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EMPLOYMENT  PSYCHOLOGY

mental  or  natural  unfitness  for  his  original  work,  the  case
becomes  still  more  complicated  and  urgent.  Shall  he  be
given  a  new  Course  of  instruction  or  shall  he  be  allowed  to
continue  with  his  original  work?  The  answer  to  this  question ­
  evidently  depends  upon  a  large  variety  of  factors,
such  as:  Can  it  be  determined  whether  or  not  he  has
natural  ability  in  some  other  direction?  Will  the  new  kind
of  work  be  sufficiently  satisfying  and  profitable  to  justify
the  change?  Is  the  individual’s  age,  physical  condition,
and  so  forth  such  as  to  make  the  change  advisable?  Most
important,  however,  is  the  necessity  of  determining  beforehand ­
  whether  a  person’s  ability  in  some  other  direction  is
such  as  to  justify  the  change.  Here  again,  there  are  innumerable ­
  cases  which  arise  in  every  large  industry,  and
the  chances  for  haphazard  and  expensive  experimenting
are  all  too  obvious.  Every  precaution  must  be  taken
by  an  organization,  both  for  its  own  sake  and  for  the
sake  of  its  workers,  that  experiments  in  vocational  readjustments—transfers, ­
  as  they  are  frequently  called—'
be  conducted  with  discrimination  and  care.
One  of  the  most  important  factors  in  vocational  selection ­
  is  the  factor  of  the  individual’s  choice.  Many  reasons
determine  the  individual’s  choice  of  a  vocation,  but  nearly
all  of  them  rest  upon  some  individual  peculiarity  or  bias.
One  boy  may  want  to  be  a  blacksmith  because  his  father
was  one.  Another,  for  the  very  same  reason,  may  want  to
be  anything  but  a  blacksmith.  Another  boy  may  want
to  be  an  automobile  mechanic  because  he  likes  to  ride
around  the  country.  Still  another  may  wish  to  become  an
electrician  because  he  has  seen  an  electrician  doing  some
work  at  his  house  and  the  electrician  good-naturedly
allowed  him  to  help  with  some  of  the  work.  This  boy’s
companion  may  want  to  become  an  electrician  also  be-