Friday 19 September 2014

The relationship between mindfulness and career objectives

Over the past number of years at CAPS, we have been moving away from using terms like 'career planning' to using terms like 'career engagement.' Today's post, from Justin Pritchard highlights why this shift in the way we approach career development is important in a world characterised by on-going change and complexity.

At the career centre, we speak about your career being ‘now' and also of 'preferred futures.' What are the intersections of mindfulness (now) and hope (future)? As the President of the Mindfulness Meditation Student Group on campus and a Graduate Career Advisor at CAPS, I felt compelled to share my opinions on the relationship between mindfulness and career objectives.

Most mindfulness concepts stem from ancient philosophy but have now been empirically supported by research in many disciplines including psychology, neuroscience, education, leadership development, etc. When thinking about mindfulness and career development, there are two important concepts to note: the attitudes of 'non-attachment' and the attitude of ‘non-striving’.

Non-attachment means that we should not grasp or 'cling' to things, ideas and/or beliefs about ourselves because we are constantly evolving. This concept aligns with the Chaos Theory of Career Development which highlights that life is full of change, uncertainty, and complexity. One of the problems we can run into when we ‘cling’ to our preferred futures is a ‘tunnel vision’ mentality. In my opinion, having a narrow view on life ultimately limits our faculties of self-wisdom. Since mindfulness is the practice of awareness and noticing, it’s not a bad thing to notice a pull towards certain career options. This noticing of preferred career options can lead to career objectives. However, if we become too attached to our career objectives, we may strive too hard to plan out our future and lose our sense of creative exploration. I would argue that this creative exploration is an important ingredient to happiness.

According to some philosophies, lasting forms of happiness come from purity of mind (freedom from hindrances) and purity of view (seeing things in their bare simplicity). These states can relate to concentration, awareness, attention and clarity. The more we focus our attention on being aware in the present moment, the less we ruminate on the past or worry about the future (potential triggers to unhappiness). To me, experiencing purity of mind and understanding the simple fact that everything in life—even our career objectives—ultimately change leads to deeper self-wisdom and happiness, in comparison to being trapped in an endless ‘cycle of searching’ because of hopeful thinking.

We have been trained in our society to value conditional forms of happiness which may result in this never-ending path of searching within our own lives. We are always searching, wanting, craving and seeking for something other than what is here right now.

            Once I make X amount of money, 
            I will be much happier.
I will be the person I want to be 
                                              when I attain my dream job.

These mindsets complicate and distort our perceptions about ourselves resulting in a whole whack of mental clutter. It’s as if we spend so much of our lives running around like a chicken with its heads cut off trying to frantically figure out where to take its next step. Even though life is a ‘pathless path,’ we can experience a cessation of searching by understanding that everything we need is actually right here within us in the present moment. Sharon Sherman, a colleague of mine, presented a wonderful training session this month on career exploration. She closed the session by stating, “Your career is right now.” This statement is the epitome of a ‘mindful mindset’ and highlights a proactive step away from the traditional ‘career planning’ approach.

I believe that there will always be a clash between striving for and attaching to our preferred future and acknowledging that our career is right now. Personally, I value the freedom we have at being able to creatively and mindfully explore different career options, and I worry that this exploration can be stifled by hopeful thinking. I also think that the phrase ‘preferred future’ might perpetuate this tendency we have to attach to the future. I wonder if there is a better way to describe our career objectives that are continually evolving because of change, complexity and uncertainty. Maybe we simply replace the phrase ‘preferred futures’ with ‘evolving career objectives.’ It’s inevitable that our career objectives will always evolve because we will always evolve and to me, that is one of the many beauties about life.

Wednesday 10 September 2014

Career mentoring: From novice to professional

The application for CAPS' Career Mentoring Program is coming up so I thought a post about the program and the value of mentorship from a career development perspective would be timely. It comes from Amy Roy Gratton who, among other things, coordinates CAPS' Career Mentoring Program.

Confusion, frustration and anxiety about career options often lead students to explore the CAPS Career Mentoring Program. A mentor can offer clarity and guidance on where you are going and how you might get there. They can give you support right when you need it. The CAPS Career Mentoring Program is different from other mentoring programs in that we don’t require you to choose from  an already existing list of mentors. Instead, we find mentors based on your specific needs and goals.

When starting the program, some of our past mentees had a specific plan about what they wanted to do while others had no plan at all. Yet they all benefited from their participation in the program in both expected and unexpected ways. All of our mentees had the unique opportunity to interact for eight months with their hand-picked mentors, developing knowledge, skills and connections that advanced their careers. Here are just a few of their stories:
  • A year ago Ruslan, a Masters student in Modern Languages and Cultural Studies, thought he’d only start looking for work after he graduated. However, because of the CAPS Career Mentoring Program, he became employed well before he graduated and landed what he calls his dream job and a career in communications. 
  • Yvette, a student in ALES (Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology) felt “utterly confused and frustrated” when she applied to the CAPS Career Mentoring Program. She knew there were career options beyond academia but didn’t know how to match her knowledge with the unconventional career she felt would fit her best. She craved a new perspective and needed clarity on her goals. Her mentor (who had a background in sustainability) helped Yvette learn how to appreciate her accomplishments. Yvette also discovered that pursuing a non-traditional path, which at times can feel like having no clear direction, forced her to be more proactive and creative – allowing her to create her own opportunities and design her desired future.
  • Shahed, a student completing his Masters in Engineering, wanted to develop his soft skills; in particular his relationship-building, leadership and team-based conflict resolution skills. Shahed learned that he didn’t have to be in a leadership position to be a leader in an organization. He discovered becoming a technical specialist could be just as impactful and fulfilling because he would be the person his colleagues and clients depended on to get things done. Shahed also learned how to prepare effectively for meetings and saw how this preparation can lead to results. 
These students had great experiences to share and yet, it’s not just the mentees who benefit from the CAPS Career Mentoring Program. In the past year, the mentors made new friends and colleagues, learned about themselves and their own abilities and were able to understand their professions in new ways.

Both our mentees and mentors offer these words of advice for making the mentorship relationship work:
  • Make mentorship a priority. Even when other deadlines were pressing, our mentees pushed themselves to reach out to their mentors. By reaching out to their mentors in times of chaos, they actually gained confidence in their abilities and found greater motivation to complete the tasks they felt were overwhelming (such as writing or defending a thesis). A mentor can help a mentee develop time management, problem solving and goal setting skills, all of which help make stressful times more manageable.
  • Create SMART goals with your mentor and evaluate your progress. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. Much of the growth that happens in the CAPS Career Mentoring Program is personal growth, which is not something you can easily measure. Setting a goal like “I hope to feel more confident” can be difficult to measure. Instead, break goals down into smaller goals. For example, if feeling more confident is your goal you might first start with the smaller goals of identifying where you lack confidence (e.g. public speaking) and then identify activities that will help build your confidence. 
  • Practice your professionalism. Mentees can feel uneasy in professional situations. A mentor is a great resource to help you practice skills in a non-threatening environment where mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities. For example, mentees often ask their mentors to help them practice networking. Even if the process is initially awkward for the mentee, these are seen by the mentor as teachable moments rather than career hindrances.
  • Make the relationship beneficial for both the mentor and mentee. Although the mentor-mentee relationship is typically viewed as being mainly beneficial to the mentee, this does not have to be the case. Everyone can add value and our mentees suggest finding ways to share information, skills and connections to demonstrate that you are eager, interested and able to take initiative. Ask yourself, what can I do for my mentor so that they benefit from knowing and working with me? Sharing current and trending information about the U of A, and your faculty and program can be interesting to your mentor and add value to the relationship. 
Admission to the CAPS Career Mentoring Program is competitive since a limited number of participants are accepted each year. Undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdoctoral fellows are eligible to apply. Attend one of our information sessions to learn more about how you can benefit from this program and how to create a strong application. Visit our website to view the deadline date.

Friday 5 September 2014

Learning from career u-turns

This past Labour Day The Tyee, an independent, online magazine based out of B.C., launched a four-part series called Career 180. Each article in the series profiles someone who has made a major shift in their career. By major shift, I mean they went from doing one thing to doing something completely different, like going from running a wireless products company to opening a bakeshop, from being a media relations manager to apprenticing as a heavy-duty mechanic. In each case, there was something that precipitated the change, such as being laid off or personal health problems. Bruce Grierson, who studied and wrote about career change in U-Turn (2008), is quoted throughout the articles. He found that while a lay-off or other factor (outside of one's control, I'd add) can often be a catalyst for career change, it is not the cause. Rather, a person must be 'emotionally ready' to make a change. "U-turns happen because the tuners are ready for them to happen," he says.

Even though each of the articles profiles someone who had been working in one career for an extended period of time before transitioning to another, I think the series offers something for students who have limited work experience or who are just starting their careers. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that the approach to career development we take at CAPS is one that recognizes the significant role that chance plays in people's lives and careers. Talk to family, friends, acquaintances about how they got to where they are and you’ll soon see a trend of people’s careers being shaped by unplanned, random and unpredictable events and encounters. 

So we recommend taking a 'planned happenstance' approach to managing your career. This means being open to new opportunities, thinking about and following your curiosities, reflecting on chance events and encounters and asking questions like, 'What possibilities does this create?' By being open, you will discover career opportunities you never knew existed and maybe even create your own.