Adults in Transition

Anticipated Career Transitions

Some transitions occur at expected times and can be approached strategically. The initial planned career transition that most adults face is switching from school to work, with other transitions including searching out and changing careers and retirement. Unlike in other career transitions, the individual asserts great control in initiating change. This process typically involves gains, losses, and significant role shifts across the life span. Being able to think about and rehearse these changes in roles can increase one's level of preparation, thus allowing for successful transitions.

Unanticipated Career Transitions

Unanticipated career transitions often involve a sense of crisis and are not usually associated with planned life cycle transitions. These unanticipated events can happen as a result of being fired or demoted, of sudden illness, of a premature death of a spouse, or of a natural disaster. Sudden plant closures or reductions in force (RIF) exemplify unanticipated career transitions. Although a plant closure may be announced and support for the transition provided, a RIF may result in a notice shortly prior to termination.

Nonevents

Nonevents are those events that a person has planned for and expected, but do not materialize, such as a marriage that did not occur, a promotion that failed to happen, or an unrealized dream. Another example of a nonevent is if a person planned to retire at age 62, but was not able to do so due to financial limitations. Nonevents can be categorized as personal, ripple, resultant, or delayed. Personal nonevents are individualized nonevents, such as a job change that never happened. A ripple nonevent results as a consequence of another person's nonevent such as a spouse losing a job, hindering a planned retirement. The resultant nonevent occurs when either an anticipated or unanticipated event develops, causing a non-event such as failing to graduate, effectively blocking a planned career. Delayed events represent a situation where a nonevent occurs, but the person continues to hope that the event is only delayed and will eventually happen, such as a delayed promotion. Theories have been developed over the last century to help individuals cope with these types of transitions.

...