Armstrong et al. (2010) suggests that counselors should not take into consideration one aspect of an individual while providing career and education related advice (Armstrong et al., 2010). Counselor should counsel in an integrated manner and should include various areas including traits, capabilities, past experiences, interests and other elements into consideration while developing a career plan for their customers. This is because different aspects of an individual impact their career choices differently. For example a person who may perceive that a particular job is quite easy for them to perform may never want to take up that job or career option. Furthermore, an individual’s cultural as well as socio economic background impacts their interest and this in turn impacts their decision making while selecting a career. For example people belonging to disadvantaged backgrounds would prefer to make career choices through which they can earn well and develop better living standards for themselves and their families. In such a scenario, the individual may forgo their own personal interests and may give precedence to the interest of their family members. For example a study was conducted by Gibbs et al. (2013) in which they identified that PhDs belonging to the area of biomedical were more inclined to pursue their career as a faculty member in the same area as a response to their personal values and these values were developed as a result of their identity within the society (Gibbs et al., 2013). Taking into consideration the results of the study conducted by Armstrong, a counselor providing services to a PhD belonging to the area of biomedical should not only consider the education as well as the traits of the individual while providing advice, they should even consider the socio economic background while helping a customer chose a career path.
- Armstrong, P. I., & Rounds, J. (December 01, 2010). Integrating Individual Differences in Career Assessment: The Atlas Model of Individual Differences and the Strong Ring. The Career Development Quarterly, 59, 2, 143-153.
- Gibbs, K. D. J., & Griffin, K. A. (January 01, 2013). What do I want to be with my PhD? The roles of personal values and structural dynamics in shaping the career interests of recent biomedical science PhD graduates. Cbe Life Sciences Education, 12, 4, 711-23.