By: Dr. Donald G. Zytowski
NCASI Director of Research

It was nearly one hundred years ago that a Boston lawyer named Frank Parsons thought up vocational counseling.  He developed the idea that clients of his “vocations bureau” should be helped to take a detailed inventory of their skills and preferences and carefully explore the attributes of occupations in order to make the most perfect match of the two.

And that’s the model for choosing a career today.

But in nearly a century the details have changed.  In 1905, modern psychological tests were only beginning to be developed.  Parson’s assessment was just a long checklist of personal characteristics.  Then, the range of available occupations was much smaller than today.  Many of today’s occupations, social work and certified public accountant for example, had not been invented. Employers were more often small shops with a single supervisor, rather than giant factories or department stores with managerial chains and human relations departments. An individual expected to find a “situation” with an employer and stay in it for life. And life it was—there was no Social Security or 401k then.

Today, we call it career development rather than vocational choice. Our tools are greatly improved. Assessments are more reliable and much more valid, and scores come instantaneously on a generally-accepted set of dimensions.  The US Department of Labor now maintains O*Net™, a definitive listing of the characteristics of 1100 different occupations, and publishes the Occupational Outlook Handbook, describing some 250 occupations that account for 90 percent of the jobs in the US.  

Work life has changed, too – no longer one occupation with one employer. Now people have a career consisting of several or many jobs, some directly up a ladder of achievement, others spiraling through several fields. 

Getting ready to join the labor force is more complex. Few of Parson’s clients had graduated from high school; today postsecondary training is all but necessary. Middle school choices of high school curriculum impact college major plans; college major facilitates or limits the realization of a previously decided career choice.  Students need expert help with career planning if they are to avoid changes of majors or leaving school prematurely. Even after gaining needed qualifications for a chosen career, they may well need help with acquiring job-getting skills.

Career development professionals still recognize the validity of Parson’s century-old concepts, but they know that the details of getting from choice to career are considerably more complicated today. Fortunately, that realization has come by means of extensive research that has, in turn, produced ever more comprehensive and sophisticated career development tools. Through education and exploration, individuals of all ages can practice good career planning to find occupations that match their interests and abilities.

Dr. Zytowski will be presenting on this topic on October 19th, 2005 at 10:00 a.m., Central Time. Kuder Users are invited to listen to the presentation live via the Internet. For more information or to sign up for the presentation, contact Eric Heitz, Director of Training, at 800.314.8972.

National Career Assessment Services, Inc. (NCASI) will hold regional training in the commonwealth of Virginia during September and October in conjunction with Virginia Career View Workshops. Those wishing to participate should register through Virginia Career View at www.vaview.org or contact Mary Landon-Moore at (540)231-7571.

Virginia Training Schedule: A full schedule is available at www.vaview.org.
September 8-9, Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, Abingdon

September 12-13, Thomas Nelson Community College, Hampton

September 14-16, Virginia Beach Higher Education Center, Virginia Beach

September 21-22, VT-Roanoke Higher Education Center, Roanoke

September 26-27, Germanna Community College-Fredericksburg Campus

October 6-7, Northern Virginia Community College-Annandale Campus (Ernst Cultural Center), Northern Virginia

October 10, Piedmont Virginia Community College, Charlottesville

October 11-13, VT-Richmond Higher Education Center, Richmond

October 14, New River Community College, Dublin

October 26, JMU-Student Center, Harrisonburg

October 27-28, Central Virginia Community College, Lynchburg

Workshops are 8:30 – 11:30 a.m.

NCASI is also beginning to offer online training. The next sessions of online training will be in September. During these sessions, Eric Heitz, NCASI Director of Training, will walk participants through the Kuder Career Planning System and highlight the new enhancements.  Those interested should contact Eric at 800.314.8972 or heitze@ncasi.com. Sessions are limited to 25 people.

Online Training Schedule:
September 2: 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 2:00 p.m.

September 30: 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

For more information on training, please contact Eric Heitz at 800.314.8972.

Submitted by: Linda Belknap
Autry Technical Center, Oklahoma

Thanks to the work at the Autry Technology Center in Oklahoma, students and parents are better prepared for the transition from eighth grade to high school, and from high school to postsecondary education. Students in eighth grade begin their career planning with the Kuder Career Search with Person Match interest inventory. Autry Tech Center then holds an eighth grade parent night at which parents receive a copy of their child’s results. Parents learn how to access the Kuder Career Planning System web site at home and how to use the Kuder results to help plan for their child’s future. The positive response to these workshops from both parents and students has been tremendous.

Along with the helpful workshops for eighth grade students and parents, Autry Tech organizes the sophomore orientation around the Kuder results. Previously, Autry Tech allowed students to choose which classes they wanted to take, but now with the help of the interest inventory retaken in tenth grade, classes are scheduled based on students’ interests. Linda Belknap, EEC Coordinator for Autry Tech states, “This has proven to be much more beneficial to us and especially to the students.”  She goes on to say, “We love using the Kuder Career Planning System, and would be glad to share with others how it benefits students, parents, and adults.”

Additional work for the ninth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students includes creating resumés and continued career exploration with the Kuder Career Planning System. Juniors and seniors take the Kuder Skills Assessment and Super’s Work Values Inventory-revised.

Not only do students benefit by using the Kuder system, adults are also encouraged to use the system. Adults are invited to attend an evening Career Awareness Seminar to help direct career plans. Belknap reports that the seminar has started out small in number, but as word gets out, Autry Tech anticipates greater participation. In addition to assisting students and adults, use of the Kuder system and the accompanying workshops featuring the system have proven beneficial to Autry Tech Center as well by attracting new students.

Thanks to Linda for sharing how the Kuder system is helping students, parents, and adults in career development!  Keep up the good work!

We also encourage you to share how you use the Kuder system with your students and clients. We offer $50 for selected best practice submissions for publication in Kuder User News. E-mail your entries to news@ncasi.com.

NEW!! Win Monthly Prizes and Scholarship Awards!

The Harrington Foundation was established to enhance quality of living, and promote education and the advancement of career development, exploration, and planning for all ages worldwide. The Harrington Foundation supports the mission and goals of National Career Assessment Services, Inc.

The Harrington Foundation will have monthly drawings for IPODs and may award up to $10,000 in scholarships. Watch your e-mail and news section of your administrative database for more information. Visit www.theharringtonfoundation.org to learn more about the Foundation.

Look for Us at These Fall Conferences:

September
Sept. 12-14: Richland School District One, Columbia, SC

Sept. 13-15: SCASA Assistant Principals, Greenville, SC

Sept. 22-24: National Association for College Admission Counseling, Tampa, FL

Sept. 25-27: National College Access Network, Las Vegas, NV

Sept. 27-Oct. 1: National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium, Harrisburg, PA

Sept. 29-30: Nebraska Counseling Association, Kearney, NE

Sept. 28-Oct. 1: National Tech Prep Network, Orlando, FL

October
Oct. 2-5: Louisiana Counseling Association, Baton Rouge, LA

Oct. 10-11: Iowa School Counselors Association, Ames, IA

Oct. 16-18: Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges, Hot Springs, AR

Oct. 23-26: Conference on Information Technology, Dallas, TX

November
Nov. 2-8: All Ohio Counselors, Columbus, OH

Nov. 3-5: National Middle School Association, Philadelphia, PA

Nov. 6-8: New York State Tech Prep, Saratoga Springs, NY

Nov. 6-8: Missouri School Counselors Association, Osage Beach, MO

Nov. 10-11: Ohio Career Education Association, Columbus, OH

Nov. 13-15: Building Bridges, Osage Beach, MO

Nov. 16-18: Virginia Counselor Association, Portsmouth, VA

December
Dec. 8-10: Association for Career and Technical Education, New Orleans, LA

We Want to Hear From YOU:

Submit your comments, article ideas, and best practices by e-mail to news@ncasi.com. Selected best practices submissions are awarded $50.