Processionnal guidance view through the prism of personality

I would like to share with you, dear reader, a concern of a majority of students and consequently their families: what educational streams to select, for what job? In our macroeconomic context or anxiety and depressing for some, where success depends on tangible parameters (admission examination, complicated orals exams, costly university fees) and intangible (variable quota, even lotteries), it appears that the problem is rarely easy to resolve. I was always surprised to find out that the official National Education support in France has been changed relatively little over the past 30 years, focusing first on academic performance (scientific-channels – the “royal” path for many further university and schools , literary, economic or technical for professionals bins). I meet many testimonies of students or parents about the failures of educational pathways at large, root cause being not a lack of skill, but mainly not enough desire or motivation.
To me, one of the ways to maximize its chances of success to find a fulfilling job is primarily to learn more about ourself. The National Education aims to deliver a knowledge, scored by a rating according to objective criteria. However, the training towards a job requires time and real experience, what I call the “real life”. Unfortunately, few teachers practise this language, especially those who have had in their life any of concrete mission outside of the school.
I am not aware that classical education (except for courses of study in psychology) authorizes a real reflection of the personality, to get to know our human skills, our comfort zones and danger areas, to be oneself without wanting at all costs to be well in line with the official social desirability or because of the “pressure” of the family and environment.
The 1st questions I ask the students thinking about their future:
– Which environment do you appreciate: working alone or within a large team ?
– Can you do the same task for hours or do you prefer often change activities in the same day?
– What would be for you the ideal working environment (but realistic)?
During adolscence it may often occur a major transition from life in a change of motivation, conscious or unconscious. Sometimes the student is configured with respect to its actual motivation (eg. I enjoy so much working in a team – the orange color (referring to the ComColors model) being particularly developed at this age but intrinsic motivation, the one the individual has from birth and keep throughout his life (his main preference refering to MBTI process) is not taken into account.
Thus, during or at the end of the studies or through internships or first employment, we realize that the attraction for this environment has melted like snow in april…
This introspective analysis can occur naturally in other periods of life (wedding or divorce, birth or death of a relationship, promotion or job fire, passing the 40’s milestone (what Jung called the mid -life step). I advise parents questioning to offer their child some support, outside by professionnal certified coach if needed, to allow them to be themselves, so that they enlarge their possible solutions to form a fulfilling job permanently .. the personality profiles helps much to orientate ourself.
The wind of change turns the weathercock, but not the 4 cardinal points.
Richard, June 9, 2016