The singularity of Careers Talk (and why plurality is important)

As a careers practitioner at a UK higher education institute, I have an interest in how people understand careers. As a psychology graduate, I also have an interest in linguistics - the study of grammar, meaning, and how we use words to understand deeper concepts and meanings. I've been thinking about how the two combine into 'Careers Talk' for some time now.

Words are an essential part of being human- we use them privately within an internal monologue to think and organise our ideas. Externally, other people's words feed into our thoughts and affect our self talk. The words we say out loud feed into the thoughts of others. Thoughts and words form a constant cycle.

Words are not just symbols, sounds or marks on a page- they contain ideas, concepts and complex meanings, which we absorb and integrate into our maps of reality, often with little evaluation. Much of our understanding of the world is borrowed from the words we have heard others use.

And let's not forget that thoughts and words create actions and behaviours.

When we talk about careers, the words we use have impact- words perpetuate ideas of what work is (The Daily Grind, a Calling), create career metaphors (think career ladder) imply gender differences (think Fireman) and convey status (working in medicine changes your identity from a Mr or Ms to something new- Dr!).

So what about singularity and plural language in career talk? There are several key themes in career that are dominated by singular language...but do we really want career thinking to be singular?

To illustrate my point, let's think about the CV. Browse online careers advice or listen to people discussing job search and the singularity is everywhere. "Drop in to update your CV" "7 surprising ways to improve your CV" "Attach your CV to apply". This type of language leads students (and pretty much everyone else) to think that CV is a singular concept - you only need one. If I had a penny for each surprised look when explaining to an undergraduate that they will use different CVs for different roles, that a CV for part time work may look completely different to one for a graduate role, and jobs in different sectors will require a re-telling, or re-framing of their story, I would be a very wealthy woman.

How about the question fired at each one of us from around 4 years old. It's heard over and over, at Christmas, birthdays, weddings and any other social gatherings;

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Astute children quickly pick up on the desirable responses of "doctor" or "lawyer" much to the delight of onlookers, or revel in being coo-ed over when they happen upon "fireman" or "fairy princess". Yet- only one answer is sought.

This career singularity is perpetuated almost everywhere people talk about careers, online and in person. Phrases such as"Find your dream job" or "10 ways to find your perfect career" come at students from all angles. Chris Manley, from Warwick's Careers Blog has done a brilliant job of explaining the reasons why he dislikes the use of "perfect" when thinking about career ( a. jobs are not designed to be perfect, b. your perfect job might not exist, c. you can never know enough to judge perfection). Although I find the word "perfect" troublesome, it is the singularity of the language that really frustrates me.

It brings to mind the other major singularity in modern life- the all-consuming (never-ending) romantic search for "The One". With 7.5 billion people on the planet, it seems unlikely that there is just one person out there waiting to make us happy. The reality is (but don't tell my husband) that each of us could find many thousands of partners which we would lead happy, fulfilled and contented lives with.

As Alina Dizik explains, a focus on one occupational title is especially worrying in today's labour market, where a shifting political landscape, rapid technological change, globalisation, automation and the rise of the gig economy and portfolio careers means that students;

“need to shift from thinking about jobs and careers to think about challenges and problems” 

I understand why singularity in Career Talk is appealing. The simplicity of singularity is seductive. Building one CV that tells one story is much easier to conceive than multiple re-tellings of that story for different audiences. Mapping a path for just one career feels far more manageable than embracing uncertainty, learning to be adaptable, building resilience and preparing for a changeable future. Yet if I were to ask careers practitioners around the country to pick one word to describe the career thinking that students need to employ in the 21st Century, I would bet my bottom dollar that it would NOT be "simple".

This fixation on seeking one job title, one career box to climb into, one singular future occupation is extremely limiting. A narrow focus is restrictive. Using singular language around career choice causes anxiety, fear of commitment (what if this isn't the right one), reluctance to explore with an open mind, and ultimately, for a lot of undergraduates, a complete refusal to think about career until it is absolutely necessary.

By introducing the plural to the language we use when we talk about career, we can help students to move their thinking away from singular career concepts. As practitioners, being aware of how our use of language can open up multiple possibilities within a broader range of opportunities can prepare students for a new future of career adaptability, flexing and changing as the labour market evolves.

Rather than seeking a singular career title, students might be encouraged to consider plural issues with questions such as;

• What skills do you want to use within careers?
• What world issues are important to you, which your work could contribute to?
• What problems have you experienced that your work could solve?
• Which industrial sectors are of interest?
• What types of people do you identify with? Who would you like to help in your work, or work alongside?

Singularity in careers talk is not the only singularity. Here the focus is on thoughts and language, but there is another important concept of "singularity". Any sci-fi fans out there may already have an inkling of this alternative singularity- the point at which human consciousness starts to be transferred to machines, when artificial intelligence reaches a point of awareness, when bio-technology advances enough that humans and computers fuse together to create new possibilities. Once the realm of movies and books, suddenly these ideas don't seem so outlandish- Google’s DeepMind recently beat legendary Go world champion Lee Sedol. IBM’s Watson is expanding horizons in medicine, financial planning and even cooking. Self driving cars are expected to be on the road by 2020. 

The impact of moving towards this type of singularity is a constant reminder of why we should try to limit singularity in careers talk, and careers thought. If anywhere is a good place to start, it's within the world of careers practitioners.