Topic 7: Assessment in Career Counseling {by 10/27}
Based on the text reading and lecture recording due this week consider the following two discussion points: (1) Explain why it is important to assess interests, abilities/skills, and values altogether when engaged in career counseling (i.e., why is one domain not enough?). (2) Discuss the importance of relational influence in career assessment.
(Prepare for Class) – Complete the OQ-45 for the beginning of class (please remember to come prepared with a few questions/observations). You will notice the following assessments for this class: (1) Strong Interest Inventory (not to be completed – please review the document before class), (2) Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and (3) Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS). (The PCL-5 will be for homework for the next class – 11/3.). You do not have to complete the BAI or PDSS before class, but you can if you want. In class, we will complete these assessments and discuss them based on the Assessment Review Reflection Questions.
Your original post should be posted by 10/27. Post your two replies no later than 10/29. *Please remember to click the “reply” button when posting a reply. This makes it easier for the reader to follow the blog postings.
Dr. Adam M Volungis 
Oct 21, 2022 @ 11:21:13
For career counseling, assessing interests, abilities/skills, and values altogether is really important. Each of the domains look at a different part of an individual’s life and looking at only one domain cannot cover all of the different aspects that need to be included when looking for a fulfilling or successful career. If an individual is interested in something, there either may not be a career that fits their exact interests or more importantly they may not necessarily be good at the thing they are interested in. Just the same, an individual could be really good at something but have no interest in making it a career. When looking at values, they are an important thing to involve when looking for a career however, like stated above, this is not an all-encompassing indicator of what the individual may be interested in pursuing or what they may be skilled in.
Relational influence is a very important thing to consider. There is an interaction between work and relationships. A career can heavily impact an individual’s personal relationships in positive or negative ways. Some things that should be considered when deciding on careers are stress levels, location (being far from important people), time spent working making it difficult to see and spend time with family or friends. It is not just about how much money an individual will be making. Despite the importance of high incomes, there are so many other factors that need to be included. Just because an individual has a successful career does not mean they are living a happy or fulfilling life outside of the office. Life outside of their career can affect both their work and their mental health in positive or really negative ways.
Oct 24, 2022 @ 13:34:42
Hi Tiana, I really liked your comment about money not being the most important part of career happiness or even life happiness. I think we often associate monetary gain with career success and other positive outcomes, but we’ve all seen the Ted Talk about how money does not equal happiness past a certain point. I also like that you included a person’s mental health in considering career outcomes, a job is normally one of the main stressors in a person’s life so we should definitely consider what kind of stress and how much we get from our 9-5.
Oct 23, 2022 @ 12:32:26
When assessing interests, abilities/skills, and values, it is important that all three together are assessed in career counseling. All three of these aspects of career counseling are very important, but they’re also just one piece of the puzzle. Without a comprehensive idea of the client’s interests, abilities/skills, and values, it would be impossible to help them make informed decisions about their career. We all have interests that we’d love to make careers out of, but we just don’t have the skills. All three of those aspects of the decision need to be carefully considered or else you run the risk of encouraging your client to make poor career decisions.
Relational influence is very important in career assessment because for many, these are the two most important aspects of our lives. Your relationships have a significant amount of pull in your decision making for all aspects of your life, especially your career. The reverse can be true as well, for some people their relationships are dictated by their work. Relationships influence what jobs were interested as a kid, what new avenues we try as adults, and once/if you start a family, those newly formed relationships have a tremendous amount of impact on your career. Your chosen career and your relationships need to be cohesive, or inevitably one or both of them will start to suffer.
Oct 23, 2022 @ 22:38:25
Hi Jack. I agree with your statement about how important it is to include all three aspects in career decision making. I like how you mentioned how not including all three can run the risk of encouraging your client to make poor career decisions.
I also like how you stated that relationships are affected by work but the opposite is also true. I grew up set in my ways about being a psychology major and here I am getting my masters. I grew up surrounded by psych majors, mental health workers, I have seen severe mental illness, and etc. I was absolutely influenced by those around me. However, what also need to be included is not just the relationships and their impact, but what will be impacted by the career. Will the time, travel, salary, location, etc. affect how the relationships will be affected? All these things need to be included when making a decision about a career. The relationships are important but what also needs to be included is every other aspect of life in order to be successful and happy.
Oct 25, 2022 @ 19:38:38
Hi Jack!
I like how you mention that these 3 aspects are just one piece of the career counseling puzzle, because even though they are very important they are not the only aspects when considering a specific career. I agree wholeheartedly that if you do not take all three into consideration there is a heightened risk of making poor decisions for a client’s career.
Just like Tiana said, I liked how you brought up that career can also effect relationships and not just the other way around, I didn’t even think of that! It does make sense for people who have put immense amounts of effort into their career to prioritize it more than certain relationships, having their career almost become a relationship in itself.
Oct 26, 2022 @ 13:55:27
Hey Jack,
I like the imagery you used of considering interests, skills, and values as being individual pieces to a broader puzzle. This image exemplifies how each of these aspects are important and integral to the career counseling process, but without the larger over arching picture each would fall short on their own. That is why counselors have to make sure they are taking into account the different priorities of an individual so as to help the whole person and not just an aspect of them. This then has to be taken into consideration, as you rightly emphasized, in conjunction with a client’s personal relationships because sometimes things don’t practically work out with accounting for additional priorities of an individual.
Oct 29, 2022 @ 09:28:30
Hi Jack, I like your point about how we need to have a comprehensive idea of the client’s interests, skills, and values for our client to make an informed decision. Without all those pieces, an individual could choose the wrong career, because it does not fulfill them in all aspects they need to be fulfilled. I also agree that your chosen career and your relationships need to be cohesive, or one will end up suffering. Especially with working from home becoming a thing, and Americans thinking that productivity trumps all else, many people struggle with a work/home balance, and that can greatly affect many relationships. I remember working with a client whose father worked from home and would often allow work to trump family commitments, and I saw how it affected my client and the whole family unit. My client, when angry, would tell their dad that he worked too much and it was really sad to see a small child feeling like their dad cared more about work than them. So, ensuring that your relationships and your career are cohesive is really important not just for your mental well-being, but the well-being of those you care for as well.
Oct 23, 2022 @ 12:46:51
It is important to assess interests, abilities, and values all together when engaged in career counseling because choosing a career is more than choosing a quick job to pay the bills. You’re supposed to be fulfilled by, excited to work in, and enhanced by your career. In order for this to happen, you must take into consideration many aspects of yourself. Especially in the United States of America, adults spend a large majority of their time working. This work therefore must be fulfilling not only to your wallet, but to your soul. However, having an interest in something is not equivalent to being good at it, and if you are not good at something, you should not make it your career. For example, I love art. I minored in art in undergrad and it often calms me down after a long day, but I’m not great at it and I know that as fulfilling as I find art that I could never have a career in art making, because I don’t have enough skills in that area. Values are examined because when our career aligns with our values, it can be even more fulfilling. If you value interconnectedness and interpersonal relationships, you are likely to not feel fulfilled in an independent job where you don’t have many coworkers, even if the job itself interests you. There are so many aspects of humans that require fulfillment when looking for a career, so it is important to assess interests, abilities, and values together.
Relational influence is important in career assessment because different people require different levels of interpersonal connectedness, and therefore can handle different types of jobs. For example, working as a nurse in an ER requires long shifts, often working doubles, and often odd hours, limiting the time those workers can see friends and family members that work in other fields. I know that for me, I worked very briefly at a Behavioral Health Hospital and one of the major reasons I did not stay was that I had to work every other weekend. This clashed greatly with the schedules of my family and close friends, and I decided for me, I needed to prioritize my relationships over that particular job. Ensuring that your career does not infringe upon your relationships outside of work is very important, and finding a balance is key.
Oct 24, 2022 @ 13:40:52
Hi Becca, I appreciate your example of art as a hobby instead of as a career. I used to play soccer nearly every day for the majority of my life but I knew that it wouldn’t end up being what I did in my career. I really liked when you said “this work therefore must be fulfilling not only to your wallet, but to your soul” because we often think of jobs and careers as a way to make money and only that. The best jobs will feed the soul as well as the wallet, the trick is to find that.
Oct 25, 2022 @ 11:10:48
Hi Becca! You brought up a really great point that your career should enhance you. I think this highlights the importance of feeling challenged in the workplace. It is so important for us to feel challenged because it allows for us to have confidence in our problem solving skills, teaches us to think outside the box, and shows we are growing in some aspect. I think feeling challenged and enhanced also is important for maintaining interest. Even if an individual is very interested about their career initially, they may lose some interest if they are feeling bored and unchallenged at work.
Oct 29, 2022 @ 09:23:43
Hey Becca, you made some good points about the far-reaching impact of your chosen job. It can be easy to forget just how impactful work is on many different aspects of our lives. It was also very informative how you used an example from your real life to show your understanding of the content. It shows how well you understand how values, interests, and abilities affect our job search and why each one should be considered when finding a job. You also drove home the ideas of the importance of relational influence as well. It can be easy to take the first and highest paying job you can find, but as you mentioned in both sections of your post it’s much more complicated than that.
Oct 23, 2022 @ 19:09:49
It is important to assess multiple domains in career counseling because they contribute differently to one’s occupational success and satisfaction. While one’s work interests may suggest a particular career path, it does not indicate occupational success and the degree of skill in a particular field. Instead, a career counselor may consider one’s career maturity or adaptability through an aptitude test to determine occupational success. In addition, a client’s interests and values may indicate occupational satisfaction. It is important to consider interests, abilities/skills, and values in order to gather a holistic view of the client in order to make a better prediction of a successful career.
It is important to consider relationships when making career decisions, because a job may dictate location, time, education, and other factors. I am currently a GA career advisor at Assumption and I help undergraduates determine career paths or other post-graduate options like graduate school. I remind students to consider the whole “package” of a job opportunity such as location, travel, salary, work environment, and benefits that can contribute to their decision. Young adults may have greater flexibility in their decisions, however, they may need to consider family responsibilities or a partner’s career opportunities.
Oct 23, 2022 @ 22:21:30
Hi Abby! I like how you included career maturity and adaptability they are great things that should definitely be included that I did not think of! It is absolutely about having a holistic view to have occupational satisfaction as well as success.
I also agree with your response about the impact of relationships. A decision about what career to pursue needs to include every aspect of life. Like you said, the younger you are the more flexible you can be. However, there needs to be decisions made looking at the long term of life. Every single aspect of life needs to be included, obviously salary, location, and time. But also, how it affects those in the individuals life, how it impacts their ability to spend time with friends and family, environment, and etc.
Oct 27, 2022 @ 11:02:37
Hi Abby,
I really liked how you mentioned that you tell you students to consider the whole package. I think a lot of us forget that there is more to a job than just the job. I feel like we get so caught up in the job we want or have that we forget there are so many things that build off it such as location, travel, hours etc. These are all so important to consider when picking a job because there are many times that some of these things can greatly impact our lives for the negative which will quickly burn us out. sometimes it will also affect the people around us as well.
Oct 28, 2022 @ 11:26:24
Hi Abby,
I agree that the counselor should consider maturity and adaptability when determining a career for a client. Sometimes, I feel that we rely just on assessments such as aptitude tests to see the client’s potential for certain careers. However, clients can also lie about that. A client can have different skills but could be immature. Though a career counselor should look at interests, abilities and values, they should also look at the client’s character. I also like how to remind students about the “whole package” of job searching. Students may only think of one item such as salary or location. They may not realize that everything about their life can be affected with their job. Though jobs may not be 100% flexible for everyday life, some will try if they know that they have a good employee. But it is beneficial for new grads to look at everything when it comes to job hunting.
Oct 29, 2022 @ 09:29:44
Hey Abby, I like how concisely you conceptualized the importance of values, interests, and skills. Your first sentence is a very accurate and concise summary of the importance of those three ideas when doing career counseling. It was also a good point that despite younger people having more flexibility, there’s still a lot of factors that need to be considered. As you get older it may seem like you have less flexibility and more other aspects of your life that have greater importance, and it can be easy to forget about those other things when you’re young. I also liked your conceptualization of looking for jobs as considering the whole package. No matter the job or field, there is always going to be some give and take when it comes to finding one and it is very important to weigh those pros and con’s so you can make an informed decision.
Oct 29, 2022 @ 09:35:58
Hi Abby, I like that you mention the effects of these domains on not only career satisfaction, but career success. While most people want a fulfilling career that they enjoy, it is often overlooked how important feeling successful or good at your job can be to that satisfaction. I know that when I’ve had a hard day at work with a clients and I feel like I didn’t do as well as should have that I feel less satisfied with my job in general. I also really like that you mentioned all the other aspects of a job that may affect relationships besides schedule like location and education. If you want a job in which you have to first go to school, or through a type of training, that may impact your relationships in many ways. For example, if the training is rigorous enough to not allow you time for a paying job, or if the education is extremely expensive, it can impact those closest to you if they have to provide on their own. I hadn’t thought of these other aspects of jobs besides schedule that can affect your relationships, so you really got me thinking!
Oct 24, 2022 @ 13:30:55
When choosing a career, there are so many factors that go into our decisions that only considering one would lead to a ton of other problems in the future. In assessments and career counseling, it is of course important to remember that interests are not the same as abilities when it comes to a job. Just because someone loves basketball does not mean they should try to become a professional player if their athletic abilities and skills would make that not possible. On the other hand, having zero interest in something you are good at could cause early burnout or dissatisfaction with one’s work. Similarly, if the person loves basketball and has the ability to pursue it, but they have a strong desire for privacy, being a professional basketball player might not be in their best interest. Missing one or more areas when looking for a career can mean a serious sense of dissatisfaction in life. It may be that one part, values, skills, or interests, holds more sway than the others and should thus be considered more fully, but each still play a role.
Relational influence in career assessment also plays a role when considering how somebody wants to live their life. As with one’s values, what someone prioritizes will impact their work life, but also their home life. Careers and jobs are how a lot of people spend the majority of their time, but that will impact their ability to have a family, spend time with friends, and participate in other activities that don’t involve work. Some people place value in working hard, accomplishing their goals, and being successful in their field. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to succeed and prioritizing one’s career. Other people may find value in having a family and being supportive, and again there is nothing wrong with choosing that path. Some people want both or neither, but importantly there is no right way to live. Judging someone else’s choices based on our own values is asinine because there are different standards that are applied in either situation, and those standards are subjective in what is the “best” or “correct”. A host of situations go into why someone chooses to live the way they do and we can’t pretend to know them all in someone else.
Oct 24, 2022 @ 21:28:37
Hi Mikayla!
I really like the example you gave that included all three domains. It highlighted each aspect really well and how each one may influence a person’s career path. I agree that one or two of these domains might be looked at more closely (if an individual really wants to pursue their interest or their ability for example) but all should at least be discussed. You also make a good point that it’s important to ask questions and listen to the client rather than make assumptions–really in any therapeutic context but especially in career counseling. To add on, I think that knowing the reasoning behind these priorities can also help the individual figure out what career they want to pursue.
Oct 25, 2022 @ 10:42:16
Hi Mikayla,
I like that you started by stating how important it is to look at many factors when choosing a job, it seems like a simple thing to do, but in order to find a career that will bring the individual happiness, fulfillment and success can be more work than people imagine. I did not even think about all these important factors prior to reading. I really loved that you pointed out someone may love basketball and have the ability to pursue it as a career but being someone in the spotlight may not be for them. There are truly so many aspects to finding the right career. I also really like that you noted there is no right way to live, everyone has their own path that is right for them, and that’s a very important message.
Oct 24, 2022 @ 17:27:58
In career counseling it is important for the counselor to address the individuals interests, abilities/skills, and values altogether because these qualities allow the counselor to pin point what a good career would be for the particular individual. First, the client must be interested in the career or else it will simply never work and the career could negatively affect the clients mental state if it wasn’t something that they found interest in. Secondly, the client must have skills around the particular career or they may be at risk for losing the job due to not having knowledge around it or simply getting frustrated with themselves and leaving the job, which is the exact opposite outcome an individual wants after seeking out career counseling. Lastly, one’s values are important because that is what matters most and allows personal satisfaction which is very important when picking a career. Just because an individual has an interest in cooking does not mean they want to be a chef, or if someone is excellent at cutting hair does not mean they have to be or want to be a hair dresser. The goal is for the individual to be excited and fulfilled by their career. In order to meet that goal the helper must evaluate the clients interests, abilities and values to be able to guide them in the right career path.
Careers can have a huge impact on an individuals life and that is why relational influence is so important in career assessment. Usually your family and your job is most important in life, therefore you want to ensure before taking a job offer that the job allows you to have a good balance between both. This would mean that the job is offered in a good/close location, and that the hours work with your availability. When picking a job it is important to factor in one’s particular priorities and making sure the job allows the individual to continue to prioritize those things while still being able to prioritize working.
Oct 24, 2022 @ 20:37:31
Hi Melissa!
I really liked that you gave potential consequences of what could happen if an individual doesn’t choose a career that is based on their interests, values, and abilities. I think it’s important to understand how a person’s career can contribute to their overall wellbeing and mental health. You also bring up a good point about choosing a career based on the individual’s priorities. Some people may prioritize career and occupational success over family, and others may prioritize the opposite. It’s also important to consider both short and long term goals that the individual has and how these may affect their career choice.
Oct 25, 2022 @ 11:06:57
Hi Melissa! You brought up a really great point regarding the goal of career counseling being the individual feeling excited and fulfilled by their career. Our career is such a huge part of our lives and I think that choosing a career where excitement and fulfillment is not present would simply be wasting our time and energy. In order to have a job that you want to put your energy and hours into, you must feel a certain level of excitement and fulfillment. I also like that you brought up the point of work/life balance and the importance of a close location. This is not something I initially thought of, but it is so important. If someone wants to have dinner with their family every night, it is important that they not only work the right hours for them, but they are able to make it home in time to be present during times they want to be.
Oct 24, 2022 @ 20:14:35
It’s important to assess multiple domains when discussing potential career paths because a single domain cannot indicate occupational satisfaction, security, or success. As the book suggests, strong interests or preferences doesn’t automatically mean that the individual will be successful in a field related to said interest. For example, if you really like watching medical shows or media of that nature, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be a successful doctor or surgeon. Your level of interest doesn’t measure your ability. However, interests can be an indicator of job satisfaction. Typically, our career will consume a large portion of our adult lives, so it’s important to consider one’s’ interests and one’s’ dislikes as when choosing a career. With that being said, job satisfaction is not always realistic and may not be as important for some individuals. Some people may just look for careers that can help them financially support their interests/hobbies outside of work or may just be concerned with paying bills and having financial security.
Assessing ability and skills is also an important domain to consider when choosing a career. An individual’s ability to perform a task well and how skilled they are indicates their ability to be successful in that area. For example, if someone’s good at biology and does really well academically, it could be an indication that they’ll do well in a career related to biology.
Values are important to assess because our career(s) should align with both our occupational values as well as our values outside of work. The book notes values such as lifestyle, goals, status, autonomy, and achievement are essential to consider when choosing a career. For example, if an individual puts a lot of value in living an active lifestyle and working on their own terms, then a career that’s primarily stationary and has a strict schedule may not be the right fit for that person. The book also notes that values are a stronger indicator of job satisfaction than interests, which reiterates the importance of assessing all three domains.
Assessing ability and skills is also an important domain to consider when choosing a career. An individual’s ability to perform a task well and how skilled they are indicates their ability to be successful in that area. For example, if someone’s good at biology and does really well academically, it could be an indication that they’ll do well in a career related to biology.
Relational influences also impact one’s career. Both in the sense that our job can impact our relationships and how our relationships can impact our job. In the former, choosing a job that the people around you may not be supportive of can strain the relationship you have with them. For example, if a parent wants their child to become a doctor but instead they choose to become a teacher, it could negatively impact the relationship between them as both parties may feel resentment towards one another. In the latter, it’s important to consider social roles and cultural contexts and how they can affect career choices. For example, it may be expected that a woman who has a family should prioritize caring for the family– and thus she chooses a career that doesn’t require long hours and one that’s close to home. In this example, the relationship between the woman and her family is affecting what kind of career she pursues. In career assessment, it’s important to get an accurate understanding of the person’s priorities (in relation to both career and personal goals) in order to help them navigate career paths that coincide with them.
Oct 25, 2022 @ 10:34:25
Alyson,
I really enjoyed reading your post, you really added a lot of important details. I liked that you individually described all the important categories to address in career counseling. It is a good point that some people go for a career for money but it is also important to point out those people are probably not as happy with their careers.
I also like that you point out that sometimes the pressure from parents contributes to the career their child ends up picking, and if that occurs the child will most likely not be happy, or if the child goes against their parent’s wishes, that may cause friction in the relationship. It is crazy to think how much goes into picking a career and what kind of outside factors can contribute.
Oct 25, 2022 @ 11:00:29
It is important to consider interests, abilities/skills, and values together when career counseling an individual because it looks at the whole person and ensures that the job will be a good fit for them. If someone loved the medical field and was very interested in surgery but did not have steady hands or struggled to take responsibility, it may not be the right job for them. It is important that the individual has more than interest in the career to ensure that they succeed and are not in over their head. If the job does not line up with an individual’s interest, they may feel bored and not challenged by their everyday work. If the job does not line up with an individual’s abilities and/or skills, they may feel overwhelmed and uncapable of doing what they need to do. If the job does not line up with an individual’s values, they may feel hesitation or resistance regarding their everyday work tasks. In order to help a client, find the right job for them, they must be paired with a job that they have interest, skills, and values in.
It is important to consider relational influence in career assessment to see how someone wants to spend their time outside of work. For someone who spends time with their friends during the weekend, it may be necessary for them to find a job that does not require working during the weekends and missing out on this time with their friends. During career counseling the counselor should ask the client how and when they spend time with their loved ones and their work boundaries regarding hours. Our relationships are a part of us, so neglecting to view them as part of the career counseling process would likely lead to a job that is not a great fit.
Oct 26, 2022 @ 22:46:35
Hi Emily,
I like how you approached the “interest” domain – stating why it should be assessed with other domains (i.e. assessing whether interests match abilities/skills to determine vocational possibilities), but also stating the flip side – it is important to assess interests with other domains as you wouldn’t want someone to end up in a job that they had the abilities/skills for, but had little to interest in… I think that was a simple yet important perspective that showed how these domains intertwine and how each one of them is important in determining a solid vocational direction.
Oct 29, 2022 @ 13:26:05
Hi Emily,
I agree that how someone prefers to spend their time outside of work is an important factor to consider in career counseling because it can help determine the kind of career that will be best for them. People have different priorities when it comes to finding a good work/life balance. Some people are very work-oriented and would be able to maintain a job that is very demanding (timewise). While others need a significant amount of time to spend with family and friends outside of work and would require a job that could provide them with that work/life balance.
Oct 25, 2022 @ 11:08:46
Assessing interests, skills, and values is important when engaging in career counseling because each one of those concepts assesses a different aspect of potential career and the individual’s potential satisfaction within it. When asking about interests, what we are trying to assess is “What does the client like to do and can they do what they like for a living?” This feels like it is the base/fundamental step in helping a client work through their potential options because it orients the clinician and points them in a direction where they can begin to look and give options for the client. Looking at skills is then like the practical aspect of limiting one’s interests. Like a five foot two client could tell me that they really love and obsess over basketball, so while they most likely won’t be able to get scouted for a college team we could work with the client researching colleges that have really good sports management classes. That way the client could still be involved in their interest when their physical limitations prevent them from pursuing one aspect of that career. A client’s system of values would then be the aspect that rounds out their career choice. Maybe they already have a career but the company they work for has certain values that contradict their own. Values seem to apply more to career satisfaction than career enjoyment because an individual could love their job but hate who they work for. In order for the client to gain the most out of their career all three of these need to be assessed and addressed to cover all the aspects of their interests and abilities.
In addition to interests and such, an individual’s relation to others and the world around them can influence how they think about the possibility of certain careers. The example in the online lecture represented this perfectly with women and POC thinking about jobs in business, STEM, programming, ect. These careers are often presented as being “for men” so the idea in a child’s mind that they could pursue these fields might not even come up. This can be seen with modeling in careers too. If a child doesn’t see someone like themselves in a particular career they might not think that it is for them or may believe that they cannot do it.
Oct 25, 2022 @ 12:02:45
Hi Lucy, I enjoyed reading your post however I feel personally attacked since I am 5″2′ (just kidding). You are completely right. As a career counselor you not only want to help the client find a job that interests them, but one they will succeed in. This is why it’s important to assess different aspects of the client. At my job, we use an assessment that individually measures students’ values, work interests, skills, leisures, and personality. We can evaluate the results of each individual assessment or combine the results to determine suggested occupations.
In regards to your second point, clients may not have the knowledge on particular fields or jobs that may interest them. I think career counseling can help broaden client’s knowledge on various occupations.
Oct 25, 2022 @ 19:46:21
Hi Lucy!
I really like your approach of considering interests of the client as a base for a career and something to build on top of rather than it being the sole influence for career searching, while skills are practical and values are almost the cherry on top for culminating a well-rounded career for the client. I would agree that values are more geared toward enjoyment and career sustainability. A career can be successful even if it doesn’t match the client’s values, but the client definitely would not be happy at the job.
Your mention of modeling within careers is super important and something I had overlooked in thinking about this! It is definitely difficult for someone seeking a new job to consider all options when they aren’t represented in a field, just like the STEM example you mentioned.
Oct 25, 2022 @ 11:35:35
It is vital to assess interests, abilities/skills, and values together versus individually when engaged in career counseling, as each aspect is merely a piece of the whole picture. Careers are more than just an activity to occupy time or put food on the table. Careers can be outlets for people to express what they are genuinely passionate about, which is where interests come into play. Counselors want to look at expressed interests (asking the client about their interests) and manifest interests (examining how clients fill their free time) to identify possible career interests. If the client’s interests are ignored, they may wind up in a career that they may find uninteresting or mundane. Once counselors know several possible career options, they can shorten the list by examining the client’s abilities and skills to identify where they perform the best. Aptitude testing can help identify areas where a client may be the most successful based on self-assessment. Then, a counselor can take the assessment results and match them with the possible careers based on interest to find similarities. Without examining skills and abilities, the client may find themselves working a job that is too physically or mentally drained or so easy that it becomes boring. Assessing one’s values is the last step, and although it may be the most important, it is often overlooked. Values the client shares with the career opportunity may lead to meaningful, fulfilling work that may leave the client feeling more satisfied with their role.
Relational influence is another crucial influence in career assessment and can be described as the impact relationships hold when intertwined with careers. One example of such is a healthy balance between work and personal life. While working a consistent set of hours per week to make ends meet, it is equally important to have a personal life that individuals could spend on essential relationships, such as family or close friends. On the other hand, significant family members or friends may influence choosing a career. For instance, a client who wants to become a musician may feel pressure from their parents to become a lawyer. In both cases, relational influence ties back to emphasizing the client’s interests, abilities/skills, and values when assessing them for vocations they would be most successful and happy in.
Oct 25, 2022 @ 12:17:46
Hi Megan! I completely agree with your point on the relational influence on one’s career search. Family responsibility can influence the person to choose a particular career path, with positive or negative consequences. For instance, having to take care of a family may mean that you cannot pursue higher education to jumpstart your career. On the other hand, a single, young adult may have more flexibility in devoting more time and effort to their career.
In addition, I think it is important for career counselors to be culturally aware. Some clients may have a stronger responsibility to act in accordance with their family’s desires, which may influence assessments and intervention. On the other hand, another client may need assistance in practicing self-efficacy in their career search.
Oct 25, 2022 @ 19:33:25
In assessment for career counseling, interests, skills, and even values are important to take into account when seeking a career for a client. To elaborate, a client cannot create a successful work environment if the job or career at hand does not align with all three of those categories. However, it is also important to make sure all three align; a client may be interested in a career as an acrobat, but there will be minimal success and happiness if the skill set does not align with the career. A client also would not be happy at a job that contradicts their values and the goal of a career is to have it be fulfilling. If a career does not check off all three, then there is a high risk of the client not feeling happy at their job and therefore dissatisfied with the career counseling they participated in.
On top of these three categories, it is also important to look at relational influence when selecting a career. In our lives, career takes up a large portion of our time, so it therefore spills into other sections of life like personal relationships. Careers can effect time spent on work or even location for a home. The career in question can greatly effect relationships of the client so it is important to measure their values surrounding relationships as well as their career to find a balance that makes the client happy in all aspects of their life and not just in career.
Oct 27, 2022 @ 01:58:14
Hi Whitney,
I like that you mentioned careers “spilling” out into other parts of our lives. I definitely see this when my partner gets home and he tells me all about his day and his clients. I’m sure other people in class may relate but in order to participate in this program, my partner actually moved here with me. It was definitely not a decision I made on my own because I wanted to make sure he was okay with actually moving half way across the country. Even now, we’ve made career decisions that spill out into our relationships.
Oct 29, 2022 @ 10:15:29
Hi Whitney,
I like the example you gave for a career as an acrobat and how this applies to an individual’s skills and interests. It’s true that just because you take an individual’s interests into effect when choosing a career it does not mean that will be the best career for that individual client. As you mentioned if you do not look at interests, skills, and values as a whole it can lead to wrong career placements. While a client may be interested in a certain type of career if their skills and education do not line up with the requirements of that career, they will never be hired for that specific job. An individual needs to be able to find a career that fits all of these domains to be truly fulfilled in their career.
I agree with you that while careers do take up a large portion of our time, so do relational influences. Careers will almost always spill over into an individual’s life and in turn, it may impact their relationships. If a career takes up a lot of an individual’s time, yet they have family priorities, having a career with these types of work priorities can cause issues in other areas of their lives.
Oct 25, 2022 @ 20:09:16
In career counseling, looking at multiple domains offers a more comprehensive range than if it was on one domain. This way, the career counselor can ensure they go through everything with their clients. Plus, looking at the other domains can help inform the client about their career path. And a person’s values provide so much insight into what they are. Leaving that out would be a mistake.
Relational influence is vital since our relationships factor into many of our decisions. Even if it is unconscious, we try to adjust our lives around our jobs when it should be the opposite (in a perfect world). If someone was considering a job offer for a position that was 3rd shift, but they needed a 9-5, it would be the counselor’s job to assist this individual in finding a job that aligns with their ideals (unless the client is fine with what they chose, since you cannot force them into making a sound decision). Making sure that the client does not diminish their requirements to find a “nice job” might save them some regret in the long run. That way, they can nurture their relationships and possibly feel content about their career.
Oct 28, 2022 @ 23:49:24
Hi Esther,
I agree that leaving out any of these three domains would be a mistake. Interests, skills/abilities, and values contribute to making a person who they are; to not gather information on these things would only give half of the picture. I agree that an individual should have a balance between their work and home lives. The client and clinician should discuss their priorities to find out what is important to them.
Oct 29, 2022 @ 09:13:34
Hey, Esther! Examining multiple domains instead of one helps career counselors develop a better sense of what the client would want in their ideal career path based on their interests, abilities, and values. If one area does not align with the suggested career options, the client may not feel satisfied with their job. I like how you mentioned we tend to build our lives around our careers, even though in an idealistic society, jobs would work around our personal lives. With this in mind, we must find careers that fulfill all domains in career counseling and offer a balance between work and personal life.
Oct 29, 2022 @ 22:19:12
Hey Esther! I totally agree that failing to account for the various elements of a person’s life and what constitutes a type of career could be detrimental—and as you stated, a mistake. We should not base our career decisions on one element of a person’s life and situation. Further, I like your point that ultimately as clinicians, we can recommend careers/decisions that seem to align with a client’s ideals, but we cannot “force” or necessarily ensure that a client will make a sound decision (at least according to our knowledge and insight). It is crucial to encourage positive growth in relationships alongside the pursuit of a career that brings about contentedness for the given client. Life is multidimensional and we ought to keep this in mind as we work with clients. Decisions ought not be made without a holistic picture in mind. Relationships, just like finances/careers and other elements of life, should be considered and evaluated when assisting clients with choices that will influence themselves and others.
Oct 26, 2022 @ 07:45:40
Career counseling focuses on career goals and potential opportunities so, it is important to look at all aspects of interests, abilities/skills, and values. Looking at different aspects of interests, abilities/skills, and values allows career counselors to determine better what career will be fulling to the individual. We want to look at each category with the client to get a better understanding of the client and what they can do and enjoy. This allows counselors to look at what could work as a career for the client. Careers should be fulfilling and enjoyable because being in a career that is unenjoyable can lead to an unfulfilling experience of life. In order to gain a career that is meaningful to the client, we need to look at interests, abilities/skills, and values to find what is meaningful to the client. This way counselors can find a career that will match to the client.
Relational influences play an important role in career assessment as well. Careers lead to new opportunities and changes in a person’s life. So, when assessing careers, it is important to review relationships. With some professions, there may be a lot of schooling or traveling, which can impact the people in your life. Looking at the relationships in an individual’s life can help assist in choosing a career. If an individual has an interest in being a doctor, a career counselor can help review their relationships and remind them of the emotional cost let alone the actual cost of medical school. Being in medical means many hours of studying, which does not leave much time for family and friends. Having a counselor review this with the individual allows them to gain a new perspective and make sure that this is the career they want.
Oct 27, 2022 @ 00:35:11
Hi Gitte,
Fulfillment is definitely an important aspect of choosing a career. I feel like many people go through their educational career in hope of making a lot of money only to feel extremely unfulfilled in their “dream career.” They may have had strong interest in school but their career doesn’t turn out to be such a dream. Some people go into a career after seeing all of the highlights of the job but don’t realize what the day-to-day life really is like.
Oct 28, 2022 @ 11:12:23
Hi Gitte,
I agree with you that careers should be fulfilling and enjoyable. As future counselors, we should take that into consideration when it comes to a client looking for meaning. Clients may feel lost when it comes to finding themselves and finding a career. With looking at things such as interests, abilities/skills and values, clients might find what is best for them. They can also look at what is best for their possible future. Counselors should be able to guide their clients through these in order for them to think about their possible future. I also agree with you that looking into relationships of the individual may have an impact on choosing a career. For example, if someone is family oriented, they might want to find a career that can revolve around them. Both the client and the counselor should look at these relationships in order to see what possible career might benefit the client.
Oct 26, 2022 @ 09:45:45
It is important to assess interests, abilities/skills, and values together because each has a factor in a client’s life. If each has been assessed, the counselor is able to determine little details on the client. The counselor is able to see what makes the client’s personality. They can see what the client is interested in and how they spend their time. When assessing abilities/skills, the counselor is able to see how the client might possibly succeed in life. Aptitude tests are an example on how the counselor is able to see the client’s skills and abilities. Assessing values in a client can benefit both the client and the counselor. The counselor can see what the client values in their life. They can use these values during the course of their sessions. The client may also get a better understanding of themselves due to their values. One domain is not enough when assessing because all of these make the client, the client. Each domain is able to see the client’s personality. The counselor can also pin point from each domain to determine how well the client may succeed later in life.
Relational influence is important in career assessment because it is someone’s choice in their life. If someone is family orientated, then they would want to find a job that lets them be with their family more (such as work from home). When it comes to counseling, the counselor should look into the relationships the client may have. Though sometimes it may feel impossible to find, jobs can be flexible with someone’s values they have. As a personal example, at my job, I have to work on a weekend day. Personally, I do more on Saturdays with family and friends. Due to this, I chose to work on Sunday instead. I did not want to miss those activities done on Saturday due to work. I am lucky to have that choice when it comes to my job. My boss also lets me know that my schooling does come first (again, something I am very lucky to have). When I was first hired, my boss knew I was a college student. She said that though I do have a priority to come to work, she also wants school to be my priority too. She has accommodated for these since she knew my values I have. Sometimes, jobs do want what is best for their employees and will make adjustments to them. The person as well should know their own values when it comes to their job search. Though it may seem like a never ending process, there is a job that will accommodate for the person’s life if needed.
Oct 26, 2022 @ 18:00:57
Hi Ashley,
I agree with you that aptitude tests are a great way for counselors to assess a client’s abilities and skills. Using an aptitude test can show a clear list of the client’s skills and abilities, while it is a bit harder to assess the interests and values of a client. To assess the interests and values you need to communicate with the client and ask them all about their life to see what their interests and values are. To better judge a client’s interests and values it is better to have built quite a lot of rapport with them. Having better rapport with the client when assessing these areas of their lives gives you a clearer understanding of their life.
You are extremely lucky to work in a place where your boss works and communicates with you about your priorities. Having a boss who will work with you to prioritize college and your own family life is very beneficial for you. I feel that it is extremely important for an individual who is going through the hiring process to communicate their boundaries and priorities as you did. For you, your relational influence in your career means that your biggest priority is being able to spend Saturdays with your family and friends. When looking for a career it is very important for individuals to consider any priorities they may have and how these priorities will affect their lives and most importantly their career.
Oct 29, 2022 @ 15:31:40
Hi Ashley,
Glad to hear that your boss is welcoming of your schedule! I think if more bosses recognize that their employees have other things going on, more people would be able to enjoy their lives outside of work. It also sparks a larger conversation. What does that mean for our society if people have to beg for common courtesy? No one should have to make the hard choices between their health & family and be worried about losing their source of income. Job flexibility is much more important than we realize, and I hope more people come to this conclusion too.
Oct 29, 2022 @ 16:09:52
Hi Ashley,
I think your comments about values are very important and working on integrating the interests with the values is something the counselor can really help with. I particularly liked your comment about the client understanding themselves due to their values. People are often asked what they’d like to do when they graduate but people rarely ask if their interests and values are in alignment. I also think it’s great that both you and your manager are on the same page with regards to your schedule and priorities. It seems like she is a person who has thought through what they important parts of this job are and what kind of manager she would like to be. Sounds like a great place to work.
Oct 26, 2022 @ 12:11:53
When looking at career counseling it is important to consider an individual’s interests, abilities or skills, and values, among various other concerns. The career a person chooses will often take up many hours a week and years of their life, so it is vital that they choose their career with great care. When considering an interest in a particular career it is important that the individual have a curiosity about the career they are choosing. In the recent past, it has been suggested to people that they “do what they love”; however, for practical reasons this cannot be the only domain that is considered. For instance, I may love singing but my aptitude for singing, and being able to make a career of it, is very low. Even for those who find a career that interests them and that they have skill in, they may be working for a company that does not share their values. For example, an individual may be interested in finance, have great skill in finance, but work for a company that produces a product they do not respect such as tobacco. This issue may be resolved by working for a different type of company. If only one or two of these areas are considered, the individual may not feel fulfilled.
I would also like to add that I’ve seen individuals who have an interest, the skill, and the values for the job and it still did not work out due to other factors (in this case their customers). Additionally, even with people who have gone for career counseling and have considered their interests, skills, and values, there are still those individuals who change their careers several times over their lifetime because their values and lifestyle have also changed. So, it is possible individuals to evolve in their interests, improve their skills, and have other factors influence their career choices.
Relational influence is at least as important as interest, skills, and values when considering career assessment, and at certain points in an individual’s lifespan it may be more important than the domains previously discussed. When a person is young, they may consider their parents opinion of what they should do or where they should go to school as very important. The parents’ choices may be successful, or they may not work out but there is probably still an opportunity to pivot and make other selections for a career. However, as a person gets older, they may become involved in long-term relationships where they now need to consider their partner’s career as well as their own. If they both work in the same geographical area it may work out satisfactorily. But if one partner or both people need to move for work opportunities then it may adversely influence the other partner’s job prospects. Later, if the couple have children they have to consider if the area they are living in is friendly to families and if they can stay in that area long term until the children finish school. Also, the family may decide that one partner work more flexible or part-time hours to help support the management of the household. Further, there may be family reasons (for the grandparents to help support grandchildren or for the adult children to support their parents) to consider moving “back home”. There is a lot to consider with career assessment and relational influence.
One last thing I want to share in this discussion that could be helpful to others is a blog I read about workplace issues (resumes, interviews, how to handle issues with bosses and co-workers, etc.). It’s advice column style, easy to read, and has many letters that could be considered helpful to career counselors. It can be found at https://www.askamanager.org/ .
Oct 26, 2022 @ 22:33:47
Hi Wendy,
I agree with your point that relational influence is just as important as assessing interests, abilities/skills, and values. Relational influence is a very complex and important factor – it can help tremendously when determining someone’s vocational direction – and, as you mentioned in your examples, everyone’s situation is unique and it really depends on where they are and where they plan to be in their personal lives, which could directly affect their vocational options. Lastly, thank you for sharing that link! That was super thoughtful.
Oct 29, 2022 @ 18:01:27
Hi Wendy, you made very interesting and valid points especially about the compatibility one has with what they love to do and are realistically able to do. Although we hear a lot to follow one’s dreams and do what you love for a career, you’re right when you say that sometimes the chances of succeeding in that career can be low. Additionally, I liked that you focused on geographical concerns in maintaining a satisifactory career. I did not think about this in regards to relational concerns even though it is an important factor to consider because often people need to move for various reasons throughout their lifetimes. I liked the way you explained these varying issues in career assessment through a realistic lens.
Oct 26, 2022 @ 17:07:21
Interests, abilities/skills, and values are all extremely important characteristics to consider when you are assessing someone for career counseling. All three of these domains are important when it comes to understanding different parts of an individual’s life. If you do not appropriately assess each domain you will not get an entire view of the individual. When assessing an individual for career counseling you need to be able to consider the different parts of the individual’s life. If you can not find one specific type of career that is fitting for the individual’s interests you can move on and look for careers that would fit their skills and abilities. Having other areas of an individual’s life to look at to find them a career will end up giving them a more accurate career assessment.
Relational influence is extremely important when it comes to career counseling. The reason for this is that everyone requires different priorities in their life. When considering a career placement you need to also take into consideration where the person’s career is listed in their priorities. If the individual has a family, children, or other priorities they may not want to work long hours or work far from home. If someone’s top priority is their family, it is important to find a career that fits with them being able to have more of a work-life balance. If another individual does not have a family and is wanting to relocate for a job, you know that one of the individual’s top priorities is to move away so finding a job further away would work better for that individual. When picking a job it is so important to take many different factors into consideration and the individual’s priorities is one of the most important. Individual priorities tell a lot about a person and where they stand in their life.
Oct 29, 2022 @ 14:39:56
Hi Stephanie,
I like what you wrote about priorities and how they are important when it comes to picking a career because different people will have different priorities. Those priorities may also change over time, and it’s important for the individual to know what is important to them. Additionally, the individual will also have to consider the priorities of their partner if the relationship is serious.
Oct 26, 2022 @ 22:28:04
Assessing all of these domains together is important in career counseling so there can be an accurate presentation of potential, realistic vocational options for an individual seeking direction. Assessing the domains of interest, abilities/skills, and values provides an almost if not full picture of the person and can altogether serve as a predictor of what their path will look like and what successes are attainable for them. Only assessing one domain would not be enough to accurately determine the direction that individual should lean towards. In reference to the book and lecture recordings, assessing interests alone would not be enough to determine a potentially successful occupational direction. Without assessing abilities/skills or values, there is little evidence or contextual reference to determine whether the individual would be vocationally successful in their interest domain.
It is important to consider other factors outside of work as some of these factors could have a large influence on vocational decisions (i.e., work and important relationships can have direct affects on each other). Relational influence is important to take into account as it considers where the person is currently at in their personal life which could provide a lot of helpful information in regards to their options.
Oct 29, 2022 @ 09:53:17
Hi, Brenna! Identifying careers that align with a person’s interests, skills, and values is a crucial part of career counseling. Additionally, relational influence is another factor to consider. At times, there may be a client whose parents or other significant relationships may impact what career path they take, especially if they don’t match with the client’s ideas. Thus, it is essential to keep pressures from relational influences in mind to assist the client best.
Oct 27, 2022 @ 00:29:33
In career counseling it is important to assess multiple domains because a career affects one’s lifestyle. It is important to also consider the practicality of attaining a certain career. Some careers require higher levels of education and it may not be practical for some people to restart their schooling. Someone may have an interest in a certain industry but an interest does not always translate to being a good fit in the industry. Despite having the skills and interest in a career, someone may discover that a job does not match their own values. Hence, interests, abilities/skills, and values should be considered together when looking into a potential career.
Relational influence is another important facet of career counseling because it can also affect one’s lifestyle. More specifically, relationships can be a deciding factor in choosing a specific career over another. Some jobs may require people to consider moving away from their family. Other times, a deciding factor is whether their partner is willing to move with them.
Oct 27, 2022 @ 10:53:01
Hi grace,
I agree that someone’s interest doesn’t always mean it is a good fit for them career wise. Having all domains assessed together is very important because that will give the individual a close to accurate direction. I’m sure the individual isn’t going to want some career they won’t perform the best at because they lack the ability or skill. Aside from his career the individual can participate in his interests in more of a hobby way.
Oct 27, 2022 @ 09:14:05
It is important to assess interests, abilities/skills, and values altogether when engaged in career counseling because of the various roles that each domain plays in determining/predicting a client’s success in a particular career. They ought to be assessed together because separately, they are less able to provide a holistic view of a client’s success. For example, while interests can be helpful in pointing a client toward general occupational areas (as a way of breaking ground), they aren’t always conducive to occupational success. We have our limitations despite a degree of interest in a given area or task. When interests are assessed alongside abilities/skills, aptitude can be better examined to point a client toward interest areas that are related to careers that the client may have greater success in due to his or her skillsets. Values are also critical, as they help determine the satisfaction that a client may expect when entering a particular work environment or career area.
Relational influence is crucial in career assessment because a client does not make decisions within a bubble. There are family members and significant others that are influenced by career decisions. Therefore, it’s important as a clinician to evaluate how a choice would affect a client’s life beyond their individual unit. We must be sensitive to a degree about client decisions (especially if a move is involved), because this may cause stress to important people in the client’s life, or to the client themself. A career or job decision involves many factors related to relationships, and therefore we must be mindful to encourage a client to consider how a decision may affect them relationally (the pay raise may seem enticing, but would the stress of moving away from your loved ones be worth it?)
Oct 29, 2022 @ 15:49:32
Hi Magdalen,
As you said, when people consider a job, they have non-negotiable elements (commute, pay, flexibility, etc.). At the same time, being very critical tends to backfire. When people decide to stand up for themselves, they are cut down and told to be realistic and compromise. Why should people compromise for a job, especially when some fire and hire erratically? Career counselors should be as close to advocates for their clients as possible. Assisting the client so they do not diminish their demands is the hallmark of a good counselor.
Oct 27, 2022 @ 10:47:46
It is important to assess interests, abilities/skills, and values when engaged in career counseling so that an individual is presented with an opportunity that is the perfect fit for them. Assessing each group separately will give an individual different results of a path they could take that include things they may enjoy but overall, those result are not careers that would be the correct career for them to pursue and be good at professionally as they don’t have the ability or skill to maintain the career. Which is why it is important that interests and skills are assessed together so that the individual is given not only the right fit but also something they won’t get burnt out quickly from. They will be led in the direction of something they will enjoy through and through as well as be successful in.
In career assessment relational influence is an important factor when selecting a career. Depending on someone’s career choice it can impact the relationships they have because some may need to work long hours where it can affect their social life and others may work a regular hour job where they are still capable of hanging out with friends and family and maintaining a social life. With that, some individuals need to make sure they are prioritizing what means the most to them and make sure they are not isolating themselves.
Oct 29, 2022 @ 13:24:46
Hi Rena,
I agree that assessing each group will give a clear indication of what career path the client should take. Assessing skills in particular can help determine what professions they would thrive in and whether they could maintain the job by evaluating their skills in detail. Which is why in career counseling it’s important to choose a career that not only aligns with one’s interests but also with their set of skills.
Oct 27, 2022 @ 11:34:04
In career counseling it is important to assess interests, skills, values and abilities. Assessing interests, skills, and abilities is crucial since it can assist in identifying potential career interests. Additionally, it supports career exploration and assists clients in locating jobs that align with their interests. Assessing skills can also help with determining which profession the client will excel in and which ones they might find difficulty in.
Relational influence is significant in career assessments because it helps determine the kind of values the client has. Whether they choose a demanding career with long hours or whether they require a healthy work-life balance to have enough time to be with their families and friends. Relational values can change during the course of a person’s life. Early in their careers, a person may not value family time and be able to handle a time-consuming job, in opposed to someone who is settling down or ready to create a family, who will want a position that allows them adequate time to be accessible for their family.
Oct 29, 2022 @ 10:46:57
Ariannah,
I like how you spoke about career exploration. It gives the client much broader options when they are looking for a career, as opposed to being or feeling limited to just one career choice or a select amount. I think it is important to explore all different options for careers so clients don’t rush into the first job that seems fitting to them.
Relational values changing throughout an individuals life is a great thing to point out, what may be important now, may be less important in 10 years, as people adapt and go through the life stages.
Oct 27, 2022 @ 17:43:43
Integrating information an individual’s interests, abilities and values is common within the career counselling process and it is important to combine all of these domains to get a more rounded view on an individual. If we only have details about one of the domains, then it makes decisions regarding their career more difficult because we don’t have all the relevant information. Just assessing interests, tells us what an individual is interested in, but doesn’t guarantee occupational success, assessing ability identifies successes but they do not consider an individual’s values and assessing values is a critical aspect of the career counselling process. Assessing all domains gives a bigger and better picture.
Relational influence is important because there’s more to a job, then the shifts you work. It takes up your time and other resources that you also need in other areas of your life. It’s important to have a work/life balance and to ensure you have time to do things outside of work to enrich your life. If a job pays well but gives you no time to spend with your friends and family, then it’s important to evaluate what your priorities are and what best benefits you. It wasn’t an easy decision for me to come here and study, however I knew that in the future it definitely wouldn’t be the right time. I made the decision to more forward in my career and challenge myself whilst I am young and do not have any commitments (children, in the middle of my career, nobody that is dependent on me). Even though technically its different because its not my actual career, its still a huge stepping stone for my future career that relational influence definitely placed a massive role in.
Oct 28, 2022 @ 09:27:02
Hi Vic! I agree, if we only have details about one of the domains, we don’t get the full picture. As you mentioned it makes decisions regarding careers more difficult because we don’t have the complete picture. I like that you brought up that assessing only interests does not show occupational success. Furthermore, relational influences are very important to consider when assessing the best-fitting careers. re that moving here was a tough decision as I assume most of, your family lives overseas. When my parents decided to move to the states, it was difficult to make but similarly, there were more opportunities for their work. It’s important to review all aspects of yourself and essentially compare your current life to the career you desire.
Oct 28, 2022 @ 23:20:16
Hi Vic,
I agree that it is very important to assess many domains of a person to get a more holistic view of the individual. A clinician should acquire as much information as possible about the individual before giving any advice on their career path. Just because a person really likes to paint does not mean that the person should become an artist. I like how you mention the importance of a balance between work and life. Individuals outside of work should partake in things they enjoy to enhance their lives.
Oct 27, 2022 @ 18:06:52
It is important to assess interests, abilities/skills, and values all together when engaged in career counseling because each aspect plays a role in how realistic a career choice will be. For example, you can have an interest in something but not have the abilities/skills to be able to succeed in that interest. If a person has an interest in being a surgeon but is unable to stay extremely still and focused; they likely do not have the physical skills to become a surgeon. Another example could be if a person had to perform surgery on an inmate who committed a murder. If that individual does not have a value of treating all people equally in that setting regardless of who they are then it would also not be a good fit. Therefore, one domain would not be enough because it does not constitute a high probability that the individual would be successful in that career choice.
It is also important to consider relational influence in career assessment because it is part of what determines what career can be obtainable to an individual. For example, if an individual has a family with a wife and kids but wants to go into the army and will have to move homes frequently; it may not be the best decision to have the children constantly changing schools and living an unstable life. A choice that is not favorable to those a person has important relations to can significantly change the dynamic and can possibly ruin those important relationships. In turn, not being supported by those close to a person will tend to affect career decisions.
Oct 28, 2022 @ 09:34:19
Hi Maria, I used a similar example as well for assessing interests, abilities/skills, and values. It’s important to look at all different aspects of a client and find what best fits for them. As you mentioned if someone has an interest in being a surgeon they need to be aware of the density that comes with that career. I also appreciate you bringing up how values are important as well to your example. With that relations and influences are equally important. Relationships are crucial to have in a person’s life, so reviewing them when choosing a fulfilling career is important. Great post!
Oct 27, 2022 @ 18:25:08
It is important to assess one’s interests, abilities/skills, and values when conducting career counseling. A career choice is supposed to bring joy and fulfillment while also enhancing the person’s life. However, more times than not, people grow to despise their job because it causes more stress in their lives. When choosing a career, it is crucial to consider one’s interests, abilities/ skills, and values to increase the likelihood of job satisfaction. Interests can guide an individual to a certain career path but it does not guarantee occupational satisfaction. One’s skills and abilities should also be assessed when engaging in career counseling to ensure that the individual is qualified. The counselor should verify results with other information such as grades and prior work performance to ensure that the client’s perception is accurate. Another important factor to consider during career counseling is the client’s values. It is crucial that a potential job is consistent and aligns with the client’s values and morals. Analyzing the client’s interests, skills, and values allows the counselor to gain a holistic view of the client which helps them provide the most sound advice possible.
It is important to discuss and analyze relational influences while conducting a career assessment. Interpersonal relationships play a large role in someone’s life and can affect one’s career choice. Parental relationships in particular are highly influential in their child’s career choice. Typically, parents have high expectations of their children which may place unnecessary stress on the child. Similarly, it is important to know if the client has a family that financially relies on the client. In the session, the counselor should ask the client about their interpersonal relationships to determine if they are being persuaded into this field or if they truly are passionate about it.
Oct 29, 2022 @ 10:35:33
Hi Taylor!
I like how you mentioned that a career choice should bring you fulfilment and should enhance your life too. Its so true what you said about how people start to despise their job, I often think that they hate the effects of the job such as stress, no free time etc, rather than hating the actual job its-self.
I enjoyed reading your section on relational influences, you brought up some points I hadn’t thought of – such as if anyone was dependant on the client and that it would be a good idea for the counsellor to ask if they were being persuaded into a career choice as opposed to actually wanting to do it for themselves.
Oct 29, 2022 @ 17:50:11
Hi Taylor, I appreciate the point you make about interpersonal relationships such as parental influence in making career. You’re absolutely right that parents can play a huge role in the decision making of their children’s career. Outside of parents intentionally having an influence on career counseling and choices, they may also unintentionally influence these decisions if they need care or other types of support from their children. I also like the point you make about how important it is for the counselor to verify these interpersonal influences with their client.
Oct 27, 2022 @ 21:37:04
Assessing interests, abilities/skills, and values is vital to the overall progress of engaging in career counseling. There are various aspects to career counseling that a counselor should address and be aware of in order to adequately help their clients. The interests of a client are important to the counseling process because effectively identifying what career a client may want to pursue is rooted in their interests. Not only do interests provide insight into the type of a career a client may want to follow but values and skills do as well. The values of a client are important to assess in career counseling because they can help determine if a specific career or career path is ideal in aligning with their goals and overall performance within a career. Skills and abilities of a client are also just as important to focus on in assessment. For example, it is important that career counselors interpret aptitude assessments in career counseling in ways that verify their abilities/skills in other domains such as grades and work-performance. These areas are important to verify with other scores in assessment because it can determine the career strengths and weaknesses and lifestyle(s) specific to a client.
The importance of relational influence in career assessment goes beyond just assessment itself. Relational influence is important for reasons relating to interests, abilities, skills, and values of a client in this type of counseling. In order for a client to more accurately determine their career or maintain that career it is important that relational influence is taken into account. Although it may be obvious, someone who has an interest in being a caregiver would have more progress working as a nurse or therapist than they would sitting in an office working with numbers. Similar to interests and values, the counselor and the client themselves should consider lifestyle considerations for the career they wish to pursue.
Oct 28, 2022 @ 13:34:40
Hey Alysha, I like what you said regarding relationship influence in career decisioning. When I wrote my post I was only thinking about the negative ways relationships could effect one’s career determination (like in the case of a little girl growing up thinking that she has to be a nurse instead of a doctor because that is how gender stereotypes influence the way she thinks about those jobs “nurses are girls and doctors are boys” sort of mentality). But what you focused on is how a person’s relations with other people could benefit their job prospects, the example you gave of a person who is interested in providing care to others following the path of a therapist highlighted this sentiment. It definitely had me stop and think about how I conceive of relationships and their positive influence on decision making.
Oct 27, 2022 @ 23:41:07
When engaged in career counseling it is important to assess interests, abilities/skills, and values altogether for several reasons. One reason being, when an individual chooses a career that is aligned with their interests, abilities/skills, and values they may be more motivated to pursue and achieve the career goals they have set for themselves. Additionally, the career one chooses has a significant impact on their overall life, if they are in a career that is not fulfilling this can negatively impact the other facets of their lives. For example, their relationships with a significant other, family and friends, they can also internalize feelings of failing because they haven’t achieved goals they thought they would which can impact their mental health. Overall, it is important, in order to facilitate gathering a holistic view of the individual to increase the likelihood that they will have a successful and fulfilling career.
Relational influences are important in career assessment because individuals do not exist in a vacuum. There are many factors that contribute to one’s career decisions. Relationships and the opinions of those who are most important to an individual affects their choices. While an individual might find their career fulfilling and be motivated to pursue and achieve their career goals, they might spent long hours at the office and neglect maintaining relationships with their significant other and their children for example. Paying attention to relational influences can increase the likelihood that individuals will have a balance between prioritizing the success of their career and maintaining the relationships that are important to them.
Oct 29, 2022 @ 08:43:11
Hi Chandal! I like the way that you explained the various ways that career goals influence relationships, and relationships influence career goals, too. The opinions and expectations of family/significant others can be major factors in not only what career/choice an individual decides, but also how much satisfaction one experiences in that career or with that choice. A career may limit one’s time spent with family compared with another career that allows for ample family opportunities. For example, a career that involves long hours away from home may not be the best option for an individual who wishes to stay at home with his or her newborn. A remote job may be more fitting for this job, for example, to allow for better success and contentedness. This is just one example of how certain jobs may not be the best fit for someone depending on relational factors.