NCSEHE 2018 Research Fellow Maria Raciti presents Fellowship outcomes at a USC Professional Development Day for school guidance officers, school principals, deputy principals, heads of department and year level coordinators (7-12) from across the region.

2. How future work is reshaping
young peoples’ career
construction
Professor Maria Raciti
University of the Sunshine Coast

3. We live in uncertain times
Making occupational decisions is increasingly complex and fraught with risk.
Present-day secondary school students wrestle with occupational hyper-choice and speculative
work futures.

4. With more occupations to
choose from than ever before
(hyper-choice), young people
may experience confusion or
decision paralysis.
‘Streaming’ creates a forced
decision point for young
people with underdeveloped,
decision making skills.
The perfect storm:
occupational hyper-
choice + streaming in
schools

5. Interplay between future work, 21st century career
construction and decision-making

6. Future work predictions
• Significant disruption over the next decade, impacting the current generation of school students
• Jobs in the future are more likely to require a university education
• Students from low SES backgrounds are at risk
Universities Australia 2018; Business Council of Australia 2017; Raciti 2019

7. The rise of the gig
economy
+
The rise of the robots
(AI and internet-of-things
increasing job automation)
Savickas 2009, 2013, 2018; Super et al 1996, Autor 2016; World Economic forum,2016; CEDA 2015
The ‘future work’ domino effect
Career mini-cycles and
career portfolios
+
Erosion of the security of
the ‘grand script’
New occupations
+
Unstable occupations

9. Recommended resource:
The Foundation for Young Australians (2017)
The New Work Mindset, www.fya.org.au

10. Uncertain work futures are changing the way careers are constructed
Raciti 2019; Savickas 2002
Crystallisation of Occupational Self
Exploration of Occupations
Making Occupational Decisions
Affirming Occupational Choices
Confirming Occupational Choices
Manifesting Occupational Choices
YRs 5-6
YRs 7-8
YRs 9-10
YR 11
YR 12
Beyond
YR 12
Assist LSES to
progress from
crystallisation to
Exploration to
prevent
decision-making
lag that can
have lifelong
consequences.

11. Occupational decisions are complex decisions
Characteristics of complex decisions:
- Involve one or more significant other (e.g. parents, siblings, Elders, teachers)
- Very difficult to compare offerings or determine future value (↑risk and uncertainty)
- Series of decisions (appraisals) made over time
Engel et al. 1978; Janis and Mann 1976; Mann et al 1997

12. Occupational decisions are psychologically stressful
People use coping patterns in response to the psychological stressors.
Anticipate these increasing in prevalence.
Shortcutting Occupational Decisions
• Unconflicted change (adopts recommendation of others without question or resistance e.g. parent, teacher)
• Hypervigilance (frantic search for solution, impulsively chooses, overlooks details, seeking relief from stressor)
Postponing Occupational Decisions
• Procrastination (wishful belief that nothing will be lost by evading decision, selectively inattentive to information)
• Buck-passing (shifting the decision to someone else e.g. guidance officer)
• Rationalisation (convinces themselves that it is not a big decision or does not require a lot of careful though)
Janis and Mann 1976; Mann et al 1997; Hamilton et al 2016

13. Occupational decisions are scary
Uncertainty creates fear.
Fear centres on
perceived risks and leads
to indecision.
For those considering
going to university,
several risks are top of
mind.
Risk see Raydugin 2016; Slovic 2016; Weber 2002

14. Functional + future work risk
What if I do this degree and there are no jobs in my preferred
occupation at the end?
Even with a degree, I may still end up working in the gig
economy rather than getting a full-time job.
Concern that the degree may not grant access to their preferred
occupation.
Raciti 2019

15. Opportunity risk
By the time I graduate, an employer will have to pay me at adult
rates for an entry-level job. If I get an entry-level job in my
preferred occupation while I am a teen, I am more attractive to
an employer as they will only have to pay me junior rates.
The cost of forgoing other opportunities.
Raciti 2019

16. Low SES only: Social class identity risk
People who go to university are snobby.
If I go to university, people will think I’ve got tickets on myself
and that I’m trying to show them up.
I’m afraid if I go to university that I won’t fit in with my friends
and family anymore.
Concern that degree may uplift their SES and the tension between “leaving” and
“holding on to” their low SES identities.
Raciti 2019

17. Final Fellowship Report can be found at: https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/publications/perceived-risks-of-going-to-university/
Email: mraciti@usc.edu.au