The Role of Luck in Planning Your Career – Coffee & Careers Vlog 3
Summary
TLDRIn this episode, the hosts discuss the 'Planned Happenstance' theory in career planning, emphasizing how luck can play a role in career paths. They highlight that successful people often demonstrate curiosity, persistence, flexibility, and optimism. The four key steps of this approach include clarifying ideas, removing mental blocks, expecting the unexpected, and taking action. These strategies encourage individuals to create opportunities through networking, being open to new experiences, and actively pursuing chances. The podcast offers real-life examples of how this theory can manifest in one's career journey.
Takeaways
- 🎯 Planned happenstance is a theory that helps explain how chance events can play a role in career paths.
- 🔍 It emphasizes curiosity, persistence, flexibility, and optimism as key traits for creating career opportunities.
- 🧠 While structured models like the DOTS model focus on planned career paths, planned happenstance recognizes the role of chance.
- 💡 Clarifying your ideas about your strengths, interests, and skills is the first step to using this model.
- 🚧 Removing mental blocks is crucial, encouraging a mindset shift from 'I can't' to 'How can I?'
- 🎲 Expecting the unexpected involves being open to chance opportunities and taking action when they arise.
- 🤝 The University of Glasgow offers many opportunities, including networking events and career services, to meet potential contacts.
- 📧 Following up after meeting someone at a networking event is vital for maintaining and growing connections.
- 🚀 Taking action by reaching out, following up, and seizing opportunities can help create your own career luck.
- 🎙️ The podcast 'Soundtracks' from the University of Glasgow highlights real-world examples of planned happenstance, including entrepreneurial stories.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the session discussed in the transcript?
-The main topic is the role of luck in career planning, specifically the 'planned happenstance' theory, which explores how chance events and personal mindset can impact career opportunities.
What is 'planned happenstance'?
-'Planned happenstance' is a career theory developed by Mitchell, Levin, and Krumboltz, suggesting that luck or chance events play a significant role in career paths, but individuals can cultivate certain traits like curiosity, persistence, flexibility, and optimism to better capitalize on these opportunities.
How does 'planned happenstance' differ from structured career planning models like the DOTS model?
-'Planned happenstance' focuses on embracing unexpected opportunities and being open to chance events, while the DOTS model emphasizes a more structured, systematic approach to career planning, such as identifying strengths, matching them to available jobs, and making calculated career moves.
What are the four key traits people should develop to increase their 'luck' in career planning according to the planned happenstance theory?
-The four key traits are curiosity, persistence, flexibility, and optimism. These traits help individuals stay open to opportunities and navigate unexpected events in their career paths.
What does the step 'clarifying ideas' involve in the planned happenstance approach?
-'Clarifying ideas' involves self-reflection to identify your strengths, skills, and interests. This is a starting point for exploring career opportunities and maintaining curiosity about what may be out there.
Why is it important to 'remove the blocks' in career planning?
-'Removing the blocks' refers to shifting one's mindset from focusing on barriers to asking, 'How can I do this?' It involves adopting a positive outlook and overcoming negative thinking that can hinder taking advantage of opportunities.
What does 'expecting the unexpected' mean in the context of career planning?
-'Expecting the unexpected' means being prepared for and open to chance opportunities, such as impromptu conversations, chance encounters, and unexpected events that can lead to career progress.
How can university students leverage their environment to take advantage of planned happenstance?
-University students can engage in campus events, networking opportunities, and utilize career services to meet new people, broaden their networks, and increase their chances of encountering serendipitous career opportunities.
Why is taking action important in the planned happenstance approach?
-Taking action is crucial because it's not enough to recognize opportunities—you need to actively follow up, build connections, and engage with the people and events that can lead to career advancements. Being proactive is key to making the most of 'luck.'
What example from the podcast does the speaker provide to illustrate planned happenstance?
-The speaker mentions an episode of the 'Soundtracks' podcast featuring a Business School graduate, Qian, who used planned happenstance by reconnecting with someone he met while studying abroad. This connection later contributed to his entrepreneurial success.
Outlines
🎯 Understanding Planned Happenstance in Career Planning
The conversation opens with the introduction of David, a colleague and careers manager, discussing the concept of 'luck' in career planning. The discussion touches on how many people attribute their career success to luck, with random encounters or unforeseen events leading to opportunities. However, there’s a theory, 'Planned Happenstance' by Mitchell, Levin, and Krumboltz, that aims to explain why people feel this way. While structured approaches like the DOTS model offer a systematic way to plan careers, this theory suggests that chance plays a significant role, especially in a rapidly changing job market. The key takeaway is that one cannot completely plan their career but should remain open to opportunities and make the most of them.
🔑 Key Elements for Increasing Career 'Luck'
The theory of planned happenstance identifies key qualities in people who are often perceived as 'lucky' in their careers. These include curiosity, persistence, flexibility, and optimism. The discussion introduces four actionable steps that students can follow to increase their own career luck: clarifying ideas, removing mental blocks, expecting the unexpected, and taking action. Clarifying ideas involves self-reflection on personal strengths and motivations, much like the initial stages of the DOTS model. This step focuses on understanding oneself and fostering curiosity about potential career opportunities.
🧠 Overcoming Mental Barriers and Preparing for Chance
Once students have clarified their career ideas, the next step is to remove mental barriers, adopting a 'how can I?' mindset rather than focusing on obstacles. This positive psychology approach encourages a proactive attitude toward seizing opportunities. The discussion then shifts to expecting the unexpected, highlighting the importance of being prepared for random chance opportunities, such as impromptu conversations or unexpected events. The University of Glasgow offers ample opportunities for such encounters, from networking events to interactions with the Career Service and alumni. The key message is to get involved and be open to meeting new people and expanding networks.
🌱 Taking Action and Proactively Creating Opportunities
The final step in the planned happenstance theory is taking action. It's not enough to simply attend networking events or meet new people; following up is crucial. This includes sending emails, thanking individuals for their time, and building lasting relationships, such as connecting on LinkedIn. The emphasis is on being proactive and creating luck by staying engaged and following up on opportunities. The example of a University of Glasgow Business School graduate is provided, illustrating how a student used a chance encounter abroad to create future career opportunities.
🎙 Real-Life Example and Podcast Recommendation
The conversation concludes with a recommendation to listen to the University of Glasgow’s 'Soundtracks' podcast, where a business graduate shares a real-life example of how they used planned happenstance to shape their career. The four key steps of clarifying ideas, removing blocks, expecting the unexpected, and taking action are revisited, reinforcing how this approach can help students increase their chances of 'luck' in career planning. The episode wraps up with a teaser for the next session, which will focus on leveraging personal interests in career development.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Career Planning
💡Planned Happenstance
💡Curiosity
💡Persistence
💡Flexibility
💡Optimism
💡Clarifying Ideas
💡Removing Blocks
💡Expecting the Unexpected
💡Taking Action
Highlights
Discussion on the role of luck in career planning and how people often attribute their success to being lucky.
Introduction of the theory of planned happenstance by Mitchell, Levin, and Krumboltz, explaining how chance events can influence career decisions.
Comparison between the structured DOTS model of career planning and the more flexible, adaptive planned happenstance model.
Emphasis on the mindset necessary for planned happenstance, including curiosity, persistence, flexibility, and optimism as key traits.
Step 1 in planned happenstance: Clarifying ideas by identifying personal strengths, skills, and motivations as a starting point for career exploration.
Step 2: Removing blocks by adopting a positive mindset and focusing on how to overcome challenges rather than getting stuck on barriers.
Step 3: Expecting the unexpected, preparing for chance encounters and opportunities, and taking advantage of unexpected situations.
Importance of impromptu conversations, chance meetings, and networking opportunities at events to broaden career possibilities.
Encouragement for students to participate in university events and utilize career services to meet potential contacts and discover opportunities.
Step 4: Taking action by following up after networking events, maintaining connections, and being proactive in seizing opportunities.
Example of how planned happenstance works in practice through a story of a business school graduate who leveraged a past connection for entrepreneurial success.
Recommendation to listen to the University of Glasgow’s 'Soundtracks' podcast for real-life examples of planned happenstance in action.
Reiteration of the four steps in planned happenstance: clarifying ideas, removing blocks, expecting the unexpected, and taking action.
Discussion on how flexibility and adaptability are essential in today’s rapidly changing labor market.
Reminder that while career planning models can be helpful, it’s important to stay open to opportunities that may arise unexpectedly.
Transcripts
[Music]
I'm joined again by my colleague David
the other careers manager for the
business skill and in today's session
we're going to be talking about the
world of luck in Career Planning
so David's when you joined me back in
episode one we spoke about the dots
model of Career Planning which is a very
structured approach to Career Planning
so it was through our can a force that
process actually thinking about how you
can actually plan however when you ask a
lot of people how did you get into that
job quite often people see I was lucky
it just happened
yep I fell into it or I met someone at
this random event and then you know it
just happened for me I just I was lucky
lucky kind of plays a big part however
there is a theory for them so there is a
theory they were going to talk about to
be called planned happenstance they
plans happenstance of the theory by
Mitchell Levin and crumbles and which
they tried to look at and why do so many
people actually say that they're lucky
in Kadir you know is there actually
something to that yeah and so what's
your what's your thoughts on that I
think it's a really interesting theory
and a really useful thing for people to
consider because as you said like the
dots model we talked about before is
more about that you can plan and you can
systematically start with you know what
am I good at what's out there meet the
right decision you move into the right
job but actually as you see in reality
there is an element of chance events
that happen especially in the labor
market that we have in the future of
work it's very very rapidly changing
this is a really good model for people
to consider that
yeah you can't entirely plan what's
going to happen that you know you have
to have the right mindset there are an
open mind to look for opportunities and
make the most of them and this model has
a nice four-step process as well that
explains that quite neatly I think and
so the key thing when we're looking in
this theory is that it is called planned
happenstance and that's not just saying
you know don't think about your career
luck oh come in and every
I'll be your key for some of you it
might be and that's absolutely fantastic
but when these guys actually looked at
this theory they said that there was
actually a few key things that people
had in common when they did tend to be
lucky and that was people who took
advantage of curiosity and persistence
flexibility and optimism so it's more
about kind of your mindset so let's look
at kind of I'm for kind of keys that
that students can take if they want to
think about how they can increase their
luck and how they can use the kind of
planned happenstance approach so the
first that David is about kind of
clarifying ideas yeah so that's got some
similarities I think the dots yeah
absolutely so that is where you can
start with yourself think through you
know what are my strengths what are my
my skills and what am i motivated by so
starting with yourself and knowing what
you're interested in there's always the
best place to start any sort of career
model and this one keeps that in mind
it's not you're not going to just
randomly find what's out there you
probably have an idea of yourself and
your strengths and what what motivates
you not doesn't have to be too specific
that's to start with you know what am I
good at generally speaking what what
interests me and then starting with that
curiosity but it's just started I think
through you know what might be
interested what actually might might be
out there for me as well I'm once you've
kind of started to clarify your ideas
the next thing is to think about
actually removing the blocks and this is
very much a main set thing so this is
very much gone from wondering how can I
rather than I can't because so this is
looking at and you know you're you've
been a positive mindset person and so
get into things and actually take an
opportunity something and how can I do
that rather than kind of talking about
the barriers that exist all the time yes
I was kind of drawing on that kind of
positive psychology thinking that you
know you have to have the right frame of
mind and know that when you see an
opportunity you're open to it yeah so um
you clarified your ideas you remove the
blocks next it's about expecting the
unexpected and this is about being
prepared for chance opportunities and
actually taking those chance
opportunities as well so that's I'm
unexpected form cause that's a chance
encounter is impromptu conversations no
I'm the University of Glasgow was a
fantastic place for this because the
so many opportunities actually get
involved in events where you can perhaps
meet people and with your your current
network as well and you know the Career
Service itself David adds a whole host
of events there that we hope is there
with employers and alumni and but around
campus there's lots of things going on
that students get involved in to
actually kind of broaden their networks
and actually can they maybe come across
some of these chance encounters yes the
message here really is one about just
get involved and take advantage of these
opportunities around there you might not
know what you're gonna find from there
but why not go along to these events and
even looking at resources as a good
opportunity so the network makes donal
sources like linkedin looking at
graduates you know that's where you see
an unexpected opportunity we think our
that's an interesting job title I wonder
how that person from our degree program
ended up there as having an open mind
and finding the opportunities and taking
them yep and that kind of leads really
nicely onto the final step which is
actually about taking action so you may
be at one of these air networking events
where you may see somebody on the
network the University of glad school's
alumni networking tool that you actually
kind of following up on that so if you
meet someone at a networking event send
them an email afterwards and thank them
for their time and actually and follow
up and keep that relationship open
connect with them on LinkedIn yep I'm
actually take action don't just think
well that was an exit van that was a
good opportunity Libre perhaps a great
person I actually take that action and
you know it might actually create some
luck that you never in order to actually
might lead you to yeah being proactive
really is a key thing and that is about
once you remove those barriers and
blocks now I'm positive thinking not
telling yourself I don't think I could
do that imagine that you can do it find
the opportunity that you see somebody
that interests you take out should be
proactive yep
so if you actually want to see plans
happenstance in action I would recommend
tuning into the soundtracks podcast from
the University of Glasgow which is our
alumni podcast I'm there is an episode
in particular which sticks in my mind
last semester
I'm a Business School graduate called
Qian Qian's a serial entrepreneur who
talks a lot about how someone he met
while he was a student studying abroad
actually came back into his life for a
later date because he took opportunity
to actually reach out and contact them
as well which is a perfect actual
example of you know using that luck and
actually kind of connecting it to make
opportunities for yourself so tune in
there to actually see how that plans
happenstance can actually work in action
those four key stages again are
clarifying ideas removing the blocks
expect not expected and taking action so
thanks for joining me again today David
and tune in again next week for another
episode of coffee unclear as we'll all
be joined again by my colleague Ann and
we'll be talking about how you can
actually use your interests in your
career so thanks for tuning in today and
if you haven't already done so like the
video comment subscribe
[Music]
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