People assume that career choice-making is a linear choice. But it is actually a reflexive framework. It is both a subjective and an objective reality that is constantly talking to each other.
The “career-design” model actually engages and presents this subjective-objective reality together. It is a completely different logic of seeing life than seeing the way careers are understood as a linear choice-making frame work.
‘Who I am’ determines ‘where I want to be’ and ‘where I want to be’ determines ‘who I am’. People generally assume that only one of these is true.
Let us take these two ideas: ‘who I am’ and ‘where I want to be’ and examine them further.
There is one bunch of people who are subjective in their thinking, so based on ‘who I am’ is going to determine ‘where I want to be’. This is a subjective mode of life which finally leads to deep ego-centricity and certain obsession with self.
There is another bunch of people who are interested in ‘where I want to be’. For them, it does not matter ‘who I am’. This is an objective view of reality at one level. It is not ego-centric, but it is meaning-destroying.
What is proposed through “career-design” is a reflexive view of reality which allows ‘who I am’ and ‘where I want to be’ to iterate so that you are able to build end-states which are fulfilling, meaning-creating and effective.
People who are interested in ‘where I want to be’ are effective but very often, meaning-destroying. On the other hand, people who are interested in ‘who I am’ are egocentric, so finally ineffective in life.
This also tells me ‘where I want to be’ can lift me up from ‘where I am’. Therefore, by changing my aspirations, I can change myself; and that’s a very freeing thing of life. At the same time ‘where I want to be’ will also help me build a personal pathway to that reality.
This means that the quality of my aspirations actually limits who I will finally be in existence. I set up my own boxes.
Most job sites operate from the objective reality while psychological tests (aptitude, orientations, etc) operate from a subjective reality. This is the reason why there is so much dichotomy in the world of career choice-making today.
(original version September 2009)
Listen to the audio here:
- Solution Philosophy by V. Srinivas
Contribution Thinking as a mode of thought which enables fulfillment has been developed by Mr. V. Srinivas.This is the underlying philosophy of the i-become initiative.
He is the CEO & Lead Researcher of Illumine Lab, and the Founder-Chairman, Initiative Lead of the i-become initiative. (Visit Srinivas's Online Archive)
