New-York tribune., 1909-06-20
TRY TO FIND DOMINANT INTEREST.

Tbs keynote in the direction given these men by
the bureau was dominant interest Somewhere al
ways there is natural tendency. and Il that can
be discovered and the man set at work which
fits IN with hs personal enthusiasns half the battle
IS won Character. equipment and training were
ell considered carefully. also, and al possible
were employed 10 discover whether anywhere in the
family connection there was any one who could
give the client particularly good along some
ccngenial line In a word Professor Parsons and
hts colleagues made their business TO prove that
81 was just as important TO put thought into the
planning Of rfe career into the building Of d
house Professor Parsons soon came TO be called
indeed. architect of careers" Then he died,
and the work struggled on best Il could without
him until the Boston 1915 committee took mat
One day those the committee head
quarters received from the Boston School Commit
tee the following: Ordered, that the Boston 1915
committee De requested 10 appoint vocation bu-
for the purpose OF assisting graduates Of the
public schools of this city IN choosing wisely the
most appropriate employment and in securing the
for them
Here was something doing'i Promptly the
Vocation Bureau submitted 10 the Boston
School Committee & detailed plan for !ncor-
pcrzItng this work in the public schools and
rs a result the nearly thousand boys and
girls who VIII be graduated from the Boston high
schools q year hence viii be carefully advised as
to their choice Of careers Work to this end will
begin when the schools open on September Il.
Each high school graduate will have individual at
o r.
Moreover, the masters Of the grammar schools will
have the matter in mind all next year and the
s50o pupils whom those schools out VIII be by
no means neglected in respect 10 vocational ad-
r1ce
Three things Boston's new vocational director
vtn DO at First he VIII organize an ad-
visory group OF Boston business men, to whom he
viii send cwo three boys each for vocational
consultation; second, he viii make this coming
gear careful compilation OF data opportunities
-s,tv,
free schools schools in which tuition is charged
and apprenticeship systems such knowledge to be
available for in advising years batch
cf high school graduates how best 70 place them
selves; and. finally. Mr. Wheeler VIII gather from
the employment departments OF all sorts OF in
dustriai concerns the standard lists of questions
which asked Of applicants for employment and
which bear upon the qualifications for success in
the various lines ot work
The question sheet which Professor Parsons used
70 have applicants for vocational counsel fill out
Eeems in many ways a positive inspiration so in
geniously does Il poin: out and help correct de-
fects which stand in the way Of advancement
The first step this architect Of careers was won:
70 say, is self-study You therefore investi-
gate yourself. with the aid OF the counsellor and
your friends. IN order determine your capacities
Interests, resources and limitations so that you
may compare yourself with the conditions Of sue
in different industries
To this about one hundred and tventv-ava
direct and searching personal questions were asked
How do you spend your money! was one of
these What do you look for first in the news
papers," was another. What would you buy and
do next week f you had million dollars left your
third There has just been issued by the
Eoughton Aiflin Company the book Choosing a
Vocation upon which Professor Parsons WAS en-
gagged at the time of his death. and which his
friend and colleague, Ralph Albertson has con-
tributed the preface in which all these questions
are given. II would not be waste OF time for
even already successful man TO sit down with
pencil and paper Rnd conscientiously try TO answer
them. wonderfully do they help the seeker after
selI-knovledge 10 find that valuable possession