Peak Careers

Professional Development for Career Practitioners

transitions

Changing Course: Navigating Life After 50. By Sadler & Krefft

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changing-course

After listening to a webinar recently (July 2016) on Dorian Mintzer’s monthly webcast on Adult Development IN Aging with Dr. William Sadler, I found that I was very interested in hearing more from him. So I started reading his book, Changing Course: Navigating Life After 50 that he co-authored with James Krefft. I found this to be a very practical and informative book on how people in their “3rd Age” think and act.

I agree with so much of this book and appreciate the research behind my own thinking being supported with facts and stories. I particularly like how he has laid out 6 Principles of 3rd Age growth which agrees with much of my work and the Life Planning Network Associations.

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Repacking Your Bags: Lighten Your Load For The Good Life. Richard Leider and David Shapiro

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repacking your bags

I had seen Richard Leider speak at NCDA in 2014 and was inspired by his message of passion and “unpacking your bags” to find what really matters. In Repacking Your Bags he walks you through the process. There are so many great quotes I found myself highlighting in my e-book often.

“The ideal job isn’t a standard of living it’s a state of mind and a state of being. In the ideal job, you’re applying the talents you enjoy most to an interest you’re passionate about, in an environment that fits who you are and what you value“.

The authors speak to the fact that most of us just keep collecting things physically and emotionally and we seldom get rid of them as they lose their usefulness. They offer a number of activities you can do and offer many suggestions on how to begin this process of repacking your bags. Yes, bags. There are your place, relationship, and work bags. And then they walk us through finding ‘purpose’ in our lives.

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The Third Chapter by Sara Lawrence -Lightfoot

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The Third Chapter by Sara Lawrence -Lightfoot is a great book on understanding this Third Chapter of life and how we as career practitioners can help people successfully navigate aging.  She states this navigation requires curiosity, adaptability, engagement in new perspectives, skills, experiences, and vulnerability & uncertainty.  Yes, it complicated but millions of Boomers are facing this time in their life that will require assistance.

3rdChapter

She speaks to the developmental stage perspective using Bridges Transition work, Eriksons’ view of life span, and gerontologists Neugarten & Hagestad who say “people no longer move from adulthood to old age, but instead go through a relatively long interval when physical vigor remains high, family responsibilities are low, and commitment to work continues but changes.”

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Is a life transition getting in the way of career decisions?

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Career Advising requires understanding how transitions affect our clients

Sometimes when we find one of our clients or students stumbling along in their own career development and/or having difficulty following through on action plans you have developed with them, it may be related to a transition they are going through.

Nancy Schlossberg developed her Transition Theory for career counselors and can be quite helpful in understanding how people move through a transition.  In her book, Going To Plan B, she explains the impact of a ‘non-event’ (something we WANT to happen but does not) and how a non-event can be as powerful as an “event.”

Understanding the impact of a transition and how it affects our roles, relationships, routines, and assumptions is valuable information for career counselors/advisors.

Schlossberg’s 4 S’s are great ways to think about the various components of a transition.

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You, my friend, are a victim of disorganized thinking.

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We, as career practitioners, all have the ability to be “…the great and all powerful wizard”  every day.   We must never underestimate the power of our words.   Here are 10 quotes from the classic movie The Wizard of Oz and how they translate for career practitioners.

1. Wizard of Oz to Cowardly Lion: You, my friend, are a victim of disorganized thinking. You are under the unfortunate impression that just because you run away you have no courage; you’re confusing courage with wisdom. 

When we meet with students or clients they often bring to us a preconceived picture of their career path and one of the greatest conversations we can have is helping them reframe their thinking from seeing barriers to visualizing opportunities.

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Transitions

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Did you ever have a student not follow through with the plan you worked on with them?  I know I have many times.

Transition day to night.

Ever wonder why?  Transition Theory may offer some insight and help guide you to the “next steps” with this person.

Many EVENTS in people’s lives are obvious, (freshmen year for a first-generation college student or a senior year), but the IMPACT of that event on the person is the TRANSITION.  How people deal with transition or do not deal with it, can be blocking them from making good decisions.

Schlossberg’s Transition Theory breaks down the transition into four parts BEFORE you make an action plan.  (too often we go to “solution” first).

1.     One question you want to know is “are they overwhelmed by the situation?”  A first-generation college student coming from a family that has never had a high school graduate before, let alone a college student, can be facing many feelings and decision conflicts.  If I discover they really are overwhelmed with some life transitions, it might guide me on what to do next or what I can expect.

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