reer guidance, the idea of attending college may not have occurred
to K until a friend brought it up. Therefore, I suspect that K’s deci-
sion making was influenced more by lack of information than by
his inability to make decisions, but I need to explore both possi-
bilities in detail.
Although K’s SAT scores suggest that many careers are open to
him, other indicators may be used to narrow his choices. He
describes himself as unimaginative, which is consistent with his pri-
mary Holland types (Conventional and Realistic) and the fact that
Creativity is not one of his highly prioritized values. In fact, K men-
tions his desire to satisfy his Creativity values only in relationship
to his leisure role. This suggests that he needs to thoroughly explore
one of his occupational daydreams—architecture—to determine
the role that imagination plays in it. K’s work values are Financial
Prosperity, Achievement, and Independence. Many jobs would
allow him to satisfy these values, some of which are linked to math-
ematics. Mathematics is one of K’s strengths, according to his test
scores and his self-perceptions, and thus it makes sense for him to
explore occupations that have an applied mathematics base, such
as accounting and engineering, both of which would allow him to
satisfy his work values. It would also be important for K to explore
his fantasy choices, including film editing.
The Case of E
Rarely do career counselors encounter a client with a profile as con-
sistent as E’s. Her self-efficacy ratings are almost entirely congruent
with what would be predicted on the basis of her Holland type. For
example, her self-efficacy ratings in the sciences are low, which is
what one would expect of an individual whose Holland code can be
viewed as any combination of SEC. Her work values—Responsibil-
ity, Concern for Others, and Financial Prosperity—are for the most
part consistent with her personality type. One of her occupational
daydreams—writer—is a bit inconsistent with her personality type
and values, but the others are generally in keeping with her values.
THE ROLE OF WORK VALUES AND CULTURAL VALUES 497