Career Genogram
Explore Occupational Patterns
Map career patterns across generations. Discover legacy careers, family expectations, and hidden influences on career choices. The essential tool for career counselors and vocational psychologists.
Career Choices Don't Happen in a Vacuum
Family patterns shape vocational identity more than we realize
"Why Am I Becoming a Lawyer?"
Your client is in law school but miserable. Their father is a lawyer. Their grandfather was a lawyer. They never questioned whether they wanted this—it was just expected.
Career genograms reveal 'legacy careers' where family expectations override personal calling.
The Invisible Family Script
A client wants to be an artist but feels intense guilt. No one in their family has ever done 'creative' work. All three generations were engineers or accountants.
When career choice violates family patterns, the emotional cost can sabotage even the right decision.
Gender and Career Expectations
Women in the family became teachers or nurses—'helping professions.' Men became doctors or executives—'leadership roles.' Your client is a woman who wants to be a CEO.
Gendered career patterns across generations reveal invisible barriers to career exploration.
Social Mobility Pressure
First-generation college student. Parents worked factory jobs. Grandparents were farmers. The pressure to 'make it' is enormous—but so is survivor's guilt.
Career genograms help clients understand where their drive comes from and when it becomes burden.
What to Map in a Career Genogram
Track vocational information across generations
Occupation Tracking
Record job titles, industries, and education levels for each family member across 3+ generations.
Education Patterns
Map educational attainment: degrees, fields of study, schools attended. See generational trends.
Emotional Relationships
Show which family relationships are close, distant, or conflicted—and how that affects career pressure.
Expectation Mapping
Identify whose expectations matter most: the parent who pushed, the sibling who succeeded, the grandparent who sacrificed.
Questions a Career Genogram Helps Answer
Surface the hidden influences on career decisions
Research Behind Career Genograms
Grounded in vocational psychology and family systems theory
Career genograms draw on research from vocational psychology, family systems theory, and career development studies. The foundational work by Anne Roe in the 1950s established that family environment significantly shapes occupational choice. Her research showed that parenting styles and family emotional climate influence whether individuals gravitate toward people-oriented or thing-oriented careers.
John Holland's career typology (RIASEC) has been integrated with genogram work to map how occupational types cluster within families. When a family has three generations of "Enterprising" types (salespeople, executives, entrepreneurs), a child drawn to "Artistic" careers faces distinct pressure.
More recent research emphasizes the role of career construction theory(Savickas) and narrative approaches. The career genogram serves as a tool for clients to "author" their career narrative—understanding the family story they inherited and consciously choosing which elements to continue and which to change.
Key Theoretical Frameworks
- Family Systems Theory (Bowen): Career decisions ripple through the family system; differentiation affects career autonomy
- Social Cognitive Career Theory: Self-efficacy for certain careers is shaped by family modeling and encouragement
- Career Construction Theory (Savickas): Career narratives are inherited and can be consciously revised
- Multicultural Career Counseling: Cultural and immigration factors shape generational career trajectories
Where Career Genograms Are Taught
Counselor education and career development programs
Kent State University
Counselor Education - Career Counseling Specialization
USA
Colorado State University
Counseling & Career Development
USA
Pennsylvania State University
Counselor Education - Career Focus
USA
NCDA-affiliated Programs
National Career Development Association Training
Global
How to Create a Career Genogram
Map the family structure
Start with the client and build out 2-3 generations: parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings.
Add occupation for each person
Record job titles, industries, and self-employment status. Include homemakers and note career changes.
Add education levels
Note degrees, fields of study, and whether anyone was first-generation college. Mark dropouts or interrupted education.
Map emotional relationships
Which family relationships are close? Conflicted? Who has the most influence on the client's career thinking?
Identify patterns and messages
Look for legacy careers, gender patterns, class mobility, and family 'rules' about work. Discuss with the client.
Career Genogram FAQs
What is a career genogram?
A career genogram is a specialized genogram that tracks occupations, education levels, and career-related family patterns across generations. It helps individuals understand how family history influences their career choices, expectations, and barriers.
How is it different from a regular genogram?
A career genogram focuses specifically on vocational information: job titles, industries, education, work satisfaction, and career-related family messages. While it includes basic family structure, the emphasis is on occupational patterns rather than emotional or medical history.
Who uses career genograms?
Career counselors, vocational psychologists, college career centers, and counselor education programs. It's particularly useful for clients experiencing career indecision, career changers, and first-generation professionals navigating family expectations.
Can GenogramAI create career genograms?
Yes. Use GenogramAI to build the family structure, then add occupation and education details using the notes feature. You can also use emotional relationship overlays to show which family members have the most influence on career decisions.
What patterns should I look for?
Look for: legacy careers (same profession across generations), gender-based occupational patterns, educational trends, first-generation college students, career 'rebels' who broke family patterns, and family messages about work (e.g., 'work to live' vs. 'live to work').
How far back should I map?
Ideally three generations (grandparents, parents, client), though two generations can be sufficient. The goal is to identify patterns. If grandparents' occupations are unknown, note that—the gap itself can be significant (immigration, family estrangement, etc.).
What if family members had multiple careers?
Document all significant careers, especially transitions. A parent who left corporate law to become a teacher tells a different story than one who stayed in law. Career changes often carry family narratives about risk, fulfillment, and success.
Should I include careers that 'failed'?
Yes—these are often the most important. A grandfather's failed business, an aunt who was fired, a sibling who dropped out. Family stories about career failures shape risk tolerance and career anxiety in subsequent generations.
Explore Your Career Patterns
Understand where your career expectations come from.
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