The importance of understanding cultural and familial influences on career development: Through a Chinese-Canadian’s experience

Canada is well known throughout the world as a country of multiculturalism with a diverse population. Within the counselling context, it is important to explore and understand an individual’s unique cultural influences. A cultural lens is important for understanding people’s career development, including career planning and decision-making. Within an economically and status driven society, taking an inclusive perspective means gaining appreciation for the process of career decision-making that incorporates the experiences of Canada’s diverse working population. From an applied perspective, having a greater understanding of the influences on such a process may prove invaluable within the specific context of career counselling. From a personal perspective, the career decision-making process is one that has been central to my own life and has been often complicated and stressful, as there have been important influences that are embedded within my cultural milieu of being a Chinese-Canadian immigrant.

In order to bring to life the importance of understanding the career decision-making process through a cultural lens, I present my own experience with career decision-making. My family decided to immigrate to Canada after my father was an international student. From the beginning, education was instilled in me as the most important aspect in my life. I spent many hours with my father working together on my schoolwork. I did not have to choose the universities and programs to apply to, as my father had a large role in this process.  My father once told me that because we were Chinese immigrants, we had to “be better” and we had to prove ourselves within society. Thus, my parents saw being a medical doctor as the best choice for me. People around me often could not understand this; it almost seemed unimaginable for them, a parent choosing a child’s post-secondary education. Upon my own reflection I realize that in Chinese culture, this is a norm. Imagine my confusion and frustration when I failed to excel in the program that my father picked for me. I felt like a failure in the eyes of my parents, and in the eyes of myself. Trying to navigate through my parents’ expectations and my own desires resulted in tense conflicts and many tears. I finally made a career decision to change programs and pursue psychology instead of medical school. Even as a graduate student today, I am still learning to navigate the challenges of being a Chinese-Canadian immigrant and accepting my chosen career path. My experiences have ignited my research passion in further understanding the influences on my own career development, and the experiences of how adult children of immigrants have navigated their career journeys.

Research is beginning to recognize the importance of having a cultural perspective in career decision-making and career development and it has been suggested that career development is best understood from a relational perspective (1) or a systems perspective, that can encompass all the possible life contexts (2). Thus, considering the parental influence through a cultural lens could be an essential part of career counselling and understanding key aspects of people’s career development. It has also been outlined that some career-related constructs may not be appropriate for diverse populations as many theories and constructs developed from Western values (3). Thus, it is essential that professionals and practitioners approach career development through an open cultural lens to incorporate all the unique dimensions that are influencing the career decision-making process.

I would like to conclude by briefly outlining a few ideas on how to incorporate cultural and familial influences in understanding career development:

• Professional self-development in areas of multicultural counselling competencies and career development through all avenues (e.g. workshops, conferences, journals, discussions, online forums and so forth)
• Move from a individual focus in career development to a more organizational and systemic focus when considering programs, services, and interventions
• Have an attitude of openness to different values, beliefs, and worldviews regarding career decision-making and career development
• Be open to exploring with clients how parental influences are forces in their lives throughout adolescence and adulthood

Author Bio

Danni Lei, BSc, is currently completing her Masters of Science degree in Counselling Psychology at the University of Calgary, with a research interest in immigrant populations and career development. She has had previous experience working in a mental health family clinic and will be completing her practicum at the University of Calgary Wellness Centre, working with students who may have personal, academic, and career concerns.

References

Schultheniss, D. E. P. (2003). A relational approach to career counseling: Theoretical integration and practical application. Journal of Counseling and Development, 46, 129-143.

Arthur, N., & McMahon, M. (2005). Multicultural career counseling: Theoretical applications of the systems theory framework. The Career Development Quarterly, 53, 5, 208-222,

Leong, F. T. L., & Hardin, E. E. (2002). Career psychology of Asian Americans: Cultural validity and cultural specify. In G. C. N. Hall & S. Okazaki (Eds.), Asian American psychology: The science of lives in context (pp. 131–152). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.