Weird Careers? Theory of Planned Happenstance

by David Dean on  in 50+ Careers, Business, Cambridge, Career Coaching, Career Path, Career Theory, Careers, Coaching, CV, Decision Making, Home based working, Jobs, Mature working, Organisations,Planned Happenstance, Problem Solving, Psychology, Resume, Small Business, Teleworking, Training,Uncategorized, Work, Working at Home, Working Parents, Zig Zag Career

Having completed some work with a number of MBA students recently, I became struck how many reminded me of a career theory that only the academic mind could create; planned happenstance. Now planned happenstance is an approach to career development based upon chaos theory. Needless to say it’s a planned happenstance theory that has gained popularity in recent years. However, how popular is popular with people outside of psychology is a moot point. The theory accepts that people can sometimes have difficulty making decisions about their career paths. And can become derailed by factors outside of their control that can influence career or job choice. For example family commitments, financial constraints, or not getting the qualifications expected.

How weird is a weird career?

Planned happenstance then offers a different perspective to the more traditional approach of guiding you to make specific career goals. Those goals are set and then you work towards them in a logical, linear and orderly manner. So abandoning the idea of mapping-out a perfect career. Instead a career that is something that will gradually unfold and encourages you to make the most of sometimes strange opportunities as they arise. I discussed the randomness of careers and jobs in a previous post – Zig Zag Careers Paths

The table below offer a quick comparison between traditional “plan & Implement” model and planned happenstance approaches to career management

Using Planned Happenstance

So if you have experienced that difficulty in developing or even changing your career, it might mean you are trying too hard to rationalise it.  Instead of preparing for events happening and embracing the change that it brings. Planned happenstance is a particular viewpoint that allows you to create opportunities by taking action on your curiosity and as a result chance events. Needless to say, Planned happenstance is not just good fortune or being in the right place at the right time, it’s about being receptive to the opportunities that change in life can bring.

Here are things you can do to take full advantage of the opportunities brought by chance events:

• Try to become more self-aware and clarify your ideas, think about what your interests are and follow up on them
• Don’t dismiss apparently “odd” or strange (for you) jobs, are they really that bizarre? Try to consider how you might be able to develop them into something you hadn’t planned for but may lead you toward something interesting. More “how can I” rather than “I can’t because“
• Be positive and don’t dismiss an idea before you have had a chance to think about it
• If things don’t go according to plan, then find a different path and look for new opportunities as they crop up
• Network as widely as possible, especially in the career options that interest you
• Consult a career specialist and ask trusted people for advice
• Look for opportunities to learn and develop new skills
• Try not to worry about views of how things should happen,  there is generally never a clear path toward a job or career
• Follow up on your curiosity and take action. Don’t worry about whether you will be successful or where it will lead. If you don’t try new ideas you’ll never know where they might have led.

Lastly……….

Now this is just one of many theories of career management and may not suit you. However, clients find the framework of a good theory tends to help them make sense from the malaise of their job choice or random career paths. By any stretch of the imagination no theory is perfect but they provide us with a way of thinking about what we do and why. Planned happenstance theory then is all about being more conscious, purposeful and adapting to on-going process of career development that can help to build a more satisfying and fulfilling career. Aren’t we all after that after all?