I found Guindon and Hannah’s article somewhat flaky. At the end of their article they note, “Although LIMITED case studies do not justify any sweeping conclusions, nevertheless SOME implications for career counselors are provided by these cases” (Guindon and Hannah 2002, page 205). The all caps shows that there is not enough research to show that this way of career development should suprass that of trait-factor or developmental theories. This is not to say that this perspective is wrong, but I believe it can lead clients down a road where they are “dreaming” a little too much.
In the cases referenced by Guindon and Hannah, dreams (whether they are sleeping dreams or hopes) are referenced and coincidentally they are reconnected with some kind of career opportunity. Does this happen sometimes? Yes, but in order for this concept to be applied across many clients it would be pretty worthless.
As an elementary school teacher, I will be the first to admit that I am an optimist. I believe whole heartedly that kids should have hopes and dreams and act on them by setting goals and making it real. Their minds are so fragile and sensitive, and I will be the last person to get in the way of that. Considering that I do teach children, it is hard for me to think this way when dealing with adults. Adults seeking careers need to be more realistic, and I feel counselors/mentors supporting these adults should feel the same.
The case studies in this article were nice to read, but like I mentioned before, even the researchers admit that it is basically a rare occurrence. I felt that the counselors were waiting for some type of coincidence, serendipity, or happenstance to occur. Obviously, this is an assumption, and I could be way off on my accusation, but waiting for something to pan out doesn’t usually work.
What I can relate to is how each of the clients cited in this article before seeking a counselor had a job that they wanted to do and what met their interests (this was proven through personality/interest surveys). They all stayed in the same field, but changed careers within that field to meet their “dreams”. The reason I can relate to this is because I feel that I am in a similar situation in my life. I feel that my purpose in life is to be a male role model and mentor for those who may not have that at home. My first instinct was to become an elementary school teacher (after all, what else would make sense, haha). As I am in my 5th year of teaching, I am starting to realize that there is no way I can do this for the rest of my life! Then I started to see that there are many ways I can take this purpose (interest) and apply it. In other words, I can teach and mentor kids without being an elementary school teacher.
I did not come to this realization by dreaming it up. It did not happen by coincidence. I came to this realization through research, experience, and conversations. This is not to say that a year from now, a coincidence is not in my foreseeable future. I guess I will have to wait and see.
Guidon, M.H. & Hanna, F.J. (2002). Coincidence, Happenstance, Serendipity, Fate, or the Hand of God: Case Studies in Synchronicity. The Career Development Quarterly, 50, p. 195-208.
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