BRIEF CAREER COUNSELING AS A PEDAGOGICAL STRATEGY TO FOSTER PLANNED HAPPENSTANCE SKILLS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

The increasing uncertainty in the contemporary career landscape requires university students to develop adaptive competencies, particularly Planned Happenstance Skills (PHS), to respond effectively to unplanned career opportunities. However, higher education practices often emphasize linear career planning rather than preparing students to navigate uncertainty. This paper proposes Brief Career Counseling as a pedagogical strategy to foster Planned Happenstance Skills in higher education. Adopting a conceptual approach, this study integrates perspectives from Planned Happenstance Theory and career counseling to develop a structured model. The analysis identifies three core mechanisms, namely exploration, reflection, and action, through which Brief Career Counseling facilitates the development of key competencies, including curiosity, persistence, flexibility, optimism, and risk-taking. The proposed model positions Planned Happenstance Skills as an integrated adaptive competency system that contributes to students’ career adaptability. Furthermore, the model introduces a dynamic and iterative relationship between counseling processes and adaptive outcomes, emphasizing continuous learning in uncertain career environments. This study contributes to the field by reframing career counseling as a pedagogical strategy rather than a supplementary support service. The findings provide a conceptual foundation for integrating counseling-based interventions into higher education learning design to support adaptive career development.