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Unit 3
Career Planning
In-Class Reading
Career Planning
I. Word List
Directions: Memorize the words and phrases before class. You will benefit from your effort when you get the passage from your teacher and read it in class.
Proper Names
Irving Janis
欧文.贾尼斯
Leon Mann
（男子名）利昂.曼
New Words
acceptable *
adj. worth accepting 值得接受的
e.g. You must make it clear to her that her behavior is not acceptable.
bliss
n. perfect happiness or enjoyment 洪福，极乐
clerical *
adj. 文书或办事员的
complacency
n. (usually derogative) satisfaction with oneself, one's work, etc. 自满，自得
contingency
n. an event or situation in the future, especially one that might cause problems 偶发事件
crystallize *
v. (cause ideas, plans, etc. to) become clear and definite (使思想、计划等)变得清晰而明确
e.g. The event helped to crystallize my thoughts.
downward *
adj. going down to a lower level or place 向下的，下降的
e.g. downward trend in prices
efficient *
adj. (of people) able to work well, capable (指人)有能力的
e.g. We need someone really efficient who can organize the office and make it run smoothly.
estimate *
v. form an approximate idea of something; calculate roughly the cost, size, value, etc. of something 估计
e.g. They estimate that the journey will take a week.
evaluate *
v. carefully consider something to see how useful or valuable it is 评价，估计
e.g. He was asked to evaluate the situation.
flaw *
n. mistake, mark, or weakness that makes something imperfect 缺点，瑕疵
foresee *
v. (foresaw, foreseen) know that something is going to happen before it actually happens 预知，预料
e.g. He did not foresee any problems.
formula *
n. 公式
frantically *
adv. 发狂地，发疯地
hastily *
adv. said, made or done quickly 过于匆忙地，急急忙忙地
e.g. I ate a hastily prepared sandwich and shot out the door.
hop *
v. (of a person) move by jumping on one foot (指人) 单足跳跃，单足跳行
implication *
n. a possible future effect or result of a plan, action, or event which must be considered or discussed 含义，暗示
e.g. The low level of current investment has serious implications for future economic growth.
instability *
n. 不稳定，不稳固
invent *
v. make, design, or produce something for the first time 发明
e.g. The first safety razor was invented by the company founder King C. Gillette in 1903.
inventory *
n. detailed list, e.g. of goods, furniture, jobs to be done 详细目录，清单
logical *
adj. seeming reasonable and sensible 合逻辑的，推理正确的
e.g. Computers "think" in a much more logical way than human beings.
moral *
adj. 道德的，伦理的
occupation *
n. (formal) job, employment 工作，职业
outcome *
n. effect or result (of an event, circumstances, etc.) 结果，效果
e.g. It's too early to predict the outcome of the meeting.
periodically *
adv. at (especially regular)intervals周期地，定期地
probable *
adj. likely to exist, happen, or be true 可能的，有望发生或实现的
e.g. The Belgians face a probable general election this summer.
procrastination
n. 拖延，耽搁
pursue *
v. (continue to) be occupied or busy with something (继续)从事或忙于(某事物)
e.g. His attempt to pursue a medical career was short-lived.
rationalization *
n. finding or inventing a reasonable explanation for one's behavior or attitudes 合理化
resort *
v. 求助于，诉诸于
e.g. Some schools have resorted to recruiting teachers from overseas.
sociologist *
n. 社会学家
stigma
n. a strong feeling in a society that a type of behavior is shameful 耻辱，污名
striking *
adj. attracting attention or interest 引人注意的
e.g. Perhaps the most striking aspect of this computer is that it is so easy to use.
trend *
n. a general tendency in the way a situation is changing or developing 趋向，趋势
e.g. The current trend is towards more part-time employment.
undergo *
v. (underwent, undergone) experience or endure 经历，经受
e.g. Her mother was about to undergo a major operation.
vigilant
adj. 警惕的，警觉的
wishful *
adj. having or expressing a wish 怀有希望的，表达愿望的
e.g. I think her condition is improving but it may just be wishful thinking.
Career Planning
1 Career planning does not necessarily follow routine or logical steps. Each of us places weight on different factors and may consider certain phases of career planning at different times. Career planning includes gathering information about ourselves and about occupations , estimating the probable outcomes of various courses of action<1>, and finally, choosing alternatives that we find attractive and feasible.
2 Many observers have pointed out that students are not very efficient career planners. They cite evidence that (1) most students choose from among a very narrow group of occupations; (2) as many as 40 to 60 percent choose professional occupations, when in reality only 15 to 18 percent of the work force is engaged in professional work; (3) young men show a striking lack of interest in clerical, sales, and service occupations, although these fields offer many job opportunities; and (4) as many as a third of the students are unable to express any choice of occupation.
3 In their book Decision Making<2>, Irving Janis and Leon Mann identify serious flaws in the ways many people make decisions. These flaws seem to be associated with the patterns people use to cope with problems. The first flaw is complacency. People who ignore challenging information about the choices they make demonstrate complacency. People who take the attitude that "It won't affect me" or "It will never happen" use complacency as a dominant pattern of behaving. Of course, complacency is appropriate for any decision in which nothing much is at stake, but that does not describe career decisions.
4 A second flaw in the way people cope with decisions is defensive avoidance. When confronted with a decision and unable to believe they can find an acceptable solution, some people remain calm by resorting to wishful thinking or daydreaming. Students who fail to think about the implications of their career choices often engage in rationalization (deceiving oneself with self-satisfying but incorrect explanations for one's behavior) or procrastination (putting off or delaying). Facing the situation may produce anxiety, but examining alternatives could also bring relief.
5 A third flaw is hypervigilance<3>. This occurs in career decision making when people believe there is not enough time to find a solution and they panic. They search frantically for career possibilities and seize on hastily invented solutions, overlooking the consequences of their choice as well as other alternatives. People who are in a panic sometimes do not think clearly or logically.
6 The best coping behavior is vigilance. Vigilant decision making occurs when people believe that (1) a choice should be made, (2) they can find a solution, and (3) there is enough time. Under these conditions, students can conduct an effective search for alternative careers, carefully evaluate each alternative, and work out contingency plans in case one or another risk appears.
7 Following are the keys to career planning.
8 1. Study yourself. This is the key to career planning. Understanding what you are like, what you value, and what you want to become is the foundation for all career planning. In studying yourself, you examine your strengths and weaknesses, your goals, and the trends in your personal development. The self-understanding that you gain enables you to imagine how certain occupations may best fit your personality, interests, abilities, and goals. All career decisions require us to learn both about ourselves and about work, and to integrate these two kinds of knowledge.
9 2. Write your career goals down. A technique useful for organizing ideas about your career development is actually to write them down by time blocks<4> in your life. Writing something down forces you to crystallize your thinking and to recognize unclear and half-formed<5> ideas. It may lead to new insights into your possibilities and may help you to see new relationships, patterns, and trends, or to identify gaps in your thinking about your career development.
10 3. Review your plans and progress periodically with another person. Every so often, take stock of your situation and consider what steps have to be taken next. Taking inventory of progress and planning further steps can help you cope with the changes that you undergo and the changes that take place in the labor market. Talking over your plans with a college counselor, your parents, and your friends helps you define your goals and improve your career plans or make them work.
11 4. If you choose a career that does not fit you, you can start over. Today, growing numbers of men and women are changing careers or getting second starts in careers that have greater appeal to them. Many of those who find that their line of work<6> is unsatisfactory restrain themselves for a different occupation. Often their new occupation is one that they overlooked when they were young or that they did not have an opportunity to pursue at that time for financial or other reasons.
12 Sociologists say that there are few changes in careers that involve "downward" movement; most involve the traditional business of "getting ahead".<7> Society no longer attaches the stigma of "instability" to the idea of career hopping, as it once did.<8>
13 Job changes and career shifts occur at all ages. It has been estimated that as many as one out of four male workers between the ages of twenty and twenty-five change their lines of work. About half that number do so between the ages of twenty-five and forty-four.
14 Career planning does not guarantee that all the problems, difficulties, or decision-making situations that face you in the future will be solved or made any easier. No formula can be given to do that. But career planning should help you to approach and cope better with new problems, such as deciding whether or not to enter educational or training programs, deciding whether or not to change jobs, and analyzing the difficulties you are having with a situation or a person.
15 Nobody can foresee what the future holds for any of us.<9> There are social, emotional, and moral considerations in our future that cannot be foreseen. But the most important lesson of this often unhappy modern world is that progress comes from planning. Ignorance about one's career is not bliss<10>; reason is better than chance and fate. Although there is no sure way to make career plans work out, there are things that you can do now to shape your career possibilities. (1,047 words)
Time taken: _____ minutes
Phrases and Expressions
at stake
in a situation where something might be lost 冒风险
e.g. Thousands of lives will be at stake if emergency aid does not arrive in the city soon.
every so often
occasionally, from time to time 偶尔，不时
e.g. Every so often he would turn and look at her.
in case
because of the possibility of something happening (以防) 万一
e.g. Extra water should be kept at hand (just) in case it is needed.
in reality
in fact, really 事实上，实际上
e.g. The house looks very old, but in reality it's quite new.
lead to
result in 导致
e.g. Ignoring safety procedures can lead to a traffic accident.
resort to
make use of something for help 求助于，诉诸于
e.g. If the child feels the teacher does not care, he will often resort to misbehaving simply to get attention.
seize (up) on
use, accept or take advantage of (something) eagerly or enthusiastically 抓住，把握
e.g. The main fear was that both sides might seize (up) on a ceasefire to rearm.
start over
begin something again from the beginning 重新开始
e.g. I would almost be willing to throw everything out and start over again.
take stock of
review, assess, or form an opinion (about a situation, somebody's abilities, etc.) (对情况、某人的能力等)进行检查、评估和鉴定
e.g. It was time to take stock of the situation.
talk over
discuss thoroughly and honestly 讨论
e.g. He always talked things over with his friends.
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