Occupational Information

Sources: New and Emerging

Occupational Fields
Wilbur Gonsalves, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Applied Psychology
University of Mumbai
Email: wilburgonsalves@psychology.mu.ac.in
 Career Planning Process

What
Questions
of Enquiry?
Relationship Between Data
and Decision Making
O Having reliable data is essential to career
decision making.

O Data may be acquired from print sources,

computer-assisted career guidance systems,
websites, and/or people.

O The counselor’s role is to assist

clients/students to turn data into
information.
Barriers in Decision Styles
O Clients/students may have difficulty dealing
with data
1. Because of physical, mental, or emotional
deficits.
2. Because of their usual decision-making
style.
 Planful . Compliant
 Agonizing . Delaying
 Impulsive . Fatalistic
 Intuitive . Paralytic
 Decision Making Styles
O Planful: Decision making is systematic, step-by-step
manner (setting goals, identifying alternative to reach that
goal, collecting information about those alternatives,
identifying the alternative which would most likely reach
the goal, taking steps to implement the alternative). They
are most likely to make effective use of data.

O Agonizing: Attempts to engage in decision making in a

systematic step by step manner but becomes so
engrossed in finding alternatives, collecting data about
them, trying to choose one over others that he or she is
never able to reach a decision. For these people more data
is available more difficult it becomes.
 Decision Making Styles
O Impulsive: One does not know how to follow a systematic
process or does not value it, this type selects an alternative
quickly and does not spend time in identifying alternatives
or collecting data about them. These persons do not
recognize the need for or value of data.

O Intuitive: One who seems to be able to select one

alternative over another without having through go through
the steps of the planful process. This type of decider
seems to be able to determine what his or her personal
goals are quite quickly and then substitute experience and
good judgment for extensive data collection. These people
appear to need little data
 Decision Making Styles
O Compliant: One who either due to personal style or
societal norms allows others to make decisions for
him or her. These people may rely on the data that
others may have collected.

O Delaying: One who recognizes that a decision needs

to be made but continues to delay making it out of
fear, lack of data or lack of motivation. People with
this style are not ready to collect or use data.
 Decision Making Styles
O Fatalistic: One who believes that he or she does not
have control over the events of life, but that they are
determined largely by external forces. Persons with
this style are not ready to collect or use data.

O Paralytic: One who recognizes the need to make a

decision but is not able to move forward in the
process because the process or the possible
outcomes are very frightening. As with the previous
two types these types of deciders are not ready to
collect or use data. In fact, having a lot of data may
cause them to be even more paralytic.
 Client Roles

O Complete the data-gathering homework given by

counselors.

O Apply data collected to personal career choices,

aided by the counselor.

O Assume responsibility for their own decision

making.
 Counselor Roles

O Select sources for data that are of high

quality.

O Make sources of data known to clients and

assist them to know how to use them.

O Assist clients to make meaningful use of

data.
 Types of Data Needed by
Clients
O Occupational descriptions
O Descriptions of Schools/Colleges/Universities
O Descriptions of programs of study
O Descriptions of military occupations
Competitive Exams/ Administrative Services
O Descriptions of apprenticeships/internships
O Listing of jobs
O Descriptions of financial aid

•Career data and assessment results should

not be interpreted as “right/wrong”
Ways to Organize Occupations
O Holland’s system (R, I, A, S, E, C)

O ACT’s World-of-Work Map clusters and job families

O http://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/multimedia/wwmap/world.html

O New Guide to Occupational Exploration

(Interest Areas and Work Groups, Job Description, Crosswalks to Careers by Work Values,
Leisure Activities, School Subjects, Work Settings, Skills, Abilities, Knowledge, and
Military Occupations)

O O*Net system clusters (Occupational Information Network)

https://www.onetonline.org/

O National Career Services

https://www.ncs.gov.in/Pages/default.aspx What is the
DOT & NCO?
O U.S. Department of Education clusters

O http://www.exploring.org/activity-library-category/us-department-of-education-career-
clusters/
 Physical Career Center
O Centrally located
O User-friendly
O Equipped with computers and Internet
connections
O Equipped with video display devices
O Staffed with trained persons
O Organized by material type, content, career
planning step, or life role
 Virtual Career Center
O May include
O assessment
O linkages to websites that
provide data resources
O cybercounseling
assistance
Other Methods of Collecting Data
O Career days

O Mentoring

O Internships

O Job Shadowing

O Part-time jobs
THANK YOU