brown (2016) favors Sears’s (1982) definition of
career development which conceptualizes a career as a series of paid or unpaid occupations
or jobs that an individual holds throughout his or her lifetime. However, I tend to favor Super’s (1974) and Herr
and Cramer’s (1996) definition of a career which adopts not only the
perspective of a career as a series of jobs or occupations one holds throughout
the lifetime, but also includes the individual’s holistic lifestyle, such as family,
community, leisure and the individual’s total pattern of self-development. I prefer this perspective because it incorporates
the concept of the individual’s career as well as his or her other life roles
and place within the micro and macro system.
This perspective is advantageous in that one can glean a more holistic
view of the individual.
Finally, Brown (2016) concludes the chapter with current
issues in the field of career development and a piece on social justice. One particular point spoke volumes to my
personal experience in the work force.
In a section on Work, Money and Discrimination,
Brown (2016) points out that discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity,
and sexual orientation commonly occur regardless of factors such as level of
competency. I have experienced gender
related discrimination while working as a waitress at a small-town diner. The restaurant owner had the tendency to treat
the male staff with significantly more respect than his female staff. For example, the owner would frequently yell
at female staff in a very demeaning manner while he would correct male staff
with more respect. Further, male staff
would also occasionally receive small raises whereas none of the female staff ever
received a raise in pay in any amount regardless of seniority or competency.
Brown (2016) concludes the chapter with a segment on social
justice, which proposes that all people regardless of ethnic origin, gender
social status, race or religion deserve to be treated equally. While the concept of social justice was
clearly non-existent at the diner where I once worked, the opportunity for
advancement and fair treatment for all people must be advocated for in society. To close, I would like to borrow some words
from Brown (2016) that really spoke to me: “Social justice cannot be fully
realized unless people have meaningful jobs.”
This statement embodies the philosophy that everyone needs to have the
ability pursuit meaningful work once the playing field is made to be fully
egalitarian.
References
Brown,
D. (2016). Career information, career
counseling, and career development,
(11th ed.). Chapel Hill, NC:
Pearson.
No comments:
Post a Comment