Career Counseling in a Volatile Job Market: Tiedeman's Perspective Revisited

This article explores implications of Tiedeman's original theory for career counselors. Some components of the theory seem to be compatible with existing volatile job market conditions. Notions of career path recycling, development in reverse, nonlinear progress, and parallel streams in career development are explored. Suggestions are made for counseling interventions and future research using this perspective. Today's economic cycle is an unpredictable one, and job security has become an elusive experience. Many workers do not expect to have the same job or to work for the same organization long term (Hall & Associates, 1996). For example, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2004) expects employment growth in the se r vice-providing areas of the economy, such as education and health services, leisure and hospitality, transportation, and computer occupations, in the near future. In contrast, the manufacturing sector has contributed greatly to the mass layoffs experienced in late 2004. There are reports of employment expansion (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2005), of employers replacing full-time workers with part-time or temporary workers, and of the changing climate of competition in acquiring and retaining employment (Fussell & Furstenberg, 2005). Modern-day employers are also more likely to expect that workers embrace complementary and diverse skills, such as multiskilled positions and cross-training responsibilities (Mangumn, 1996), in an attempt to yield more productivity from new or existing employees. Phillips ( 1997) noted that the modern worker is faced with an environment in which major career upheavals occur without warning. Trends in corporate restructuring and downsizing, associated with mergers and profit seeking, have dramatically affected careers that were once thought to be secure for life (L. S. Hansen, 1993; Mangumn, 1996). Like the business world, places of private and public education, government agencies, and health care institutions have been faced with making difficult organizational decisions that require a reduction in the number of employees. Displaced professionals are in need of assistance to find work again. They are also caught in the vulnerable situation of finding it unlikely that they will obtain a similar job, at similar pay, with similar benefits. Career development theory has infrequently addressed these job market realities, yet Super and Knasel (1981) considered career adaptability to be a major predictor of success. Super (1957) saw adaptability as a maturational phenomenon in which an individual develops coping skills to manage his or her life space, clarify vocational identity issues, and master career-related tasks associated with developmental stages. Career adaptability has also been identified as an important concern in career counseling as the structure of work continues to change (Ebberwein, Krieshok, Ulven, & Presser, 2004; Swanson & Parcover, 1998). Career counselors often work with clients who are making more job changes as working roles become less stable. Some writers have suggested that the career counseling profession needs to respond more effectively to the plight of the modern worker (Herr, 2000; Holland, 1996). Counselors are faced with the challenge of developing programs and individualized counseling interventions that address the unpredictable changes in the labor landscape. This requires complex assessment skills and interventions that support adaptability. In addition to career decision-making concerns, counselors need to be sensitive to the pain their clients are experiencing. Displaced workers may have identified with their occupations for many years or may feel betrayed after years of commitment. Some clients may be willing to begin anew and pursue an entirely different career direction. Whether this choice is made reluctantly, or whether it is embraced enthusiastically, counselors and clients need to be flexible when considering options and alternatives. …