For most individuals, the career development process is inherently overwhelming due to the sheer amount of information and future-based thinking that goes along with making life-altering decisions. In today’s world of information overload, practitioners must understand the brain’s biological limits and the impact this has on career development. Research in neuropsychology has highlighted limitations in the processing power of specific areas within the human brain. The prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision-making and imagining the future, is easily “overwhelmed.” Decision-making is negatively impacted when the brain is overloaded with information; imagining the future—something you have not experienced—also takes a lot of mental effort. People spend more time thinking of problems (what they have seen) than solutions (what they have never seen). Knowing that decision-making gets difficult when the prefrontal cortex is exposed to too much information, especially with future-based decisions, career development practitioners can be strategic in the manner in which they provide services and resources to clients.
Following this program, you will be able to:
Visit the professional development FAQ page, or contact the NACE Professional Development Team via e-mail or phone, 610.625.1026.