Republic of the Philippines

CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY

Don Severino De Las Alas Campus
Indang, Campus
(046) 415-0013/ (046) 425-0012
www.cvsu.edu.ph

Course Description: CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND COUNSELING

Topic: Working: Implications for the Future Concepts of Work and the Factors that

Determine Career Paths

Reporter: SOBREMONTE, LORELEI V.

Professor: DR. LUMINE CRISOSTOMO

INTRODUCTION

The role of career counselor is to provide a service to help people better organize
their thoughts and feelings about their careers options and focus on what they need to do to
achieve their career goals. The aim is to help people effectively analyze themselves to make
more positive decisions. This often requires in-depth one-to-one interviews and assessments
to identify a person’s skills, motivations and goals. It promotes the ability to identify the
factors influencing someone’s career before discussing how to alter them.

In this topic concepts of work and career; work ethics; and the factors that determine
career paths will be discussed. It is essential for the counselor to be fully aware about this
topic. The word work, employment and career are somehow synonymous with each other
but have different function. Counselors must be careful in using these terms because it might
cause confusion to the clients. Another important thing to consider is the factors affecting or
determine career paths and the work ethic valued by the clients. By familiarizing to these,
counselor may guide his clients in choosing a career or educational program at all stages of
their career. They can use aptitude and achievement assessments, career counselors help
their clients to evaluate their abilities and skills. They then take the client’s interests,
background, training and education into consideration, and assist them in developing
realistic goals.
I. CONCEPTS OF WORK

 Time and Effort: labor, employment, leisure, and play

 Content of work: task, positions, and occupations
 Employment: contractual agreement
 Work: individuals are rewarded (Gowler and Legge, 1989); benefit the individual, the
family and also society; satisfies our psychological needs
 Career choice reflects our self-concept and we develop personal identity through our
career choice (Holland, 1895; Super, 1990 & Critics, 1981)

II. WORK IN AN EVOVLVING SOCIETY

Some people think work is a play; others think play is work.

National Vocational Guidance Association

- Work as a conscious effort, other than having its primary purpose either coping,
or relaxation, aimed at producing benefits for oneself or others.
DONALD E. SUPER: Career and Life Development
- The systematic pursuit of an objective valued by oneself (even if only for survival)
and desired by others; directed and consecutive it requires the expenditure of
effort.
a. Paid work (compensated)
b. Uncompensated (volunteer or an avocation)
Protestant Work Ethic
- Through work individuals can achieve religious peace and spiritual salvation.
- The philosophy of work during the reformation was that one should work
industriously and hard.
- Hard work was translated into worldly achievements, high profits and
individuality.
Work Ethic is Materialistic
- Job is more satisfying and more positive if it has a higher level of salary.
- Career success will generate life satisfaction.
Work Ethic is self-growth
- The more workers make their own decisions, the more autonomy they have, and
more meaningful the job is to them.
Work Ethic as adults coming to workplace with new expectations and expecting work
to include personal satisfaction (Ludeman, 1989)
Additional Information

Blue- collar workers; Protestant Work Ethic

- A blue-collar worker is a working class person who performs manual labor. Blue-
collar work may involve skilled or unskilled manufacturing, mining, sanitation,
custodial work, textile manufacturing, power plant operations, farming, commercial
fishing, landscaping, pest control, food processing, oil field work, waste disposal,
recycling, electrical, plumbing, construction, mechanic, maintenance, warehousing,
shipping, technical installation, and many other types of physical work. Blue-collar
work often involves something being physically built or maintained.
Recent College Graduates; Self-growth Ethic
The values of older workers differ from those of younger workers, “traditionalists
versus challengers”
Work is continuing to change and so might work ethics.
- There are conflicting philosophies toward work.
- Many of the jobs that will be available in the year 2000 will be low-paying, routine
types of jobs that will be repetitions.
Individuals following the self-growth ethic will not be motivated or interested in
working in these jobs.
As counselors our role is to help individuals deal with motivation, commitment and
personal need when making a career choice.

III. Definition of Career

 French word career means road or racetrack

 Career is defined as an occupation or profession which one trains for and pursues as
a life work.
 Involving sequence of a person’s work experience over time (Arthur, Hall and
Lawrence)
 Life long careers are disappearing (Kanchier, 1999)
We often use the word "career" as a synonym for occupation, trade, profession, or
vocation. This definition refers to what a person does to earn a living. There are
thousands of careers. They range from those that require extensive education and
training to others for which you need hardly any preparation. Examples of careers are
engineer, carpenter, doctor, veterinary assistant, cashier, teacher, and hairstylist.

IV. Factors that Determined Career Paths

1. Economic Factors
Economic Factors Affecting Employment
National job growth, recessions and the ability to look for employment could
affect worker turnover and retention. For example, if the economic climate is
doing well and jobs are flourishing, it may be harder to retain employees if they
have other, better job opportunities to assess. On the other hand, if the economic
climate is poor and national unemployment rates are high, it may be easier to
retain your employees since other job opportunities may be limited. Also,
changes in consumer taste can affect demand for the product or service your
company provides, which could lead to layoffs or mass hiring that could affect
your company's employment rate.

Technological Advances and Automation

Advances in technology can affect employment rates. For example, certain
industrial ventures previously requiring people to work on factory lines may now
be able to use computer-operated machines instead of employees, depending on
the industry. This may significantly decrease the amount of employees needed in
a company's workforce. Certain technological advances in machine automation
have also replaced the need for specific levels of employees in office
atmospheres, impacting overall employment.

Impact of Corporate Values

The corporate values that your company adheres to could impact your
employment rate. If potential employees, for example, hear negative stories in the
press about the way your company treats employees, this could affect your
recruitment process and what type of candidate you are able to hire. If your
employees feel unappreciated or unmotivated to work for your company, this
could also affect employment in that these employees may leave for other
ventures, or your company's production levels could decrease and layoffs may
need to take place.

Seasonal Employment Fluctuations

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, seasonal fluctuations in certain
industries can affect employment. For example, if you own an agriculture or
construction company, certain seasons may call for an increase in employees as
opposed to smaller necessary workforces during off-seasons. Also, the BLS
 states that June typically sees large fluctuations in employment rates since
droves of students enter the labor force after graduation
2. Sociological Factors
- Society provide perceptions on what is acceptable in a career (Hotchkins &
Borow, 1990)
- The family has an important influence on career choice as well as on the
educational and occupational level children attain.
- Employees are also very influential; they define the work roles that are
acceptable for their workers.
3. Political Factors
- Governmental bodies and agencies make laws and regulations that affect
individuals, such as safety and minimum wage laws.
- Some governmental decisions may increase jobs in some sections and decrease
jobs in other.
4. Psychological Factors
- Interests and aptitudes guide us in choosing certain environments that we prefer,
certain educational options and career decisions.

REFLECTION

It is very important especially in career counseling to know the background of his

client as an individual person first. It is an essential factor for identifying the real potential
and guiding students towards a right career path. Career counseling will be helpful choosing
a career goal, planning and give a direction to students for a better future ahead. This
includes career exploration, making career choices, managing career changes, lifelong
career development and dealing with other career related. From this topic I learn the things
to be consider in career counseling.

REFERRENCE

Mckay, D. (2019) The Two Meanings of the Word Career. Retrieved from \https://www.the
balancecareers.com/what-is-a-career-525497
Vogt, C.. (2019) What Factors Impact Employment. Retrieved from https://smallbusiness.
chron.com/factors-impact-employment-20026.html
Drummond, R.J. & Ryan C. W. (1995) Career Counseling A Developmental Approach. Ann
Arbor, Michigan: Prentice Hall, 1995