Running head: CAREER AUTOBIOGRAPHY 1

Career Autobiography

Carrie P. Hachadurian

Western Carolina University

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Introduction

My career path looks more like a curvy, mountain road than a straight and narrow path. I

originally went to school to study interior design but quickly realized I lacked both skill and

motivation for the profession. Eventually, I landed in higher education, currently working in the

Center for Career and Professional Development while earning a master’s degree in Higher

Education Student Affairs. This paper aims to describe my career path and to critically analyze

and apply Holland’s Typology Theory and Krumboltz’s Happenstance Theory to my career

development.

My Career Path

As a high school student, I spent very little time reflecting on my career path; I was more

interested in spending time with friends than worrying about a future career, but as college

loomed closer, my parents urged me to declare a major as soon as possible. At the time, I

enjoyed creating and designing houses in The Sims, a computer game based loosely on reality,

so I initially thought a major in interior design sounded interesting. After taking the introduction

class to interior design my first semester at Western Carolina University (WCU), I realized it

required a skill set that I neither had nor cared to develop. I learned that interior designers work

alongside architects and not only did students in the program need to know and understand

architectural design but also needed an affinity for perfectionism and precision, neither of which

resonated with me.

After some soul searching and brief panic attacks in my English teacher’s office, she

helped me realize I had a natural talent for writing. It made sense to me to major in English since

my mother was also a strong writer and had published a nonfiction book. Although writing

books and publishing stories did not resonate well with me either, my English teacher coached
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me into career exploration and options for those with an English undergraduate degree. I came to

discover than an English degree is what I like to call a “khaki degree” – it can go with anything.

My career options with an English degree were almost limitless, but the idea of working in a

newsroom was interesting; so, I studied English with a concentration in professional writing and

a minor in mass communications.

During my undergraduate experience, I worked quite a bit to help with school-related

expenses. In addition to working in food service and at the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad, I

worked as a tutor in the University Writing Center, a copy editor for The Western Carolinian,

and interned at The Mountaineer Publishing Company as well as freelanced for the company

after my internship expired. As graduation loomed closer in 2006, I lucked out with a fulltime

offer from The Mountaineer as a Lifestyles Editor, which I eagerly took. Although I did not

realize it at the time, I graduated at the cusp of the Great Recession and to receive a fulltime job

offer before graduation was becoming increasingly rare.

After a year of working as the Lifestyles Editor, I was promoted to Editor of The Guide,

an arts and entertainment weekly published by The Mountaineer. My boss gave me free reign on

cover stories, as long as I advertised the local events each week. I managed five freelance

writers, brainstormed and planned for each edition months in advance, interviewed for and wrote

headlining stories, and designed the publication. I loved the work I was doing because I could

use my artistic abilities I never knew I had plus my critical and analytical skill sets in the stories I

planned and wrote. Unfortunately, though, it also meant I worked well above 40 hours a week;

the salary was also not something that could sustain my expected lifestyle. Additionally, the

recession by this time was in full force and newspapers and publishing companies were folding

frequently. It was certainly not a good time to be in publishing.

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The stress prompted me to search for something else. My husband was working fulltime

at WCU and encouraged me to search for a job there as well. After a few months of searching, I

found an administrative position with the University Writing Center. Since I had worked there as

an undergraduate tutor and was already familiar with the department and its mission, it made a

logical next move. I gave up my relatively prestigious title of Editor for what others might have

assumed was a demotion to Administrative Support Associate, but the position promised fewer

hours, more pay, and better benefits.

I stayed in that position for a little over five years. There is very little opportunity for

promotion in the higher education community unless one has a master’s degree; however, I

applied for the Student Employment Specialist job in Career Services. At the time, the position

was mostly a Human Resources paperwork type of job and did not require a master’s degree. I

knew the person who was leaving the position, plus I created and managed the student office

assistant position in what is now called the Writing and Learning Commons, and so that seemed

like my next logical move. I accepted that job in January 2013 and have been with the

department ever since (Career Services is now known as the Center for Career and Professional

Development).

When the previous director of Career Services retired in 2015, the new director, Theresa

Cruz Paul, asked me if I was interested in earning a master’s degree. By this time, I was

interested, but I also felt overwhelmed by having to take the GRE as I do not excel in

standardized tests. As luck would have it, the Higher Education Student Affairs program, the

program I had been considering, had decided to drop the GRE requirement. Additionally, the

state government announced state employees could enroll in up to three classes per year free of

charge at any state institution. It seemed as though my next move became crystal clear. I
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enrolled in the program Fall 2016 and plan to become a career counselor working in the Center

for Career and Professional Development upon graduating May 2019.

Holland’s Typology

John Holland’s Typology theory states people generally follow careers that match their

personalities and assumes people generally fall into six personality types, which are tied to six

different types of work environments (Nauta, 2013). The six personality traits include Realistic

(the do-ers), Investigative (the thinkers), Artistic (the creators), Social (the helpers), Enterprising

(the leaders), and Conventional (the organizers) (Roberts, 2017). Those scoring high in the

Realistic category often enjoy working with their hands or being physically active. Fitness

trainers, firefighters, police officers, and builders often score high in this category (Nauta, 2013).

Investigative people most often like to observe, research, think critically and are usually more

reserved (Nauta, 2013). Career examples in the Investigative category include mathematicians,

researchers, and biologists (Nauta, 2013). Those scoring high in Artistic are generally

imaginative and creatively think through problems; they most often prefer unstructured

environments. Actors, singers, editors and photographers usually score high in this category

(Nauta, 2013). Those scoring high in Social enjoy helping others and have strong interpersonal

skills. Career choices in this category include nurses, teachers, and counselors (Nauta, 2013).

Enterprisers are those who like to lead and are often outgoing, competitive and assertive. Career

choices in this category can include CEOs, managers, and lawyers (Nauta, 2013). And finally,

those scoring high in the Conventional category enjoy working with and analyzing data and

prefer well-structured environments. Career choices in the category include accountants,

librarians, and database administrators (Nauta, 2013).

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People generally fall into a mix of of the above to form their three-letter interest or

Holland code. Career counselors and other practitioners administer assessments to measure one’s

Holland Code. The Holland code ties the person’s three highest personality traits together, the

first letter being the strongest of the three (Nauta, 2013). For example, my code is ESI, which

means I scored highest in Enterprising, with Social and Investigative as the next highest. My

code often rotates which letter is the dominant trait, but my code is usually consists of these three

traits, with the occasional A making an appearance. Additionally, those who have a consistent

Holland code are those whose letters are adjacent to each other on the RIASEC model. My code

is moderately consistent since Enterprising and Social are adjacent. Those whose scores for each

category differ greatly from the other have high differentiation. This means there is a clear-cut

interest group for that person. My scores are all relatively even, with the exception of Realistic;

this means that I have varied interests and can sometimes find it difficult to keep to one career.

This also explains why I often see variations of my code in terms of what order my letters appear

and why sometimes I substitute my Investigating for Artistic.

Holland’s Typology Theory resonates well with me because it explains why I found the

editing and publishing career so fulfilling but the administrative position so dull. I exceled as The

Guide editor because of my strong Enterprising trait; I was given the opportunity to control a

publication and a team of freelance writers. Most of all, I felt important and connected to the

community. I used my Investigative trait extensively as well because I did a lot of market

research and interviewing skills during this time in my life. Additionally, I was delving into my

creative side, which opened opportunities to be more artistic in page layout and design, as well as

photography for the articles I was publishing. The work itself was very fulfilling, but the pay
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was not sustainable and the work environment was not supportive. As a result, I looked for

something else in order to lead a financially and emotionally stable lifestyle.

I did not necessarily enjoy my time as an administrative support associate, mostly

because I was not in a leadership role or in a position of decision making power, and I performed

the same mundane tasks repeatedly. I was not using my Enterprising or my Investigative traits

often to lead a fulfilling work life. I stayed in this position for five years, though, because I

enjoyed my work environment, including my coworkers and supervisors. It also led to another

administrative opportunity in Career Services, which has allowed me to come back to my

Enterprising, Investigative, and for the first time, my Social traits. I found my work in Career

Services at first to be as mundane and boring as my position in the Writing and Learning

Commons, but in the last year, I have been given the opportunity to run my own supervisor and

student professional development programs, which has brought meaning back into my work life.

I am looking forward to doing more counseling work as well to fulfill my desire to help people

find meaning in their professional lives.

Krumboltz’s Happenstance Theory

John Krumboltz’s Happenstance Theory centers on the idea that people should not

necessarily plan career moves well in advance (Roberts, 2017). Krumboltz opined that because

we live in a society that changes so rapidly, we and the clients we serve should not feel pressure

to create a life plan from a very early age (Roberts, 2017). His theory states that there are certain

factors that influence our behavior and how we see the world of work: genetic influences,

learning experiences, the environment in which we find ourselves, task-approach skills, and

social contexts (Krumboltz, 2009).

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It is hypothesized that who we are, including our vocational interests, is dictated by our

genetic makeup. Do I excel in writing because I come from a line of authors? Is my critical

thinking ability written in my DNA? Several studies highlighted in Krumboltz’s 2009 article

seems to suggest as much, however, Krumboltz mentioned, that it is not yet totally clear if

genetic makeup completely dictates our vocational interests and abilities or if our environment

has more influence (Krumboltz, 2009).

Learning experiences, which are happening constantly whether we know it or not, also

shape who we are and our vocational interests (Krumboltz, 2009). There are two types of

learning experiences: instrumental and associative. Instrumental experiences are those we

observe happening to us as a result of our action or inaction (Krumboltz, 2009). The

encouragement or discouragement we feel and observe from others after completing a certain

task can help enhance or deter us from career aspirations. For example, in the introductory class

to interior design class, I felt discouraged from the profession because I never scored very well

on the assignments that required precision. Associative learning experiences are observations we

make in our environment or in other people. For example, “children can make judgements about

what which of the multiple behaviors they observe (on television, types of movies, etc) they wish

to emulate” (Krumboltz, 2009, p. 138). Growing up, I looked up to women who played strong

leadership roles and kept that vision when considering career options.

Environmental conditions, as well as parental involvement and peer groups, play a huge

part in identity and vocational development. Environmental conditions are contextual based on

where we live, work, and learn (Krumboltz, 2009). One work environment could be reaffirming

in one’s career aspirations while the same environment could be a deterrent for someone else.

For example, when I took the introductory course of interior design, I was put off by the
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structured environment of class; however, other students seemed to thrive in the same

environment. Additionally, parental opinions and involvement play a direct role in advocating

for one’s confidence level in a particular task (Krumboltz, 2009). Students whose parents are

reaffirming and encouraging in career development will likely find the process much more

conducive than those whose parents are not involved and are not encouraging toward a particular

career path or who dictate which career path the student should take (Krumboltz, 2009).

Fortunately, I had parents who were more involved throughout my childhood and adolescence

and who were more interested in encouraging me to find a career I enjoyed rather than dictating

what specific major I should declare simply because they perceived it as more prestigious or

more likely to afford me a career. Likewise, peer groups as well and social constructs can also

dictate a person’s career development (Krumboltz, 2009). I was more likely to register for

classes that connected with other students who I perceived to be similar to myself as a way to

create a supportive learning environment. Studying in a male-dominated career field would have

been intimidating to me.

Additionally, within the Happenstance Theory are four propositions. The first is the

notion that what I enjoy doing now I may not enjoy later in life and the goal of career counseling

is to guide clients in taking action to achieve a satisfying career to them as opposed to identifying

one career choice (Krumboltz, 2009). While I enjoyed my time in publishing, it did not mesh

well with my financial and work environment needs over time. I am not the same person I was

when I was in publishing and so it makes sense that my career values and choices would also

adjust as I age. The second proposition is that career assessments are meant to broaden one’s

understanding of oneself, not to single out one career choice for that person. While I appreciate

the starting point assessments afford, I agree there is not a test to identify the path one should
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take; however, identifying my work values, interests and skills helped me to take those into

consideration as I explored career options.

The third proposition states that clients “learn to engage in exploratory actions as a way

of generating unplanned events.” This especially resonates with me. If I had not taken a student

position as a copy editor with The Western Carolinian, I might not have had the opportunity to

intern for The Mountaineer and would probably not have been given a fulltime job directly after

graduating. Likewise, had I not taken the student position with the University Writing Center, I

would not have met and gotten to know the director and would probably not have been given the

fulltime administration job, which would not have introduced me to careers in higher education,

which would not have allowed me to meet and get to know staff in Career Services.

Finally, the fourth proposition states that the success of the career counseling session is

assessed in what the client does afterwards (Krumboltz, 2009). Encouraging clients to set their

own learning activities and give themselves their own deadlines is recommended (Krumboltz,

2009). Although I did not visit a career counselor during my undergraduate experience, my

English teacher encouraged me to explore careers within my major. I researched online a few of

the career options which resonated with me from the list on What Can I Do With This Major?:

English and from there researched curriculum requirements for both my English major and

Communications minor before making a commitment.

I gravitate more using The Happenstance Theory because it takes the pressure off clients

to identify one career choice they should make for the rest of their lives. It also advocates for

active experiential learning and “trying on” careers through internships, student employment,

student clubs and organizations, online career exploration, informational interviewing and job

shadowing, etc. before making a commitment to a major or career path. This is especially useful
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to the client with either several disparate interests or seemingly no interests at all. It both

broadens their career options and helps them narrow their focus at the same time and advocates

for the client’s sense of self-authorship. I can see how, even though I was not aware of it at the

time, the decisions I made in my active learning activities and career exploration opened new

doors and opportunities I may not have explored otherwise.

In conclusion, career counseling takes into account a variety of resources including

assessments and career exploration sites as well as general counseling and listening skills to

guide students into creating their own career development plan. It empowers clients to choose

their own way and encourages those who struggle in this area by validating their desire to avoid

adhering to one career for the rest of one’s life. Although the career development theories we

have studied so far are applicable, Holland’s Typology and Krumboltz’s Happenstance Theory

are two that I can apply directly to my career development experience.

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References

Krumboltz, J. D. (2009). The happenstance learning theory. Journal of Career Assessment.

17(2), 135-154.doi: 10.1177/1069072708328861

Nauta, M. M. (2013). Holland’s theory of vocational choice and adjustment. In S. D. Brown &

R. W. Lent (Eds.). Career Development and Counseling: Putting Theory and Research to

Work (2nd ed.). Chapter 3, pp.55-82. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Roberts, L. (2017). Week 1: Holland’s typology. (PowerPoint presentation). Presented to the

COUN 650 Career Counseling Class, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC.