Blog #2

After discussing and reading about the Trait-and-Factor and Person-Environment theories in Chapter 2, I had a lot of hesitation in buying into this theory. When reading about Holland's Theory, the first assumption is "an individual's personality is the primary factor in vocation choice" (Brown, 2012, p. 30). He goes on to discuss how it is necessary for one's career to be congruent with their personality for them to be successful and satisfied. My main goal in life is to just to be happy. I am in this field because I want to help people and make a difference in their lives, but sometimes I wonder if that is enough? What if my personality doesn't match my career? So I decided to take a test based on Holland's theory. My top ten suggested careers ranged from different types of teachers (English, Psychology, Literature, Communications) to Marriage and Family Therapist to Mental Health Counselor ("Career test," 2012). It really surprised me that my suggested careers were so closely related to what I actually want to do. I was expecting results like door salesman or artist (both of which I have zero skills for). My main field of study that I am interested in pursuing is Marriage and Family therapy so I was really excited to find that it matches my personality. Also, after I am in the field for awhile and I am able to gain different experiences, I would want to teach. I guess I always knew that a person's personality had a lot to do with whether they would enjoy their career, but I also believe there is more to it than that. I am looking forward to learning about the other theories and testing them out as well.

Holland suggests that a person's work environment needs to match their personality so the person can feel more comfortable. This can result in "a more stable vocational choice, greater vocational achievement, higher academic achievement, better maintenance of personal stability, and greater satisfaction" (Brown, 2012, p. 33). This makes a lot more sense to me. I believe a person's environment has a lot to do with whether they are happy or not. A person may love their actual job, but feel completely disconnected from the company they work for or even the other employees. This could really affect their happiness. If a person wakes up every morning and dreads coming into work because of their boss, then no matter how compatible their personality is with their career they will still be unhappy. I hope to one day wake up in the morning and be excited to start the day. I mean, how many people can really say that they love their job? I hope to be one of those lucky few.




References

Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Career test. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.123test.com/career-test/