Last week’s discussion on career development made me more aware of the path that has led me to my current career.  During my high school years, I do not remember receiving career counseling.  I remember that a school guidance counselor was available in the little trailer outside of the school if you ever needed to talk with him, but this was not linked to inquiries about career development.  Our group discussion helped me to think about my daughter and when is a good time to start talking about future career choice.  She will often question sometimes why I am in school and the work that I do during the day.  I think this is the building blocks for children to inquire about parents/caretakers roles in the job force. 

When reading the text this week, I was overwhelmed by the information on the various theories on career development.  I found Holland’s Theory of Vocational Choice of interest especially the thought that “an individual’s personality is the primary factor in vocational choice” (Brown, 2012).  I think to myself, does personality drive my career choice?  I do currently work in the social service field, but I chose this position mainly because I wanted to work with children with special needs.  I have calm and nurturing mannerisms that are needed in my job, but I have never associated my personality as a driving force for my career choice.  However, when interviewing people for job positions in our agency, I can often tell by the interviewee’s personality if they would be a good fit for the program.  We have a variety of programs in the agency from working with young children to working with teens with drug and alcohol issues.  I would have to agree with Holland that personality is a key factor in vocational choice, but it wasn’t until this chapter that I realized it for myself. 

Another part of the text I enjoyed this week was the discussion about values and how our culture influences our career path.  I am currently taking the multi-cultural counseling class this semester and both texts seem to be mirroring each other with concepts regarding culture, race and ethnicity and its impact on the person.  Sue and Sue (2012) discuss the importance of recognizing cultural differences at all times and appreciating the differences between each other.  Sue and Sue (2012) discuss that most Non-European cultures take a collectivistic approach when choosing a career.  Familial influence is of great importance for Asian American, Native American and Hispanic-American individuals when choosing a career.  Brown (2012) also makes note that many of the theories in the text speak to the individual and not the collectivistic thinking of many Non-European descent individuals. 

Brown, D. (2012). Career Informtion, Career Counseling, and Career Development (10th edition). New York: Pearson.

Sue, D. & Sue, D. (2012). Counseling the Culturally Diverse:Theory and Practice (5th edition). New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.