Final Purposes for Life-and-Career Design Interventions in the Anthropocene Era

Abstract

Do the life-and-career design interventions provided to citizens in our societies prepare them to cope with the challenges now faced by the planet and by mankind? Answering this question implies making a clear distinction between the “general goal” and the “final purpose” of such interventions. The general goal is to help people find their way in their personal and professional lives, whereas the final purpose refers to the meaning of such a general goal within broader contexts of interpretation (philosophy, policy, economy, etc.). The major final purpose of current life-and-career design interventions is to promote the optimal functioning of companies within the prevailing economic system. But that system contributes to fueling the many crises that the world faces today, including depletion of natural resources, pollution, and lack of decent work. Therefore, we need to establish a new final purpose for these interventions that is in line with the proposals of the UN 2030 agenda for sustainable development and of the ILO on decent work: developing a sustainable economy through decent work. Such a change in the final purpose for these interventions implies transforming them. For example, one could imagine that, during career development interviews, counselees’ thinking would be guided from the perspective of creating goods to satisfy human needs within the framework of sustainable human(e) development. Many other kinds of interventions—notably for groups—need to be constructed. Such construction must become a major endeavor of professionals working in the life-and-career design field.