The Vocational and Educational Guidance of Youth

Improvement Era Vol. XXXII MARCH, 1929 No. 5 The Vocational and Educational Guidance of Youth By Dean Milton Bennion, of the University of Utah AVOCATION is a form of service, necessary, or at least de- sirable, as a means of supplying human needs. In primitive society vocations were few and simple, in this respect cor- responding to human needs in such a society. With the development of civilization, however, human needs steadily multiply. Every new need calls, as a rule, for new vocations; in some instances for many vocations. At the same time many of the old vocations persist while others pass away with revolutionary changes in industry. These vocations often change with changes in the methods of supplying needs. Under pioneer conditions, even only fifty years ago in western America, the problem of selecting and qualifying for a vocation was relatively simple. Boys and girls learned the vocations of their parents through practice. A high percentage of them followed the traditional family vocation. This, for the large majority of boys, was general agriculture, livestock, lumbering, or building. For girls it was the occupation of housewife, followed in traditional fashion. Those who married successfully were thus far on a par vocationally with their brothers and their husbands. Those who did not, however, were regarded as unfortunates. From one point of view they were indeed, unfortunate. Not necessarily because they were without husbands; in this respect they were better off than were some married women; but because they were without vocations. Because they were unmarried they were called "old maids." That term, however, acquired its undesirable connotations primarily be- cause this class of women, being without vocations, tended to become forlorn, often prematurely aged, probably also nervous, and over-peculiar. Some of these characteristics have become permanently associated with the term "old maid." Now that women are being trained in vocations and able, when unmarried, to engage in oc-

358 IMPROVEMENT ERA Mac, 19Z9 cupations on a par with men, the term "old maid" has been, in large measure, dissociated from its original meaning. It is now fre- quently used to designate any person, man or woman, who has the characteristic mental attitudes formerly attributed to the elderly, unmarried woman. Thus a man may be married and a grandfather and, at the same time, an "old maid." The vocational education of women has been the chief factor in bringing about this remarkable change. The end is not yet. Society must come to recognize the fact that it is just as essential that every girl choose a vocation and qualify for it as it is that every boy should do so. Some may deny this on the ground that a majority of women will marry and need not, therefore, learn any other vocation than that of housewife, and this without systematic training. Were this the only vocation the majority of women need, the matter of choosing would be much simplified. The facts are, however, that no one can tell whether any particular girl is to be numbered among those who marry or among those who do not. In case the problem of choosing a vocation is neglected is not the future usefulness and happiness of every girl in jeopardy? Is this fair to women? Is it good for society thus to deprive individuals of their right to a useful position in the social order, and the consequent happiness that comes from such usefulness? And what of the women who do marry? As a rule, in the transition from economic dependence upon parents and such depend- ence upon a husband's earnings they pass through a period in which they should be economically independent. Every woman should be trained for such independence. Should she not also be free from temptation to accept as a husband an undesirable or unworthy man merely because she is in need of economic support and this because of her lack of vocation? Economic independence of women is regarded by some as un- favorable to marriage and family. It is doubtless unfavorable to contracting undesirable marriages. But, passing over the possible handicaps of the unmarried woman, consider the case of the married woman happily wedded to a man of her free choice. Who knows what may happen to the man? It was long ago discovered that men are mortal and, what may be worse economically, they sometimes become permanently disabled. This may happen when there are children to support and charity, even if desired, is not easily available. Under these conditions life insurance and sickness insurance may be helpful, but only in minor degree when compared with vocational efficiency on the part of the woman. Such efficiency is the most valuable insurance married women can have. Other insurance should not, of course, be ignored; it may be very useful in meeting an emergency, and in tiding over a period of transition.

M°r.,i929 GUIDANCE OF YOUTH 359 For all these reasons vocational and educational guidance and training should be available to girls on a par with boys. The development of modern science and its applications in our economic and social life are all the time bringing about changes, at a rate never before known, in the number and variety of vocations. Some old vocations are passing away or are becoming of minor im- portance. Those that persist are undergoing rapid changes in their methods. Also entirely new vocations are daily coming into ex- istence to supply the new needs created by recent inventions. Notable examples of this are the vocations that have developed in connection with radio manufacture and radio service. Somewhat less recent, but within this generation, one of the largest businesses in America has originated and apparently grown to maturity, i. e., automobile manufacture and service. The vocations connected with carriage building, buggy-harness making and raising and training driving horses have become practically a thing of the past. Now with the development and the perfection of flying machines there is general anticipation of a new set of vocations that may replace, in large degree, those connected with the automobile. With such rapid changes in the methods of meeting human needs, together with de- velopment of a multitude of new needs, some of which replace the old ones, is there not ample reason why young people generally are perplexed and wavering when faced with the inevitable problem of choosing and qualifying for a vocation? To make a choice of some sort is even more inevitable than matrimony or any other baffling problem, except the certainty of ultimate death, which, however, in due time takes care of itself. What is being done generally by parents and teachers to help boys and girls to choose wisely a life's vocation and to prepare thoroughly for its practice? Unfortunately most boys and girls have to struggle with the problem with little assistance from elders; yet this phase of education is far more important and in greater need of systematic and expert attention than are most other phases. What can be done about it? Youth must have opportunity to learn as much as possible about the two major aspects of the prob- lem: i. e., the vocational needs of society, present and future; and his own vocational aptitudes. In many cases parents are not qualified to give expert help on either of these problems. Any parent, how- ever, has the advantage, or should have, of intimate acquaintance with his own sons and daughters, and should make opportunity to talk over very freely these problems with the young people. It is, of course, a great mistake for a parent to try to coerce a boy or girl into choosing any particular vocation. Many a young person's life career has been ruined by such coercion. The parent should learn to

360 IMPROVEMENT ERA Mar., 19Z9 see these problems from the point of view of the young people, from the standpoint of their interests and their aspirations, as well as of their abilities. An inexperienced youth is likely to have crude, one- sided ideas about vocations under consideration. The wider expe- rience of the parent may supplement or correct the notions of the youth. All of this should be done in the spirit of friendly suggestion, that the youth may see the problem more "steadily and see it whole." What the major abilities of a youth are can be determined in part by trial of different kinds of employment. While practicing thrift, when the schools are not in session, a youth may also get a variety of vocational experiences and make substantial headway in deter- mining his future life work. This is often done by eliminating his earlier ambitions and starting out in quest of something else. In practice this negative procedure is not uncommon; it is also a sub- stantial aid. It is always helpful, wherever possible, to give a youth experience as a helper in, or otherwise in close contact with, the vocation tentatively chosen. A city boy of sixteen may, for instance, be ambitious to become a rancher. Let him try ranching, under favorable social conditions, for a summer or two. Find out how well or ill he does in ranching, and how his interest persists or wanes. Under this test, many a youth has modified his ambitions. A girl having ambitions to qualify as a nurse or a physician may very well spend some vacation time as a helper in a hospital or in a physician's office. Such experience may save much useless effort and later disappointment, or it may give a basis in experience for more successful study and training for the chosen vocation. Under modern economic conditions the individual succeeds best and society is best served by each individual specializing in one par- ticular form of service and making that his life's work. This pre- cludes his migrating from one occupation to another; that is, after the preliminary, experimental stage, which is properly regarded as prevocational. To qualify for a profession with the intention of following it temporarily as a stepping stone to another is generally wasteful both to the individual and to society. On the contrary when a vocation has been chosen it is well to concentrate on prep- aration for and practice of that vocation. A vocation is not thoroughly learned in the apprentice stage nor by the completing of a proposed course in a school or university. The best service to society cannot be given, as a rule, until the in- dividual has had some years of conscientious, painstaking, and studious practice. It is not best for society, therefore, that one of its members shall abandon his profession after a few years of such prac- tice and start all over again to learn a new profession. Nor is this method of procedure best for the individual, since he must twice go

Mar., 1929 GUIDANCE OF YOUTH 361 through the period of small remuneration for his services that pro- perly belongs to a novice. The great danger in all this is that if, after having qualified in a vocation, and especially in a profession, a person finds himself a misfit, or if society by this time does not need this form of service, his success is seriously threatened, and can be secured only by his adaptability, courage, and persistence in efforts to make a new start. One, however, who, on this, or any other account, fails to qualify for any vocation is much worse off. It is persons of this class that are usually out of employment, because they are incom- petent whenever or however employed. In the matter of determining a person's fitness for any vocation, the schools are developing methods that give promise of being help- ful. Vocational psychology is a relatively new science. Various tests have, however, been devised to discover vocational aptitudes and inaptitudes. Thus far the greatest help from this source seems to be through discovering inaptitudes. By this means young people have been advised to withdraw their vocational aims and to go in search of new ones. The results of such tests in the schools should be available to parents, and may well be one basis of discussion in counseling youth by both parents and teachers. Even in the schools results of these tests are considered only in connection with all other school records and the everyday experience of teachers with the pupils. In vocational guidance account should be taken also of out-of-school experiences, parental knowledge of the person being advised, and any other sources of information. In difficult or unusual individuals there may be need of a somewhat elaborate case study — a study that will bring to light facts heretofore unknown to both teachers and parents, or facts known to the family but not heretofore regarded by them as significant. The other and more distinctly social side of the problem is no less complex; i. e., the problem of society's needs; with these the youth must properly correlate his abilities and his training. The parent, as an adviser, should see present and future needs. He is always in danger of thinking in terms of his own vocational expe- rience and of society as it has been. This is much easier than it is to be up-to-date vocationally and to have vision of future develop- ments. The surest basis for such vision of what is to be within ten or twenty years is thorough knowledge of present trends, together with an active, constructive imagination. This looks difficult and seems to call for prophetic powers. It is difficult and the nearer one comes to being a prophet, in this sense, other things being equal, the better adviser he will be. Evidently most parents and most teachers

362 IMPROVEMENT ERA Mar.. t9Z<> are, within themselves, unequal to this undertaking. It is one that calls for advisers highly trained in this phase of education. There is need of thorough knowledge of recent economic and social history, of modern science and invention, of human nature — individual and social; and, joined with this, wide range of knowledge and practical experience, the adviser should be a person of very superior intelli- gence, sympathetic with youth, and, at the same time, courageous enough to advise with whatever frankness the occasion calls for. The ultimate goal is the greatest good both of the individual and of society. If these seem to conflict, first consideration should be given always to the social good. Such apparent conflicts between the in- dividual and society are seeming, rather than real; they are usually resolved by counsel based upon thorough knowledge of all aspects of the case. The parent should have part in this counseling and may very well have conference with teachers, bureaus, clinics, or other expert counseling agencies. These are some of the newer phases of education, phases that are fairly well developed in some of the most progressive city school systems in America. In the inter-mountain region, however, little has been done to assist boys and girls to solve these most baffling prob- lems. On the surface it appears to be for want of money to finance the project. This obstruction can doubtless be removed when the majority of the citizens see the nature of the problem, its great sig- nificance for youth, and the possibility of helping youth to reach wise solutions. The amount of money paid out of the public treas- ury is not to be measured in terms of how much was thus paid twenty years ago, but rather in terms of what needed service is to be rendered by any given public expenditure. The compilers of compara- tive tax tables might very well compile similar tables comparing their own incomes and expenditures now with the corresponding figures of twenty years ago, compare the value of the dollar now with its value twenty years ago, and compare the public services and public con- veniences now provided with what were provided twenty years ago. Public provision of any form of service needed by youth gen- erally is more economical, more widely diffused, and more fairly distributed than is such service when left to individuals or families. A century ago any ambitious youth might easily come into possession of his fair share of the natural resources of the country and make for himself a material heritage comparable to that of his fellow-citizens generally. The children of the present generation and of future gen- erations are faced with the fact that most of the valuable natural re- sources of the country are already in private hands. On the democratic assumption of equality of opportunity, how are future generations

Mar.. 1929 GUIDANCE OF YOUTH 363 to have some share in the benefits of these natural resources, and of the social values that are the common heritage of the race? Evidently the most feasible means available is through education paid for out of income derived from the use of these natural and social values. This is the justification for Horace Mann's declaration that the wealth of the state is pledged for the education of the children of the state. Under existing conditions this public education should include voca- tional guidance and vocational training, that each youth may have a fair chance to live respectably and to be of the greatest service to his fellow-men. This is impossible without both general and vocational education. These can be made available to all youth, to whom they rightfully belong, only through the public school system. Some persons who are opposed to anything new in education, and especially to any increase in public expenditures, will, of course, call vocational guidance a fad. It should be noted that every forward movement in education has been thus designated by reactionaries. It is true that some innovations in education have not succeeded. In this respect, however, education is probably not different from some other professions or from business and industry. In any case it is no reason for attempting to smash all the wheels of progress. Any proposed plan should be discussed on its merits, rather than to be decried merely as a fad; that is only evidence of want of knowledge of essential facts and sound logic. It should be said also that there is no disposition in this matter to usurp the functions of parents or to dictate to youth the vocations they should choose. In the field of scientific vocational guidance and the educational guidance that should go with it, the intermountain region is not keeping pace with the most progressive school systems in America. Whether or not local schools shall go forward in this direction can be determined by the parents. Upon them primarily rests the decision as to what they most want for their children. Vocational guidance can be provided and ought to be provided in the schools as a matter of justice to the new generation and for the future welfare of the state. This can be done without injustice to any. America is God's crucible, the great Melting Pot where all the races of Europe are melting and re-forming! Here you stand, good folk, think I, when I see them at Ellis Island, here you stand in your fifty groups, with your fifty languages and histories, and your fifty blood hatreds and rivalries. But you won't be long like that, brothers, for these are the fires of God you've come to — these are the fires of God. A fig for your feuds and vendettas! Germans and Frenchmen, Irishmen and Englishmen, Jews and Russians — into the crucible with you all! God is making the American. The real American has not yet (arrived. He is only in the crucible, I tell you — he will be the fusion of all races, the common superman. — Israel Zangwell.