Article High school students – complexity, change and chance: Do the key concepts of the Chaos Theory of Careers apply? Tony Borg Australian Catholic University, NSW, Australia Jim EH Bright Australian Catholic University, NSW, Australia Robert GL Pryor Australian Catholic University, NSW, Australia Abstract A key postulate of the Chaos Theory of Careers is the significant influence of change, in general, and unplanned change, in particular, on individuals’ career development. This qualitative research study investigated the perceived incident and impact of such change in the career paths of 55 high school graduates from the same class. Using a combination of interviews and surveys, the research examined the nature and extent of chance events perceived by the participants 18 months after having left school. Consistent with previous research with university students, it was found not only change in career development from plans at high school but that for 71% of the sample, such change was unplanned. Unplanned change was most substantial for those who entered the workforce while those who entered traineeships reported the least impact of unplanned change on their careers. A complex array of reasons for the changes experienced was mentioned. The results confirm this aspect of the Chaos Theory of Careers even for those with very limited post- high school career development experience. The implications for school careers education and counselling are identified. Keywords Chaos theory of careers, school leavers Do the key concepts of the Chaos Theory of Careers apply to the career path of high school students? Increasingly, high schools are collecting destination data to better understand the experience and career paths of their school leavers. Although the primary purpose is generally related to evaluation of each school’s performance and when suitably impressive, in marketing initiatives, such exercises offer the poten- tial to study the initial career development of young people. While these surveys are useful in tracking the students’ career destinations, generally there is less emphasis on how they arrived there. Consequently, attempts to link destinations to school experiences may underestimate or obfuscate the role that change, especially unplanned change may play in these indivi- duals’ careers. The Chaos Theory of Careers (CTC) emphasises the potential impact of such change in peo- ple’s lives and careers. Therefore, in this study, the destination survey processes of a regional New South Wales High School were utilised to address this possi- bility, by surveying and interviewing high school grad- uates 18 months after they had left school. Past studies on the influence of unplanned change on Careers While chance events in the form of unplanned change were occasionally acknowledged as influences on career development (Caplow, 1954; Miller, 1983; Osipow, 1973), they received little attention for most of the last century. Hart, Rayner, and Christensen (1971) Corresponding author: Tony Borg, 7 Pinot Street, Muswellbrook, New South Wales 2333, Australia. Email: anthony.borg@det.nsw.edu.au Australian Journal of Career Development 2014, Vol. 23(1) 22–28 ! Australian Council for Educational Research 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1038416214523394 acd.sagepub.com by guest on December 30, 2015 acd.sagepub.com Downloaded from