Post #3

When reading through this week's chapter, I really liked Krumboltz Social Learning Theory as well as the Social cognitive career theory because it brought up different aspects of career development that I had been questioning. While the previous theories made sense to me, I often wondered if that was really all there is to it? What about all the other factors that contribute to a person's life and decisions.  

I liked that Krumboltz brought up genetic factors, the environment, and learning experiences (Brown, 2012, p. 60). I believe that genetic factors are a big part of career development. Like we had discussed in class, not everyone starts out on a equal playing field. It is important to recognize that some of these internal abilities like being artistic or physically coordinated may either help or hinder the individual. For example, when I took the Holland career test, my main personality type was artistic. However, I am not artistic at all. I enjoy art, shopping, decorating, etc. but I have no skills in creating any of it. I am just a bystander to the creativity. If I was born with an artistic gift, I think my career choice would have been an easy one. Other factors that Krumboltz discussed are also very improtant. The environment can play a big role in people's lives. Some people are lucky and grow up in a supportive household and dodge life's unexpected devastations. While others are faced with poverty, natural disasters, and other horrific life events. These experiences and resources can have a big impact on a person's career path. Finally, as a TSS, I believe heavily on learning experiences. I try to get my clients to relate their experiences with a reward or punishment so that they can learn from it and will know next time how to produce a positive outcome.  I believe everyone does this consciously and unconsciously. I had an awful experience with my undergraduate internship and because of that experience, I decided not to go that path in graduate school. I often wonder if I would have been located at a different school district if the experience would have been more positive. If the learning experience was a positive one it may have led me down a completely different path. 

The part of Social cognitive career theory that I really agreed with is the fact the people interact with their environment (Brown, 2012, p. 62). The key feature of this theory being that of self-efficacy. If a person does not believe highly in their skills, they will not go out on a limb and try to move up in their career or go for a career if they believe they can't do it. This also reminds me of people who receive a positive reaction from their environment. They are then more likely to continue to put themselves out there. While people who do not get as good of feedback will take a step back and this will probably lower their expectations and goals. 

I enjoyed both of these theories from this chapter. I related to them because of the learning aspect as well as the internal self-efficacy component. The theories seemed all enveloping to me. I felt like they included many of the things that I was questioning from the earlier theories. 


Reference

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