Construction Ahead! How to Look Forward

Summertime often involves travel by car, which requires navigating roads and the inevitable road work. Orange construction barrels have come to symbolize both progress and hazards, including delays and detours. Every individual’s life faces orange barrels at some point, often unexpectedly in one’s career journey. Effective responses may mean shifting direction, increasing attention and of course remaining patient! Doesn’t that sound just like the guidance given by a career development professional to the client’s work in transition! Just remember, the common quote about the windshield being bigger than the rearview mirror for a reason.

~ Melanie Reinersman, insights@careerdevelopmentalliance.com

Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash

FOCUS ON: Career Transition

Shifting from one career field to another may involve uncertainty, fear, missteps, and false assumptions. An effective transition process may be as varied as the strategies, questions, stories and guidance offered on any Google search. Read a few examples from LinkedIn’s Career Transition Opportunities (including the AI Summary) to start to grasp the variety of assistance available.

FOR THE PRACTITIONER: The Construction Interview

Used to facilitate exploring clients’ needs, interests, values and competencies, the Career Construction Interview (CCI) is one phase in the application of Career Construction Theory (Savickas, 2019). Whether used to help consider options for an educational focus or explore a mid-life career shift, the CCI aids the decision-making process. Read more about the CCI.

CAREER SPOTLIGHT: Fast Advancement Rates

The list of fastest growing occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (based on projected growth rate 2024-2034) is topped by Wind Turbine Service Technicians, Solar Photovoltaic Installers, and Nurse Practitioners. The top jobs where employees tend to get promoted quickly (according to Rutgers University) include Product Management, Accounting, and Human Resources. Even U.S. military branches share promotion rates, with the Army and Air Force generally supporting the initial stages of an officer’s career with fast promotion rates.

GENDER IN THE WORKPLACE: Facing Retirement in the Future

Decision made by men and women regarding retirement are affected by marital status, work history, pensions, and traditional gender norms. An examination of the complex interaction of key factors can reveal why men and women experience different retirement decision and outcomes. Read more from this literature review.

WHAT CAREER PROFESSIONALS ARE SAYING ABOUT: Life Design

Counseling in the arena of life design extends beyond the foundations of career development to focus on enhanced competencies of the practitioner, according to Peter McIlveen of the University of Southern Queensland. Ethic of critical reflexivity and dialogical interpretation are two constructs which are demanded by Savickas’ narrative processes of construction, deconstruction, reconstruction, co-construction, and action (Savickas, 2012). Career interventions based on the life design perspective require an overarching competency that enables the production of new knowledge as well as the conversation in action. Read more from McIlveen (2015) and get Savickas’ Life Design Counseling Manual for free.

TOP TEN: Obstacles to Career Transitions

Disengagement and unhappiness are just a few of the experiences that lead workers to consider a career shift. There are even more reasons the workers feel stuck and are unable to make the transition. Exploring barriers, such as Negative Self-Talk and Perceived Ageism, as well as possible strategies for overcoming the barriers, may lead to a thriving career. Read all ten.

QUOTES

"If you must look back, do so forgivingly. If you must look forward, do so lovingly. However the wisest thing you can do is to be in the present, gratefully.” ~ Maya Angelou

“It’s impossible to map out a route to your destination if you don’t know where you’re starting from.” ~ Suze Orman

"We are the voyagers. True navigation begins in the human heart. It’s the most important map of all. Together, may we journey well.” ~ Elizabeth Kapu’uwailani Lindsey

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