Leah I. Johnson, M.A.

CNS 743: Career Development

Assignment 4.1: Career Autobiography, Part 2
07.23.17

I was recently laid off from my job due to the company’s inability to maintain

their counselor’s salaries. So, it is interesting that I am taking this class at a time when I

needed to evaluate my life and make career choices. As I was reading about the

different theories and how to apply them from the text, I decided the Cognitive

Information Processing approach (Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2016) was best suited at the

time. I feel that I am at a place where I have a good level of self-understanding and have

worked in the field long enough to possess occupational knowledge. As the text

mentions, I am in a position to bring the two together to make an informed career choice

(p.79).

When I first lost my job, I became very depressed, experiencing loss of appetite

and sleeping excessively. I did not know what I was going to do. I had just gotten a

house and did not know how I was going to pay for it. I was considering taking any kind

of job in any field, just to make ends meet, when I realized it was going to take an equal

amount of effort to job search for a different job as it was to continue to pursue my

desired career path. So, I went through the CASVE cycle quite rapidly. I acknowledge

the problem existed and needed to be resolved. I had enough information about myself

and a couple potential career options, although some were far less desirable than others

(quantity vs quality).

During the final two phases of synthesis, my list consisted of residential

counseling, program administration in a related field, or joining the Navy reserves as an

 Officer. I identified the Navy as my “optimal alternative”; believing it would result in

the most successful outcome by being the best course of action for me, my children, and

society. I am currently in my execution phase; I spoke with the Navy recruiter this

weekend and am scheduled to complete the application on Monday. By going this route,

my education will be paid for, my children’s education can be paid for, we will have

secured benefits and I will still be afforded the opportunity to practice as a counselor in

both the military and the civilian world.

In the executive processing domain of the CIP approach (Peterson, Sampson, &

Reardon, 1991), I momentarily considered that I may have moved through the CASVE

cycle too quickly. I contemplated the impulsivity of the decision I was making.

However, through positive self-talk and once again acknowledging my values, beliefs

and feeling about my career, I believe I made the right choice. When adding my interest

in human behavior and cognitions to my personal values in terms of being empathetic,

accepting cultural differences, and trying my best to help those in need. I also have a

well developed understanding of the job specifications to do no harm and expectations of

continuing education to stay abreast on current trends in the field. Incorporating the

lifelong desire to be in the Navy into this equation, I currently feel less anxious and

depressed. This is a viable option for my career and life in general; the opportunity to

serve my country, provide for my family, and continue to counsel.

References

Niles, S.G. & Harris-Bowlsbey, J.H. (2016). Career development interventions (5th edition).
Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson-Merrill.
Peterson, G. W., Sampson, J. P., Jr., & Reardon, R. C. (1991). Career development and
services: A cognitive approach. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.