What is the psychology behind career decisions?

Embrace that messiness, own your story, and don’t let others write it for you. – Sharon Belden Castonguay

Sharon Belden Castonguay, an adult developmental psychologist and career counselor, shares her insight on the psychology of career decisions.

She explores how personal identities and cultural influences impact our career choices, the role of self-awareness in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the importance of owning our career narratives.

Table of Contents

1. The intersection of personal identities and cultural influences
2. The role of self-awareness in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
3. The historical context of career choices
4. The importance of owning our career narratives
5. The application of design thinking to career decision-making
6. The global disengagement in work
7. The influence of personal identities on career narratives
8. The challenge of making career decisions
9. The role of passion in career decisions
10. The dynamic nature of career narratives
11. The impact of artificial intelligence on career decisions
12. The importance of self-reflection in career decision-making

The intersection of personal identities and cultural influences

Our career choices are unconsciously affected by the intersection of our personal identities and cultural influences.

These identities, which continually evolve throughout our lives, combine to form a unique career narrative that guides our decisions.

The role of self-awareness in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, self-awareness is crucial for success.

This is because our career narratives are deeply personal and cannot be programmed into computers.

We need to understand and question our career narrative, rather than blindly following it.