The hidden influences on your career choices
How much influence do we really have over our careers? In the West, we're fairly individualistic. We don't often think about the influence of our environment or society. However, in an increasingly complex world, that's a mistake. You’re probably aware of some of influences on you: your parents, school, teachers and peers, for example. And there are some which might be less obvious, such as globalisation or technology.
Two academics, Wendy Patton and Mary McMahon proposed that our working lives don't exist in isolation [1]. Instead, we're part of much larger systems. We're defined, not just as individuals, but by the societies and environments in which we exist.
We can think about the following three systems:
The individual system: That’s us. It comprises elements including personality, health, skills, age, values, gender, ethnicity, interests. Each of these elements can influence the work which we choose – or are able- to do.
The social system. This includes peers, family, the media, education, workplace and community. These all have the ability to strongly influence the careers we pick. For example, careers often run in families. And the media can give prominence to, or glamorise, certain careers.
The environmental-societal system. This includes political decisions, historical trends, globalisation, the employment market, and geographical location. As examples, many towns have a significant local employer – living in the town increases your chance of working there. A political decision might prioritise a certain industry, increasing the opportunities available. And historical trends such as changing technologies affect jobs as well.
Why is it important to consider these systems? Well, for most of the 20th century, careers guidance was based around matching individuals with jobs. If you know your skills, personality and working preferences, you can find the job that fits. It’s still a popular approach. You’ve probably done one of these tests yourself, where you answer a series of questions and are given a list of “suitable” jobs.
The problem with this approach is that it assumes that we’re operating in a world free from constraints. It doesn’t take into account the fact that we have caring responsibilities, or that we’d have to move cities and we want to stay in our hometown, for example.
We also now have vastly more information available to us than a few decades ago. Just consider how easy it is to go down an internet hole when researching careers. This can give the illusion of infinite choice – which can lead to getting paralysed with indecision.
The other side of the coin is that we can be attracted to certain careers, but feel that they are “not for us”. Getting to the root of where this feeling has come from can help to free us from these constraints.
In short, understanding the systems around us provides a more nuanced view about how we’re influenced and our available options. It can allow us to differentiate between real and perceived constraints, and reflect on the choices which we’ve made
We’re not completely free agents, but through building self-awareness we can empower ourselves and be well equipped to plan our future.
Reference
[1] McMahon, M., & Patton, W. (2005). Development of a systems theory of career development. Australian journal of career development (4), 15-20.