Milford chronicle., 1932-03-25

GUIDANCE
Everyone Should Be Pom
dering Over This Problem

One of the major concerns of ev-
cry person is the choice of a con-
genial occupation. The Importance
of this problem cannot be Over-em-
phasized. 1t has become an accepted
characteristic of our society that
there must be "misfits," men in pO-
sitions for which they are evidently
unfit, in which they have no future
and for which the early distaste
grows gradually into nerve-racking
aversion and depression. Nor is that
, the whole picture of this evil. There
| is a tempting thesis, for example, in
the question of how much more ad-
vanced our civilization would be if
man were more happily distributed
in the social machine.
Fortunate indeed are those stu
dents in school who are aware of
this problem and who are trying in
their limited way to anticipate it.
The student who gives little or no
thought to the work he is to DO
when his school days are over, and
who does not take advantage of the
opportunities presented in school to
prepare for his vocation, is making
a grave mistake. 1t is in the schools
of the world that the succeeding
generations are prepared to take
their places in the art of life.
While it is true that every one
should be pondering over the prob
lem of his future work, this does
not necessarily mean that each in
diYidual is suited to do but one kind
of work, and only one; and that if
he does not fall into that particular
occupation he will be a social misfit.
This is, on the face of it, absurd. The
training which people receive quite
often is general enough to allow
them to handle many occupations
almost equally we'll. Thus, the train
ing making a person a successful
business man might just as easily
qualify him to be a successful bank
err; the teacher, the social worker,
the preacher, the lawyer may all
have basically the same qualiiica-
tions; a man successful as an elec-
trical engineer might very possibly
be able to succeed in a great number
of occupations requiring a careful
application of mathematical talent.
Nevertheless, it remains true that
a fairly early interest in the choice
of an occupation is highly desirable.
He who drifts through school with
out giving much thought to VOca-
tional possibilities is likely at the
last moment to drift into his life
hnrrfro 0ciUn6 11rND
what it has to offer. He may thus
get into "blind alley" job, one, in
other words, which affords him no
hope of better future. Again, he
may be trying to follow an Occupa-
tion already overcrowdcd, or one for
which he is temperamentally unfit
ted.
Very often the trouble is not that
the student gives no thought to
what he is to do, but that he does
not possess enough information
upon which to build his judgment
The first step should be the making
of the survey of the occupations
which seem attractive to the partic-
ular individual He should not be
content to ponder over the pOssibil-
tiles of those few occupations with
which he-and very likely every one
else-is already acquainted. He
should read about number of occu-
pations. He should go to the library
and secure a book on vocatiOns.
This will givs him an idea of the
many different possibilities. From
this general reading a few occupa-
tions will stand out in the readers
mind as most attractive to him. He
may then study these few kinds of
work more closely.
Certain questions ought then to be
considered Having limited the field |
to a few possibilities, what prospect !
do they hold out for comparative
success? Are they Overcrowded? |
Which studies make the most use
full foundation for the work? How |
much special training is required |
for it, and in what position is the |
individual to secure that training?