We have freedom of speech, of assembly, of religion -freedoms for which we are envied throughout the world. We make hundreds of choices a week about various things from buying and selling, to family projects, to relationships with friends and business associates, and countless other activities. Paradoxically, however, we rarely, if ever, use this freedom to make decisions about our careers.
Cultural forces - including our legal heritage, the pioneer spirit and the general work ethic of our country - have contributed to this reluctance to exercise freedom of choice. It is the nature of governments to control and the nature of people to want to be reasonably supported but not controlled. The control by our government is hidden behind the trappings of democracy, but we all know it is there. It controls our lives and careers. The government regularly surveys the work force and projects what is going to happen in the future, i.e., we need more (or less) people in a certain field. When such a report is made, it causes schools to emphasize, and people to start studying, the fields where need is said to be strongest. Then the area becomes flooded. This happened in the early '80s in the field of computers. The system encourages people to choose occupations based on society's needs, rather than their own.
England surely had its historical influence on us in our submission to social pressure in careers. Our law derived from the English Common Law. In an uneasy syncretism with democracy, our system subtly supports government as the replacement of the King of England.
Beyond that, societal attitudes undoubtedly transferred from England to the U.S. Several of my clients bom and raised in England describe the "stiff upper lip" concept and the need for people, whatever their lot in life, to grin and bear it. Similar ideas have been expressed by clients native to South Africa and Australia. The citizens of any country deriving from the British Empire seem to have this inbred attitude.
And this includes the United States. From the time the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, Americans have been expected to make do with what they had. The approved behavior was to bite the bullet and do whatever was necessary for survival.
As the pioneers moved westward, the "nose to the grindstone," "shoulder to the wheel" way of life grew stronger, and went on to be magnified out of proportion during the Depression. It was essential for people to hang on to whatever kind of job they had, no matter what it was, no matter how demeaning it was. The government started programs to help people survive, which created great dependence on the government.
An attitude has therefore been firmly established among us: If we do whatever fate has allotted us and if we do a good job, then somehow we will be rewarded. We should not promote ourselves, but rather wait for someone with authority to notice us and mete out the just rewards and punishments that are due. It became a cultural adage that we should not "toot our own horn." However, if we accept this approach to our personal careers, we deny our own personalities, our own hopes and aspirations, our own needs, and we live by someone else's.
Avoiding responsibility for our career decisions allows us to "buy into" a fatalistic attitude toward work. Whatever our family wished for us, whatever our schooling happened by chance to be, whatever our experience has been, we accept because it was allotted us by fate or divine intervention. If it is uncomfortable, we use a number of social justifications to ease the pain: We say, "It is a good job; it supports the family." "It gives me security." "Work isn't supposed to be enjoyable." "I have two days off a week and a vacation once a year" A teacher: "It's nice to have the entire summer of each year".
Every comedian gets around to some form of the old joke: "It's a lousy job, but I cry all the way to the bank." That line always elicits a response from any audience because it strikes a national nerve.
The solution to this societal and cultural pressure is for each of us to quietly, deeply and honestly reflect on the degree to which all of these forces operate within us. Forces which are unconscious in us reduce our freedom of choice, cause frustration and affect our personal lives and health. If we become conscious of those forces, then we can freely go along with them or freely oppose them.
The Eastern bloc countries wanted their freedom, got it, and later some said they were better off" the way they had been because they were not ready to handle the freedom. Freedom to control their own lives is something people have to fight for and help other people fight for. If they give it up, they become more and more dependent and find it harder and harder to make a choice.
I find something analogous with my clients: The greater number of years they spend not making decisions about their careers, the harder it becomes to turn their lives around and regain control. However, when people take the initiative and wrestle through a personal career decision, their self-esteem and personal pride are unparalleled. They become vitalized and confident because they have taken control of their own destinies.
