Career

Engaging with the Career Guidance process

We don’t often get an opportunity to spend time thinking about the things that motivate us or what our values are related to a work context. For adolescents there is very little time to think about these things. The world is fast paced and adolescents seem to have busier lives than their parents! The world of work is changing and career options changing even faster. These factors can make choosing a career daunting. For adults we may find ourselves in a career we no longer feel satisfied with. How do you choose if you do not know yourself?

Despite how quickly the world of careers and work is changing, at the end of Grade 12, an adolescent, young adult, is expected to know what career to choose. There are many misconceptions about what a career is and made all the more daunting is the idea that the choice you make is a life-long choice. Research is showing that this is not the case and people are changing their careers every 5 years. This can be daunting for anyone to make a decision concerning career.

How do you know what is available? How do you know if you need a Degree, a Diploma or to develop a Career Portfolio? More importantly, how do you make a decision if you do not know yourself or lack knowledge about the workforce and careers?

I enjoy working with adolescents as it is a time of challenging ideas and questioning what parents, and indeed, even what the world is saying. Each generation challenges the one before and it is in this way that progress is possible. The process of Career Guidance is to offer an individual an opportunity to explore values, motives, strengths and weaknesses. The aim is to learn more about the world of work as well as deepen self-knowledge.

How is this carried out?
I run a battery of psychometrics which is put together depending on each individual and their specific requirements. The individual receives a workbook in which all personal exploration is done. Information from both the psychometric tests and the narrative-style exploration, and collaborative conversations, are combined in a user friendly report. The report includes many aspects and is offered as a way to assist the individual and the family in further exploration of options regarding career choice. Many adolescents come to the Career Guidance process being either hesitant or irritated with ‘extra work’. I have found that most have walked out feeling surprised at what was learnt, confident in extending their own self-knowledge and encouraged to pursue choices which may be best suited to their personality, values and motives.

Career Guidance is not limited to adolescents only. I have consulted adults who are discontent with a tertiary education course in which they are enrolled, or have become disillusioned with their present work or career. The aim is to provide a space to allow exploration both personal and career-focused, and, ultimately to generate alternate ideas and create excitement when viewing the future of work.