10/01/2013

Rediscovering Our Roots: A Historical Video to Celebrate NCDA’s Centennial Year

By Mary Buzzetta

As the National Career Development Association (NCDA) celebrates its centennial year, it is important to remember the accomplishments of the past 100 years and pay tribute to those who have laid the foundation before us. To recognize the importance of this historical celebration and provide inspiration as we transition into the next centennial year, I created a video which highlights significant dates, events, and theorists who have impacted the field since its inception. This video begins with a famous New Zealand Maori proverb Kei mua kei muri, which means“one needs to look back to look forward.” As career development practitioners, it is important to understand the evolution of our discipline. Having knowledge of events which contribute to the present is key to understanding the future of our profession. It is also important to understand what early founders, as well as theorists, have contributed to “the story of vocational guidance.”

Additionally, this video offers a unique historical perspective from the lens of four individuals, including David Blustein, Ph.D., Hande Briddick, Ph.D., William Briddick, Ph.D., and Jane Goodman, Ph.D., all of whom were interviewed while attending the National Career Development Association (NCDA) Global Conference in Boston. Dr. Blustein, Professor in the Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology Department at Boston College, was able to speak to the history of career development through the lens of its work from the beginning to present on issues related to social justice and diversity, topics he has written extensively about. Both Dr. William Briddick and Dr. Hande Briddick, Professors in the Counseling and Human Resource Development Department at South Dakota State University, have published articles related to the history of vocational guidance. More specifically, William Briddick has written about the legacy of Frank Parsons and Hande Briddick has published about the leading role women have played in contributing to the field of vocational guidance. Lastly, Dr. Goodman, who is a Professor Emeriti in the Department of Counseling at Oakland University, is an active past president of NCDA and the American Counseling Association (ACA). Given her specialization in career transitions, she seemed an appropriate voice to hear from as we transition from the first 100 years to the second.

Each interviewer was asked the following four questions:

1. Reflecting on the development of career counseling, which historical figures do you see as having the greatest impact on the field?

2. Which studies do you think have impacted the field of career development?

3. What does it mean for you to be here in Boston at NCDA's conference celebrating the centennial year of career development?

4. Where do you see the field moving in the future? Or next 100 years?

Creating this video, as well as being a part of NCDA’s centennial celebration in Boston, provided me with a deeper appreciation for the history of my profession. I would like to thank Dr. Debra Osborn for encouraging me to create this video and providing me with recommendations on how to proceed. I would also like to thank Dr. Janet Lenz for providing some of the pictures included in the historical video. Furthermore, I would like to thank the four interviewees (David Blustein, William Briddick, Hande Briddick, and Jane Goodman) for giving me the opportunity to meet and interview them while attending NCDA 2013. It has been such a pleasure working with all of you to create this commemorative video.

Click here to view the video (high-definition option recommended for best quality):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrdTU9rM2ys

References - The following reference list provides additional sources of historical information, for those who want a more in-depth story.

Baker, D. B. (2009). Choosing a vocation at 100: Time, change, and context. Career Development Quarterly, 57, 199-206.

Feller, R. (2013, March). The first conference of the national vocational guidance association: Roots of the national career development association #2. Career Convergence: Web Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.ncda.org.

Feller, R., & Furbish, D. (2013). Introduction to the NCDA centennial special series. Career Development Quarterly, 61, 74-76. doi:10.1002/j.2161-0045.2013.00037.x

Gottfredson, G. D. (1999). John L. Holland's contributions to vocational psychology: A review and evaluation. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 55, 15-40. doi: 10.1006/jvbe.1999.1695

Harrington, T., & Long, J. (2013). The history of interest inventories and career assessments in career counseling. Career Development Quarterly, 61, 83-92. doi:10,1002/j.2161-0045.2013.00039.x

Harris-Bowlsbey, J. (2013). Computer-assisted career guidance systems: A part of NCDA history. Career Development Quarterly, 61, 181-185. doi:10.1002/j.2161-0045.2013.00047.x

Niles, S. G., & Harris-Bowlsbey, J. (2005). Career development interventions in the 21^st century (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill/Prentice Hall.

Parsons, F. (1909). Choosing a Vocation. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Pence, P. L., Carson, P. P., Carson, K. D., Hamilton, J. B., & Birkenmeier, B. (2003). And all who jumped died: The triangle shirtwaist factory fire. Management Decision, 41, 407-421. doi: 10.1108/00251740310468135

Pope, M. (2000). A brief history of career counseling in the United States. Career Development Quarterly, 48, 194-211.

Pope, M. (2009). Jesse Buttrick Davis (1871-1955): Pioneer of vocational guidance in the schools. Career Development Quarterly, 57, 248-258.

Pope, M., & Sveinsdottir, M. (2005). Frank, we hardly knew ye: The very personal side of frank parsons. Journal of Counseling & Development, 83, 105-115. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6678.2005.tb00585.x

Savickas, M. L. (1994). Donald Edwin Super: The career of a planful explorer. Career Development Quarterly, 43, 105-112.

Savickas, M. L. (2009). Pioneers of the vocational guidance movement: A centennial celebration. The Career Development Quarterly, 57, 194-198.

Sensoy-Briddick, H. (2009). The Boston vocation bureau's first counseling staff. Career Development Quarterly, 57, 215-224.

Shen-Miller, D. S., McWhirter, E. H., & Bartone, A. S. (2012). Historical influences on the evolution of vocational counseling. In D. Capuzzi & M. D. Stauffer (Eds.), Career counseling: Foundations, perspectives, and applications (2nd ed., pp. 3-42). New York, NY: Taylor & Francis Group.

Wilson, F. (2013, May). The creation of the national vocational guidance association. Career Convergence: Web Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.ncda.org.

Mary Buzzetta, M.S., LPC, is a Career Advisor in the Career Center at Florida State University and a current doctoral student in the combined Counseling Psychology and School Psychology program. Mary is a member of the NCDA Veteran’s Committee, and also serves as the editor for the Graduate Student’s Department of Career DevelopmentsMagazine. Her research interests focus on college student career development and counseling, with particular focus on the CognitiveInformation Processing (CIP) approach. She also has an interest in working with the student veteran population. Additionally, she has experience teaching undergraduate and graduate career development courses. She can be contacted at mbuzzetta@fsu.edu