Living An Unexpected Life:

Practical Tools For Working With Clients

Of All Ages Experiencing Change,
Chance And Transition In A Changing
Economic Landscape
Professor Jim Bright
Bright and Associates
jim@brightandassociates.com.au
@DrJimBright

The Fantasy
And
The Reality

Billy Wilder
Marx Brothers
/ Jack Lemmon
A NightThe
at the
Apartment
Opera
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A BUTTERFLY FLAPPING ITS WINGS CAN BE

ENOUGH TO TURN YOUR WORLD UPSIDE DOWN

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CHAOS THEORY OF CAREERS

AND SHIFT
Modern Career Paths involve:
Change

The Chaos Theory Of Careers

Complexity
Chance
Uncertainty

(e.g. Pryor & Bright, 2003ab,

2007, Bright & Pryor, 2005,
2007, 2011)

21ST CENTURY CHALLENGE:

THE NEED TO BALANCE ORDER AND
CHANGE

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Change Perception

Opportunity Awareness (Luck

Readiness - Flexibility, Curiosity,
Optimism, Self-Efficacy, Strategy,
Luckiness, Risk, Persistence)

Adaptability

Planmanship

Creativity

Slow Shift, Fast Shift, Deep Shift

Self-Efficacy

Canadians 26% (n=2000)

Australians 15% (n=932)
School Leaders 20% (n=70)
Agree

Flexibility

CONCEPTS TO PRIVILEGE & PRIORITISE

& INTERVENTION STRATEGIES

Canadians 32%
Australians 28%
School Leaders 21%
agree

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Risk
Canadians 73%
Australians 69%
School Leaders 76%
agree
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Curiosity

Optimism
Canadians 28%
Australians 19%
School leaders 3%
agree

Curiosity and an Electric Fence

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Persistence
Canadians 30%
Australians 28%
School leaders 3%
agree

Strategy

AUSSIE PERSISTENCE?

Canadians 67%
Australians 60%
School Leaders 66%
agree
Bright & Associates 2015

Evidence Of Outcomes
To Assist And Improve Practice
The Outcome Of Insane Parents Is Either A Murderer Or An Intellectual.
M.F. Moonzajer, Love, Hatred And Madness

Bright & Associates 2015

Effect of showing videos of chaos in graduate lives to undergraduates

Davey, R., Bright, J.E.H., Pryor, R.G.L. & Levin, K. (2005).

CHAOS COUNSELLING INCREASES SELFEFFICACY THE MOST OVER 1 MONTH

MCKAY, BRIGHT & PRYOR (2005)
Chaos

Chaos
n=35

Traditional

Control

Trait-Factor
n=33

CHAOS
TRAINING
LEADS TO
GREATER
CONFIDENCE IN
ACCESSING
OCCUPATIONAL
INFORMATION
(CDSE)

Tony Borg, PhD research

Bright & Associates 2015

CHAOS
n=35

TRAIT FACTOR
n=33

CHAOS
TRAINING LEADS
TO GREATER
CONFIDENCE IN
SELF APPRAISAL
(CDSE)

Tony Borg, PhD research

CHAOS
n=35

TRAIT FACTOR
n=33

Chaos 20%

Trait 2%

IN THE LAST 3
MONTHS I
SOUGHT
INFORMATION
ON SPECIFIC
AREAS OF
CAREER
INTEREST

LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF HIGH SCHOOL

LEAVERS FROM HUNTER VALLEY SCHOOL
BORG, BRIGHT & PRYOR (2014)

18 months after leaving school:

50% of students attending university experienced changes to

their degree

33% students changing degree entirely

17% changing major

71% of respondents reported unexpected change since Year

12 that was significant, large or major,

53% of respondents changed career interest

Tony Borg, PhD research

Bright & Associates 2015

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You've Got To Be Very Careful If You

Don't KnowThe
WhereEnd
You Are Going,
Because You Might Not Get There.
Yogi Berra

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