How do people choose their careers? Some people choose a college major while they’re still in high school and stick with it. Some people “job shop” in their early twenties. Other people are inspired by someone they know or look up to. The common thread in all of these is opportunity.
Does this person have the opportunity to go to college? Can they afford to job hop? How did they know the person that inspired them? All of these things are a sum of experiences and outside influences.
For example, in their study of female college students, Batz-Barbarich et al. (2024) found that framing engineering jobs as more collaborative than solo resulted in more positive feelings towards the engineering major. Even something as simple as framing could change how an emergent workforce thinks about certain jobs.
As Gruman et al. (2017) report, in a structured, equal environment, the benefits of diversity include increased creativity and the more accurate and holistic view of problems. If companies want to experience these benefits, they need to attract a more diverse workforce.
To attract this workforce, companies need to be sensitive to what will attract their desired employees. This means understanding what groups of people value and what potential employees want in their careers. For example, in the Bats-Barbaritch study, they understood that female employees were more attracted to collaborative jobs, and were able to present the same job in different ways.
If companies do something similar, could make their pool of applicants more diverse. Working to change the way we present information about future careers to emergent workers is crucial to shaping the kind of workplaces we will have.
Sources
Batz-Barbarich, C., Strah, N., & Tay, L. (2024). The impact of changing engineering perceptions on women’s attitudes and behavioral intentions towards engineering pursuits. International Journal of STEM Education, 11(1), 23. doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-024-00476-5
Gruman, J.A., Schneider, F.W., & Coutts, L.A. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
This blog post really got me thinking about how opportunity plays a huge role in shaping our career paths. It’s true that many of our choices are influenced by factors beyond our control, such as our socioeconomic background, education, and social networks.
I remember when I was choosing a college major. I was interested in both science and writing, but I wasn’t sure which path to follow. Ultimately, I decided to major in biology because I had a strong interest in science and I thought it would open up more career opportunities for me. However, I also considered factors like the cost of tuition and the availability of internships in my desired field.
I recently read an article in Harvard Business Review by Deloitte (2023), it discussed the importance of diversity in leadership. The article argues that diverse leadership teams are more likely to be successful because they bring different perspectives and experiences to the table. This can lead to better decision-making and innovation.
Opportunity plays a significant role in shaping our career paths. However, we can also take steps to increase our own opportunities and create more inclusive workplaces. By understanding the factors that influence our career choices and by working to create more diverse and equitable environments, we can help to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to succeed.
Reference
Deloitte (2023). The Power of Diverse Leadership. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2019/03/why-inclusive-leaders-are-good-for-organizations-and-how-to-become-one
You’ve made an insightful argument about how career choices are shaped by opportunity, outside influences, and how information is framed, particularly in attracting diverse talent to certain fields. Opportunities—such as access to education, financial stability, or mentorship—play a significant role in determining career paths. The example you mentioned from Batz-Barbarich et al. (2024) illustrates how altering the perception of a job (by framing it as collaborative rather than individualistic) can directly influence how people, especially women in this case, perceive the appeal of that career. This speaks to the broader idea that career decisions are not solely based on innate preferences but are heavily influenced by external framing and experiences.