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D a n W i lc o xK a n s a s S ta te U n iv e r s i ty

2 0 1 8 N A C A D A I n te r n a t io n a l C o n f e r e n c eU n iv e r s i ty C o l le g e , D u b l in

Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little.

The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark.

--Agnes De Mille

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Ja m ie V a ro n , F e b ru a ry 2 0 1 6 , H u f f in g to n P o s t

M ark M ason, October 22, 2015, Screw Find ing Your Passion http ://m arkm anson.net/passion

Overall, in order of magnitude of the observed increase, the findings indicate that recent generations of young people perceive that others are more demanding of them, are more demanding of others, and are more demanding of themselves.

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! �I get upset when people ask me what I want to do with my life.”! “I get so depressed about choosing a major that I can't even get started.”

! I'd like to choose this field, but there's no way that I'll be successful.�

! �I am interested in everything. I can't choose!�! “I better wait until I know what I want to do before I select a major.”

! �If I don‘t make the right choice now, I am going to pay for it later.�

! This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation.

! Alice replied, rather shyly, “I, I hardly know, sir, just at present--at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.”!Lewis Carroll

! What do you want to be when you grow up?! What’s your major?! What will you do with that major?

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! Today I received approximately the 11,504th email this year from a person telling me that they don’t know what to do with their life. And like all of the others, this person asked me if I had any ideas of what they could do, where they could start, where to “find their passion.”

! And of course, I didn’t respond. Why? Because I have no (expletive deleted) clue. If you don’t have any idea what to do with yourself, what makes you think some jackass with a website would? I’m a writer, not a fortune teller.

M ark M ason, October 22, 2015, Screw Find ing Your Passion

http ://m arkm anson.net/passion

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Too often, career counselors have not been trained to be comfortable with a client who remains undecided for very long.

K ru m b o ltz , J .D . , L e v in , A .S . , a n d M itc h e ll , K . (1 9 9 9 ). P la n n e d

h a p p e n s ta n c e : C o n s t ru c t in g u n e x p e c te d c a re e r o p p o r tu n it ie s .

! …a focus on their own uneasiness rather than on listening to their advisees

! …favoring the advisor’s perspectives and goals vs. student’s perspectives and goals

! …loosing confidence in self, skills, the advising process and the power of the advising relationship.

A d a p te d f ro m : L e v it t & Ja c q u e s (2 0 0 5 ). P ro m o t in g

T o le ra n c e fo r A m b ig u ity in C o u n s e lo r T ra in in g P ro g ra m s

! …How tolerant of ambiguity and uncertainty are we?! …Is it possible to increase our tolerance for instability and change?

! …How can we make friends with unpredictability and uncertainty and embrace them as vehicles to transform our lives?

! ….How can we respond with curiosity and enthusiasm when we know that there is no clear answer?

! …Can we help our students learn these same lessons?

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Dass,%R.%&%Gordon,%P.%(1985).%How%can%I%help?

1. The matching model has never worked as well as we want it to.

2. We aren’t very good at identifying why we like the things we like.

3. Even if there was a time when matching did work, today’s world of work is so turbulent that we can no longer count on keeping our match.

T h e P o s tm o d e r n Vir tu e s o f B e in g

a n U n d e c id e d M a jo r

--Tom Krieshok

1. The matching model has never worked as well as we want it to.

T h e P o s tm o d e r n Vir tu e s o f B e in g

a n U n d e c id e d M a jo r

--Tom Krieshok

Despite the appeal of such an elegant model, research suggests only 10 to 15% of these outcomes are explained by a match. In other words, there are other factors that explain why people are satisfied, engaged and productive at work.

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1. The matching model has never worked as well as we want it to.

2. We aren’t very good at identifying why we like the things we like.

T h e P o s tm o d e r n Vir tu e s o f B e in g

a n U n d e c id e d M a jo r

--Tom Krieshok

If we want to steer ourselves toward happiness, it’s important to know why we make wrong turns, and how we end up disappointed by the very choices that were supposed to (make us happy).

--Sheena Inyengar

! Shouldn’t we know the tastes, preferences, needs, and desires of the people we will be next year—or at least later this afternoon?

! Shouldn't we understand our future selves well enough to shape their lives—to find careers and lovers whom they will cherish, to buy slipcovers for the sofa that they will treasure for years to come?

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! Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known.

- - G a r r is o n K e i l le r

! Getting involved and engaged makes both rational & intuitive tools more informed and less naïve.

K r ie s h o k , B la c k , & M c K a y (2 0 0 9 ).

C a re e r d e c is io n m a k in g : T h e l im its o f r a t io n a lity a n d a b u n d a n c e o f

n o n - c o n s c io u s p ro c e s s e s .

1. The matching model has never worked as well as we want it to.

2. We aren’t very good at identifying why we like the things we like.

3. Even if there was a time when matching did work, today’s world of work is so turbulent that we can no longer count on keeping our match.

T h e P o s tm o d e r n Vir tu e s o f B e in g

a n U n d e c id e d M a jo r

--Tom Krieshok

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! “I’m committed to biology as a major and career, because it seems like a reasonable match with where I am today, and where I could see myself in five years. But, in fact, I am likely to change a great deal in the next five years, and more importantly, I am likely to be exposed to a thousand different people and situations that could provide opportunities.”

!Com plexity!Change !Chance

Pryor, R. & Bright, J. (2011). The chaos theory of careers: A new perspective on working in the twenty-first century.

Jim B r ig h t

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! …states that a small incident at the beginning of a process (such as a having a conversation with someone at a conference) can produce a huge effect in the long term outcome (a new career).

1. The matching model has never worked as well as we want it to.

2. We aren’t very good at identifying why we like the things we like.

3. Even if there was a time when matching did work, today’s world of work is so turbulent that we can no longer count on keeping our match.

T h e P o s tm o d e r n Vir tu e s o f B e in g

a n U n d e c id e d M a jo r

--Tom Krieshok

! Traditional Career Advising! Help students overcome indecision and make a

choice.

! An alternative! Put less of an emphasis on decidedness as an

outcome.! Welcome indecision as a sensible approach to a

complex and unpredictable future.! Promote an appreciation for planned

happenstance! Encourage action and engagement

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! Accept uncertainty and welcome indecision as a sensible approach to a complex and unpredictable future.

! Promote an appreciation for planned happenstance.

! Encourage action and engagement.

! Career indecision is normal and not a problem to overcome.

! Anxiety about planning for the future is normal and can be replaced by a sense of adventure, curiosity, openness and a receptiveness to possibilities.

! Career indecision is hesitation before transformation.

! It’s an opportunity to make meaning of one’s life, to tap into and articulate one’s story.

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! Plan your future and stick to your plan.

! Failing to plan is planning to fail.

1. There is no plan.2. Think strengths not

weaknesses.3. It’s not about you.4. Persistence trumps talent.5. Make excellent mistakes.6. Leave an imprint.

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! A creative approach to decision making requires two attitudes:◦ A c c e p t u n c e r ta in ty◦ B e p o s it iv e a b o u t u n c e r ta in ty

! It comprises four paradoxical principles1. B e fo c u s e d a n d f le x ib le a b o u t w h a t y o u w a n t

2 . B e a w a re a n d w a ry a b o u t w h a t y o u k n o w3. B e o b je c t iv e a n d o p t im is t ic a b o u t w h a t y o u

b e lie v e

4 . B e p ra c t ic a l a n d in tu it iv e a b o u t w h a t y o u d o

Gelatt, H.B. (2003). Creative decision-making: Using positive uncertainty. (2nded) Menlo Park, CA: Crisp.

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Tell others you are “open-minded”--not

“undecided.”

! Accept uncertainty and welcome indecision as a sensible approach to a complex and unpredictable future.

! Prom ote an appreciation for p lanned happenstance.

“My career had all the straight-line consistency of a tangled ball of yarn. Did I know where I was headed? Absolutely not! Did I plan my career moves in logical progression? Absolutely not.

There was no grand design. I was a California boy, stumbling cheerfully through life, succeeding, falling on my face, picking myself up and plunging ahead, holding onto some simple values, trying to live with a civil heart as someone said, always learning, always trying, always wondering.”

--John Gardner

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“Have you ever noticed that unplanned events –chance occurrences –more often determine your life and career choices than all the careful planning you do? A chance meeting, a broken appointment, a spontaneous vacation trip, a “fill-in” job, a newly discovered hobby – these are the kinds of experiences –happenstances – that lead to unexpected life directions and career choices.”

– John D. Krumboltz, “Luck Is No Accident”

! Value flexibility! Be alert for imminent changes! Prepare for possibilities! Remain open to opportunities! Develop skill at managing repeated transitions

!Kevin Glavin on Career Adaptability from Ten Ideas that Changed Career Development

! Chance Events◦Right place/Right time◦Personal Connections◦Unexpected opportunity◦One thing led to another

Happenstance Learning Theory suggests that:

• You Can Create and Capitalize Upon Chance Events

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! Before the unplanned event, your actions position you to experience it.

! During the event, your sensitivity recognizes possible opportunities for action.

! After the event, your actions enable you to benefit from it.

1 . Curiosity: Follow Your Interests. Explore!2. Persistence: Stay with it despite setbacks.3. Optimism: View new opportunities as possible and

attainable.4. Flexibility: Changing attitudes and circumstances5. Risk-Taking: Taking action in the face of uncertain

outcomes.

“People can make chance happen by pursuing an active life that increases the number of fortuitous encounters they are likely to experience.”

--Albert Bandura

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! It is OK to make career plans as long as you are open to changing those plans.

! Make career decisions when you are ready.! You have permission to make mistakes.! You don’t have to wait for “the best.”! You can act without knowing the outcome.

! Accept uncertainty and welcome indecision as a sensible approach to a complex and unpredictable future.

! Promote an appreciation for planned happenstance

! Encourage action and engagement

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“… taking part in behaviors that contribute to the career decision-m aker’s fund of experience.”

K r ie s h o k , B la c k , & M c K a y (2 0 0 9 ). C a re e r

d e c is io n m a k in g : T h e l im its o f r a t io n a lity a n d a b u n d a n c e o f n o n - c o n s c io u s p ro c e s s e s .

! Getting involved and engaged makes both rational & intuitive tools more informed and less naive

K r ie s h o k , B la c k , & M c K a y (2 0 0 9 ).

C a re e r d e c is io n m a k in g : T h e l im its o f r a t io n a lity a n d a b u n d a n c e o f

n o n - c o n s c io u s p ro c e s s e s .

Intuitive Mind Rational Mind

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! Actions: exploring, talking to people, interviewing, researching, expressing interests, establishing contacts, joining, volunteering, trying out part-time jobs, community service, studying abroad.

! One step leads to another.

! A career happens or unfolds; it’s more like a voyage or journey, not a destination

! Traditional Career Advising! Help students overcome indecision and make a

choice.

! An alternative! Put less of an emphasis on decidedness as an

outcome.! Welcome indecision as a sensible approach to a

complex and unpredictable future.! Promote an appreciation for planned

happenstance! Encourage action and engagement

Concrete, defined plans for life are abstract because they are made for a self who is abstract: a future self that you imagine based upon a snapshot of yourself now. You are confined to what is in the best interests of the person you happen to be right now—not of the person you will become.

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! Live with a constant awareness of the ever-changing world and your ever-shifting self. Train your mind to stay open and constantly take into account all the complex stuff that is you.

! B a n d u ra , A . (2 0 0 1 ) S o c ia l c o g n it iv e th e o ry : A n a g e n t ic

p e rs p e c t iv e . A n n u a l R e v ie w o f P s y c h o lo g y . 5 2 . 1 - 2 6

! D a s s , %R . %& %G o rd o n ,%P. %(1 9 8 5 ) . %H ow %c a n %I %h e lp ? , %A lf re d %K n o p f, %N Y! G e la t t , H . B . (2 0 0 3 ). C re a t iv e d e c is io n m a k in g : U s in g

p o s it iv e u n c e r ta in ty . (2 nd e d .) M e n lo P a rk : C r is p P u b lic a t io n s

! G ilb e r t , D . (2 0 0 7 ). S tu m b lin g o n h a p p in e s s . V in ta g e . N e w

Y o rk , N Y

! Iy e n g a r , S . (2 0 1 0 ). T h e a r t o f c h o o s in g . T w e lv e : N e w Y o rk , N Y

! K r ie s h o k , T . S . , B la c k , M . D . & M c K a y , R , (2 0 0 9 ). C a re e r

d e c is io n m a k in g : T h e l im its o f r a t io n a lity a n d th e a b u n d a n c e o f n o n - c o n s c io u s p ro c e s s e s . Jo u rn a l o f V o c a t io n a l B e h a v io r

7 5 . 2 7 5 - 2 9 0

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! K r ie s h o k , T . S . K r ie s h o k , T .S . (2 0 0 3 , A p r i l ) . T h e p o s tm o d e rn v ir tu e s o f b e in g a n u n d e c id e d m a jo r . P a p e r p re s e n te d a t th e

5 0 th A n n iv e rs a ry C e le b ra t io n o f C o u n s e lin g P s y c h o lo g y A P A A c c re d ita t io n a t th e U n iv e rs ity o f M is s o u r i, C o lu m b ia , M O .

! K ru m b o ltz , J .D . , L e v in , A .S . , a n d M itc h e ll , K . (1 9 9 9 ). P la n n e d h a p p e n s ta n c e : C o n s t ru c t in g u n e x p e c te d c a re e r o p p o r tu n it ie s .

Jo u rn a l o f C o u n s e lin g a n d D e v e lo p m e n t , 7 7 (2 ) , 1 1 5 - 1 2 4 .

! K ru m b o ltz , J . & L e v in , A . S . (2 0 0 4 ). L u c k is n o a c c id e n t : M a k in g th e m o s t o f h a p p e n s ta n c e in y o u r l i fe a n d c a re e r . A ta s c a d e ro , C A : Im p a c t P u b lis h e rs

! L e v it t , D . H . & Ja c q u e s , J . D . (2 0 0 5 ). P ro m o t in g to le ra n c e fo r a m b ig u ity in c o u n s e lo r t r a in in g p ro g ra m s . Jo u rn a l o f

H u m a n is t ic C o u n s e lin g , E d u c a t io n a n d D e v e lo p m e n t . 4 4 4 6 - 5 4

! P in k , D . H . ( 2 0 0 8 ). Jo h n n y b u n k o : T h e la s t c a re e r g u id e y o u ’ l l e v e r n e e d . P e n g u in ,N Y , N Y