Chance, in vocational psychology dictionary

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Dictionary of Vocational Psychology

Chance

Unexpected or seemingly unlikely events that provide opportunities or obstacles affecting the subsequent course of one's career. Some chance events provide opportunities for exemplary performance in a manner consistent with previously established aspirations or goals; the big break is usually a chance event in this sense. However, because most people seek to implement career plans consistent with their vocational identity, and because chance events can disrupt such plans or tempt the individual to abandon one established plan for a promising alternative, chance events can also serve to disrupt one's secure vocational identity. Chance events can create stress; the less predictible the opportunities or challenges proffered by the environment, the greater the likelihood that one's vocational identity will be unable to serve as the guide for how one should act. It is likely that career counselors in general tend to underestimate the role of chance factors in the subsequent career development of their clients, and may encourage too rigid an implementation of a vocational plan that fails to take advantage of new (and unexpected opportunities) as they arise. On the other extreme are job search and outplacement specialists, who may push their clients into too easily compromising their vocational identity and pursuing any suitable opportunity as it presents itself. The two vocational psychologists most associated with discussions of chance and serendipity in career development are Anne Roe and Jo-Ida Hansen.

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