Occupational change: On the horns of a dilemma

Occupation, as used by careers researchers and practitioners, refers to a set of duties that require similar skills (International Labor Office, 1990). When people change occupations, they change the skill sets they use to make a living. Most of the time, they need to gain new skills to be eligible for their new occupations. This is a highly costly process for people because they not only invest in training for the new occupation but also usually face with loss of pay and human capital after the change (Dlouhy & Biemann, 2018). Despite this, there is an increasing trend of holding multiple occupations in one`s career across the world (Ibarra, 2002).

I have conducted a research project on the key factors that shape voluntary occupational change process. As a result of thematic analysis of the 25 interviews conducted with occupational-changers, I suggest the following observations on why and how individuals leave their occupations to pursue new ones (for a detailed discussion, please see Biricik Gulseren, upcoming).

1-    Occupational change is an individualistic process.

There are three phases of occupational change: (1) Moving away from the initial occupation, (2) exploring an alternative occupation, and (3) entering into a new occupation. Although all of the occupational-changers go through these three stages, everybody does this differently. Some occupational changers decide on leaving their occupations first without considering the other steps whereas some others figure out their next occupations and then come up with a game plan to leave their one. It is also possible to experience two or more of these stages simultaneously. For some informants, occupational change can take years whereas it can relatively be a faster process for some others.

2-    Parents are positively influential the initial career decisions, but not in the second one.

The parent-child relationship is a critical factor in the occupational change process. Although not probed, some informants reported how much they were influenced by their fathers or mothers when they made their initial occupational choices. Some of them wanted to please their mothers. Some of them wanted to be like their fathers. However, this influence can become a barrier when they decide to change their occupations. Some occupational changers can feel guilty (or even refrain or delay occupational change) because of the perceived disappointment of their parents.

3-    Guilt, regret, and satisfaction can be experienced simultaneously.

Although occupational change can result in positive affective states such as increased life satisfaction, some occupational changers feel guilty because of wasting investments they (or their sponsors) put into their previous occupations. They also feel regret because they have spent some years working in an occupation that did not make them happy. Overall, occupational change is a complex process involving positive and negative emotional reactions.

4-    Childhood interests can guide away.

A majority of the informants reflect on their childhood interests to find out what they wanted to do as an occupation. Finding a diary they wrote in the childhood or recalling a game they played with joy can give the answer to which occupation they should be pursuing next.

What can practitioners do?

Counsellors working on career (particularly occupational) change process with their clients can:

• Prepare their clients for an emotionally intense relationship with negative emotions that are possible strong and enduring.
• Remind the individualistic nature of this process to their clients. Some clients may experience distress as a result of comparing themselves to the other occupational-changers.
• Explore childhood interests that can either be forgotten or suppressed transiting into the adulthood. The answer may be there.

Author Bio

Duygu Biricik Gulseren is a Ph.D candidate in industrial and organizational psychology program at Saint Mary’s University. She has a diverse set of research interests in the area of occupational health psychology. Her recent studies are about chronic pain at work, the role of leadership creating healthy workplaces, accommodating mental disabilities at work, and bullying and mistreatment at work.

References

Biricik Gulseren, D. (upcoming). Should I stay or should I go?: why and how people change occupations.

Dlouhy, K., & Biemann, T. (2018). Path dependence in occupational careers: Understanding occupational mobility development throughout individuals’ careers. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 104, 86-97.

Ibarra, H. (2002). How to stay stuck in the wrong career. Harvard Business Review, 80(12), 40-7.