Interview with Dr. John Krumboltz(2)
Z: Exactly right! The title of the second chapter in your book is “always keep your options open”. There is a famous saying. “The most painful thing is not that you don’t have a choice, but having too many choices”. So here comes the dilemma. Many people tend to do a lot of superficial career hopping without really digging into a certain field and become an expert. But for many others, switching their career direction is very urgent. Here is the issue that I would like you to address. How do you distinguish between the two?
K: Each person must make her/his own personal choice. To some extent it is desirable to stick with a choice as long as you are learning something valuable and the experience is not too painful. But during that experience you might discover some other alternative that looks much more attractive to you. Should you take it? No one else can tell you. You must decide for yourself. You might make a mistake. Nothing wrong with making mistakes—they are a good way to learn.
Z: I think another point worth mentioning is that, often times, dissatisfaction leads to change. For those who are happy with their current career, do you think they need change also?
K: Again, that is a very personal choice. No one can make the choice for you—though you may want to listen to the advice of others before you decide.
Z: I guess having too many education or degrees without knowing what to do is also quite common among Chinese students. The employers in China prefer higher degrees without carefully evaluating how much gold is in the degree. One chapter in your book is “Go for the job, then learn the skills”. Your opinion seems to be more practical, learn while do your job. Do you agree?
K: Our advice is, “Never complete your education.” Keep learning all the time. Working on a job can provide a wonderful education if you approach it that way. Learn how your boss sees the job. What problems does your boss worry about? See if you can figure out some ways to be even more helpful for your boss.
Z: You propose an interesting description of “category of career decidedness”, inside which you listed as: very decided, informed undecided, unstable decided, decided uncomfortable, anxious undecided, and planless avoidant. I am actually a little bit curious. Can people’s feeling be really described in such a quantitative way?
K: There is nothing quantitative about these labels. They are names that have been given to students who could not, or would not, make a career decision. We stress that it is unnecessary and unwise to make a commitment to an occupation much in advance. Sure, you need to be willing to try it out to see if you like it, but if you don’t, try something else. Refusing to make a permanent career decision is very wise—although it runs contrary to the popular wisdom.
Z: I have interviewed many successful people. When asked what accounted for their success, many will say “right time at the right place”. Your book actually points out that it is the characteristics of these people that can put them in the right place at the right time. What do you think?
K: It was not their characteristics, it was their actions. The question that needs to be addressed to these people is this: “What did you do that put you in the right place at the right time?”
Z: You believe that traditional career counselors add to unnecessary pressure by striving to “cure” their clients of indecision about goal commitment. Why is that?
K: Because making a goal commitment is dumb! Why should you commit yourself to one specific occupation? That occupation is not committed to you. Your company could go bankrupt. You would lose your job. No, always keep your options open. Always be on the lookout for better opportunities. You should never feel stuck in an occupation because at one time in your life you made a “commitment” to it.
