Unit Introduction: Determining Direction

“The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating.
The paths are not to be found, but made.
And the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination.”
- John Schaar

Some of us want our career and life plan to unfold in a simple, structured, straightforward manner—a guaranteed plan without detours or obstacles—a map that describes exactly how long the trip will be and when we’ll arrive at the destination. We want to know what the future holds so we can avoid hidden or unexpected difficulties. 

Yet, the career journey can be a wayward development. Fortunately, or not, our careers do not always progress in a linear fashion. Furthermore, our career progression may not fall in the timelines we want. Careers can be complex with many elements that we do not have control over. Plus, career planning is not a one-time event, it is an ever-evolving pursuit. Sometimes we do not see the map or the direction until years down the road, when we look back on our career.

The unknown can cause feeling overwhelmed or anxious. This is common. Making life decisions is challenging and we can become consumed by fear because we do not want to make a mistake. Taking one step by completing this Resource, or taking action towards your vision can help reduce feelings like overwhelm and shift to feeling excited!

The intention of this unit is to help you at any stage in your career. We break down the process in the following modules:

• Professional Assets
• External Influences
• Career Planning

You can parachute in and complete one module, however, the interconnectedness of these topics is difficult to separate. To effectively construct a career plan, you need to know your values, strengths, interests, and skills—self-awareness is key. This understanding can help you navigate unpredictable terrain (your career path and/or world events). Moreover, an external focus on the labour market and the world is equally as important.

If you want an in-demand occupation, labour market research is necessary. Career planning connects the dots, which can inform your next steps. Similarly, we proposed in the course introduction using the project manager analogy—know your resources and the project vision, plan, and goals.

All of this is a way to simplify the complexity of careers. It can also be a way for those who may need structure or have difficulty embracing change and chaos.

Self-awareness and career exploration requires reflection—it is an introspective journey. For some, this might be an uncomfortable process. Remember, if you have worked through the unit and find yourself at a standstill, book an appointment with a Career Advisor in Career Services in Libcal.

With the accelerated pace of the evolving world landscape the career planning module is expanded upon with the self-directed career management framework (Hirschi, 2012), such that you are invited to identify your resources or assets in this unit. We also draw from various careers models and frameworks such as Systems Theory Framework (STF) of Career Development (Patton & McMahon, 2016), whereby this unit focuses on you as a whole person, your life and career.

Chaos Theory of Careers (CTC) (Bright, 2013) and The Happenstance Learning Theory (Krumboltz, 2009) impart that careers are complex, with multiple, dynamic factors at play. You and the world are ever changing. Furthermore, both theories recognize that career paths often emerge from chance events. 

Even though creating a plan and staying open to serendipitous opportunities can seem to be contradictory and life can be unpredictable, one can realize a vision. This unit provides various approaches that can be useful for clarifying your direction. In the following short video, Dr. Jim Bright, author of Chaos Theory of Careers, discusses the ambiguity of career and life. (Bright, 2013) (10:43)

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References