LUCK ISN’T EVERYTHING:
CREATING YOUR OWN
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
“Chance favors only the prepared mind”
(Pasteur as cited in Bandura, 1982, p. 750)
Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych. , Counselling Psychologist,
Student Counselling & Career Centre
University of Manitoba
ARE YOU LUCKY?
Write down something that you felt lucky to have
happened to you.

Get into groups of 2-3 and try to identify anything
you may have said or done that may have helped to put
you in a position to have this lucky opportunity.

When not discussing your own instance of luck, your
task is to ask questions to help your group member
identify how they may have been active in helping to
create that opportunity.
Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych., SCCC, U of M

WHO ARE THESE LUCKY PEOPLE?
Can you think of someone, maybe yourself or someone
you know, who seems to be lucky? In small groups
discuss what attributes you think lucky people have.

What about people who never seem to get a break? What
attributes do unlucky people have?
Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych., SCCC, U of M

“RATIONAL PLANNING ALONE
Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych., SCCC, U of M
WOULD SERVE ITS PURPOSE IF
CAREERS WERE TO FOLLOW A
SIMPLE STRAIGHTFORWARD, AND
LOGICAL PATH” (MITCHELL, LEVIN, & KRUMBOLTZ, 1999, P. 116)
PLANNED HAPPENSTANCE: WHAT IS IT?
Generating, recognizing, and incorporating
unplanned/chance events into your career development

Seeing unplanned/chance events as inevitable,
desirable, and as opportunities for learning

Being open-minded, curious, and developing an
exploratory attitude to increase your chances of being
exposed to unexpected/chance events
Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych., SCCC, U of M

5 SKILLS OF PLANNED HAPPENSTANCE

1) Curiosity

2) Persistence


3) Flexibility


-be open to changing attitudes and situations
4) Optimism


–continue trying even when you run into setbacks
-see new opportunities as being possible and attainable
5) Risk taking

-don’t be afraid to do something even when you’re not sure how or
if it will turn out
Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych., SCCC, U of M

–explore new learning opportunities
CAREER PLANNING
Traditional
Planned Happenstance
Planning is everything

Planning is one element of career
development

Everything is in your control

Recognizing that chance events play a
role in career planning

Push toward certainty in knowing
what you want to do and how to get
there, i.e. Not okay to be unsure

Advantages of open-mindedness, i.e. “not
be bound by a plan that may be obsolete
before it is formulated” (Mitchell, Levin, &
Krumboltz, 1999, p. 117)

Asking questions to be able to do
something

Asking questions just to know
something, i.e. To be curious and to ask
“what would happen if...” questions

Knowing your interests, skills, and
values guarantees a match with the
“right” career and that it will happen

Knowing your interests, skills, and
values is an important element in
having success in creating your own
opportunities in a career path that fits
Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych., SCCC, U of M

Following a career path is a lifelong learning process
that involves you making countless decisions in
response to unexpected/chance events

Anxiety about planning our future is normal, you can
overcome this

Planned Happenstance does not mean that you leave
everything to chance

It can feel risky, but don’t let this stop you
Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych., SCCC, U of M

SKILLS IN PLANNED HAPPENSTANCE



Interpersonal communication
Networking
Social support building
You do not have to be an extrovert to make this work for you!

Sometimes we have to overcome personal challenges first, e.g. anxiety
in social situations, low self-esteem, or poor social skills, but there is
help for this and it is possible!

Representing yourself well and with energy will increase your
chances of being successful in generating, recognizing, and
incorporating chance events into you career path

There is always some element of luck, even in traditional career
planning, what’s important is how you position yourself to be able to
connect with it
 Constantly learn new things
 Actively look for chance opportunities in everyday activities
 Initiate constructive action to generate more desirable chance
events
 If you enjoy engaging in these chance opportunities it helps to
confirm that you are on a path that is a good fit for you
Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych., SCCC, U of M

CASE EXAMPLE FOR LARGE GROUP
DISCUSSION
Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych., SCCC, U of M
2nd year arts student who is taking general
courses but was always interested in writing.
 What can this person do to create
opportunities?
A
Take classes related to writing skills and area of interest

Talk to professors in area (e.g. questions, contacts, suggestions)

Write for Manitoban or other local magazine or newspaper

Join a professional association and utilize their resources, e.g. seminars
 E.g. Canadian Authors Association

Career Mentor Program

Review career websites to learn more about required skills, etc.
 E.g. National Occupational Classification “Author & Writer 5121)
 www.umanitoba.ca/student/counselling/spotlights/writing.html

Cold calls

Enter local contests and contests of professional associations
 E.g. Canadian Authors Association (www.canauthors.org)

Attend related seminars and workshops
 E.g. Professional Writer’s Association of Canada
 Arts & Cultural Industries Association of Manitoba

Walk through a career fair

Talk to an Employment Advisor re job skills, related volunteer and work
(summer, part-time, full-time) opportunities

Join a writing mentorship program
 E.g. Manitoba Writer’s guild 2010 Sheldon Oberman Writer’s Mentor
Program
Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych., SCCC, U of M

HOW DO I TAKE STEPS TO BECOME MORE OPEN
AND TO PRODUCE DESIRABLE EVENTS?

In small groups discuss one of the following sets of
questions:
OR
1. How have you been blocked from doing what you want to do?
 2. How could you find out how permanent that block is?
 3. How have other people overcome blocks like that?
 4. How would you begin overcoming that block?

Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych., SCCC, U of M
1. What is a chance event that you wish would happen to you?
(Be realistic)
 2. How can you act now to increase the likelihood of that desirable
event occurring?
 3. How would your life change if you acted?
 4. How would your life change if you did nothing?

HAPPENSTANCE ACTIVITIES
Become more self-aware, follow up on interests you
haven’t followed up on yet
 Follow up on your curiosity. Don’t worry about whether
you will be successful or where it will lead – if you
don’t try new ideas you’ll never know where they
might have led
 Become involved in many different activities related to
your chosen area (e.g. student groups, professional
associations)
 Look for opportunities to develop new skills
 Work or volunteer in positions related to the career
you’ve chosen
 Talk to someone in the career you’re pursuing (e.g.
Career Mentor Program in Career Services)

Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych., SCCC, U of M
HAPPENSTANCE ACTIVITIES CONTINUED
Talk to people at the company you want to work for,
maybe even volunteer there or take a different entry
position. What could happen from this?
 Some students have unrealistic expectations when
they graduate and then don’t engage in the very
activities that could create planned happenstance
opportunities for them
 Don’t dismiss apparently off-the-wall jobs. Are they
really that crazy? Consider how you might be able
to develop them.
 Be positive, and don’t dismiss an idea before you have
had a chance to think about it
 Don’t be held back by stereotypical views of how things
should happen – there is often not a right way (or a
direct route) into a job

Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych., SCCC, U of M
HAPPENSTANCE ACTIVITIES CONTINUED
If things don’t go as planned, look for new
opportunities as they crop up
 Make good contacts and network as widely as possible
 Walk through a career fair
 Don’t be afraid to approach people for advice
 Talk with employers or employment advisors to learn
about what employers, companies, and/or
organizations want from job applicants
 Tailor your resume for each job application and
research the occupation you’ve chosen so that you can
describe the work in good detail
 Have your resume reviewed by an employment advisor
 Discuss job or admission interview preparation with an
employment advisor

Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych., SCCC, U of M
HAPPENSTANCE ACTIVITY: A COLD CALL
 What




Finding out more information about company
Learn more about what they do and what they may
be looking for
May hear about job possibilities that are not
advertised yet
Have developed a contact
Any others?
Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych., SCCC, U of M

could this lead to?
A PERSONAL EXAMPLE
 What
 What
elements were luck?
Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych., SCCC, U of M
elements were instances of
engaging in planned happenstance?
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Your
(Mitchell, Levin, & Krumboltz, 1999, p. 121)
Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych., SCCC, U of M
goal is to facilitate your
learning process by thinking
about “how your curiosity is
excited, how you can take
advantage of unplanned events,
and how you can create future
beneficial unplanned events”
“The
(Gary Player)
Dr. Lori Mac, C. Psych., SCCC, U of M
harder you
work, the luckier
you get”