A Grounded Theory Approach Into The Development Of Career Goals

Many have experienced an encounter as a young child where they are asked what they want to be when they grow up. Answering that question may be easy as a kid because your mind is filled with thoughts of being the unimaginable. As you grow much older, those ideas begin to depart from the mind and you are suddenly more aware of what is and what is not possible in this world. When beginning the most important years of high school, you stop and rethink your career choice numerous times, stressing on who and what you want to be. Many adults such as teachers, counselors, and parents will emphasize the importance of knowing where you want to be in the future during high school, sometimes even middle school. It became imperative that one chose their

All throughout school, students are ask what we want to be when we grow up. Many of us know or have a pretty good idea, but others have no clue what they want to pursue as a career in life, whether it be furthering their education at a university or attending a technical school. There are other students that plan to start work right out of high school. Either way we all have a plan, and the purpose of this paper is to inform you of mine. I personally struggle in making big decisions like deciding what to do with my life, but then I realized I have been asking myself the wrong questions. Instead of asking what I want to be when I grow up, I asked myself what do I want out of life? what are some of my goals that I wish to achieve? This led

Growing up the main question a child is asked is, “What do you want to be when you grow up? “ , and most kids respond saying a doctor, lawyer, or a cop. In reality not everyone sticks to their first idea, and it’s slim that they actual start working in the chosen career. In my case, I have always wanted to work as a social worker or a therapist, but I realized it wasn’t in my budget. Therefore, I have decided; as well as, grew interest in being a dental assistant for a pediatric office.

During the interview, Stashia presented issues of career changed frequently as she diverted from majoring in one career path to another. She divulged in the interview that she had once listened to others and not decided on her own path. She reported changing her major, considered doing things differently if she could, and not having taken any vocational assessments that would have helped her. The writer will conceptualize interviewees barriers with theories of career counseling.

According to my site supervisor, there is only one career lesson delivered to each grade level at the middle school. She said that it is not until students get to high school that the counselors really begin to focus on careers and future plans. Upon further research, I discovered that this was consistent across all middle schools in the district. I feel as though it is of utmost importance for students to be prepared and have a plan once they graduate high school. They need to be aware of their options and their career goals. In order to have a career goal and understand their post-secondary options, students must understand and gain exposure the various career paths and opportunities. It is never too early to begin planning for the future, developing career goals, and creating a post-secondary plan. For these reasons, I chose to focus, advocate for, and plan for individual planning activities that career paths to aid students in career planning.

In this era of inconsistent careers, which emphasize greatly on psychological success and self-direction (Noe 2010, p. 410), the propensity of most successful employees is to take into consideration a career, more in terms of a life-long journey towards the achievement of personal goals and objectives, rather than in terms of a current position, job or role within a company. This has perhaps become mandated because in order for most companies to survive and remain viable in their operating environments, employee job descriptions and roles are constantly revised or been changed according to an improved or new strategic organizational direction that meet new business objectives. Terms such as “workforce

Savickas (2013) discussed the life design model to narrative career counseling, as it pertains to individuals already involved in a career. He stated that this model assists

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”; the question that everyone has been asked at some young stage in their life, is one that we feel we need to live up to. In today’s society we are taught that obtaining, and becoming successful in a career is one of the most important things that a person can do with their life. Starting at a young age, every generation has been told that hard work is needed in order to become successful. While this may be true, the process might prevent someone from living their life the way that they have always wanted to because they are too worried about what they believe is their number one priority: work. People will spend their whole life working in extremities just to gain a sense of pride, dignity, and a little

During their study regarding career decisions of university students, Özlen, and Arnaut (2013) found that family environment, parental influence, and parental career choice had a strong impact on career decisions. Additionally, this information can be utilized to a variety of situations that address different cultural norms or socio-economic statuses. Currently, I spend way too much money on automobile repairs, because my father, who is a mechanic, refused to teach me how to work on cars. He wanted something different for me, and it had a direct effect on me not entering mechanical fields for a variety of reasons. This same philosophy could be explored with youth exposed to unacceptable forms of gaining income, as a means of survival in difficult life circumstances. Capuzzi (2017) mentioned the need for counselors to “broaden the scope” of career possibilities for individuals (26:00), which could include sharing positive stories in similar circumstances as a means of empowerment and

Though a generally overlooked and unappreciated field of work, career counseling has made significant impact in the field of psychology. Frank Parsons’ 1906 lecture, “The Ideal City,” emphasizes the need for young people to receive assistance in choosing a vocation (Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2013). Further, Parsons was one of the pioneers in linking personality traits to vocational success, thus coining him as the father of vocational guidance (Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2013).

They are no longer viewed objectively by their actions or subjectively by their agency (Dugger, 2016). Career development is influenced by the stories that are developed our ourselves and the education and occupational plot. (Savickas,

For many people, finding a career that is both fulfilling and practical is a strenuous task. Fortunately, there is a plethora of different interventions, techniques, assessments, and inventories designed to aid those individuals in making the wisest career choices possible. But are any of those routes inherently better than the others? Or are all the differing options separate but equally effective? Donald Super’s Life Span Theory and John Holland’s Theory of Vocational Choice are just two of the many theories used for career counseling. Both methods are distinct in the way they approach career issues, yet despite their differences, there are some resemblances between the two theories as well. Comparing and contrasting these two theories will make it easier to see if one theory is better than the other for career counseling or if they are both equally effective.

Career development is a lifelong journey combining an individual’s personality and interests with their world of work. When it comes to educating and counseling about careers in an elementary, middle, and high school it will look different, since there is an array of topics to focus on for each level of education. The focus of this Career Curriculum is for 7th Grade Students and has been based on theories appropriate to this level and created with Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory and Erickson’s Psychosocial Development Theory in mind. This particular unit focuses on Personal Awareness (Career Development including values, interests, and skills), Career Awareness (Career Development and Planning), Goal Setting and Decision Making. It builds on the same general topics as covered in the 6th Grade Curriculum but takes it a step further, asking students to implement strategies they have already learned about goal setting and decision making as well as exposing them to a wider range of career opportunities. Some of the activities and ideas in the curriculum have been adapted and modified from the Newfoundland Labrador Department of Education and Learning for Life.org. as well as the Chapter on 6th and 7th Grade Career Education in Curry and Milsom.

Career progression is the aim for most workers, but career development is not something most of us think regularly. But without proper understanding of what we want from our career and how we can achieve our goals quicker, we can quickly end up dissatisfied with our jobs.

This lesson mainly addressed aspects related to career development. This lesson encourages students to discover their academic and personal strengths, their skillsets, and their interests. Students then take those concepts and apply them to career exploration. They are able to link their strengths, preferences, and abilities to potential future career paths. Some of the specific aspects of career development that I addressed include applying planning and career exploration in setting and obtaining lifelong career goals, applying necessary skills for career readiness and success, and teaching students where and how to obtain information about post-secondary options. In this lesson students are encouraged to apply decision making skills to place different careers into the appropriate career fields. In doing so, they are also encouraged to begin thinking about careers that are of interest to them and what career goals they have for themselves. They will be given resources in order to continue career exploration outside of the classroom. While I do not expect sixth graders to fully decide their career path, it is my firm belief that it is never too early to get students thinking about careers and having them set goals in order to obtain the career and future that they desire. I also believe that this unit touches on social and emotional development as well as academic development. This lesson allows the student to collaborate with one another and work in groups as well as in pairs. This promotes relationship building and teamwork. It also allows students to take an inventory of their personal strengths and skillsets. This could boost self-esteem and promotes a sense of self-awareness. Lastly, this unit also encompasses academic development. Students will understand that good grades and academic success are key elements to obtaining the career that they wish to have. By being academically successful, this will allow them greater options and opportunity post high school graduation.