Sample Solution

Frank Parson was a man of many accomplishments and ideas, but his major work focused on the idea of vocational guidance. His work established a guideline for the future of career counseling. In 1908, Parson created a three-step model for an individual seeking assistance in choosing a career path. The main of idea of his framework was to use an individual’s talents, skills, interests and knowledge of opportunities to match them with a career that is best suited. Parson focused his vocational guidance on those that needed it the most. As a passionate member of the progressive movement, he was fixated on tending to those who were less fortunate or had unequal opportunities. This is why he created the Vocational Bureau. The main goal of the bureau was to address inequality issues; specifically for woman, immigrants and both men and woman who did not receive adequate education. This is where Parson developed and initially used his model for vocational guidance and counseling.

When Parsons created the framework for choosing a career, he wanted to touch upon every specific trait that makes the individual who they are. First, Parson wanted the individual to grasp a complete insight of themselves by exploring and learning their abilities. The individual should be able to understand their skills, talents, interests, personality, strengths and weaknesses. This is an important step in this process because Parson believed that an individual should choose a career path that they enjoy doing and are good at. For example, an individual that is not good with their hands, should not be working in carpentry, construction or labor. The second step was used to help the individual gain greater knowledge about the opportunities that were available to them. This could include knowing the requirements for employment, any advancement opportunities, the positives and negatives of the work environment, and the salary for each career that they are interested in. This information is important because it can alter the decisions an individual makes when choosing their ideal future career.