i8o 
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 ques 
tion 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 before 
hand whether a person’s ability in some other direction is 
such as to justify the change. Here again, there are in 
numerable 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 re 
adjustments—transfers, as they are frequently called—' 
be conducted with discrimination and care. 
One of the most important factors in vocational selec 
tion 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-