humanism and existentialism

After reading up about humanism and existentialism, they’re actually quite interesting in relation to career guidance; at first I was a bit unsure, having never taken philosophy or sociology I was a bit taken aback by it all!
After reading some more and thinking about it i find it quite interesting, I quite like the attitude that humanism has towards people, there is the recognition that living up to one's potential is hard work and requires the assistance of others. Which is exactly what as careers advisors we will be striving to do .The focus is on doing good and living well in the here and now, and leaving the world a better place for those who come after, the ultimate goal is human flourishing, though it all probs sounds quite airy fairy I think that it does relate well to what a career advisor is trying or should be trying to achieve, to make people make the most of their potential by making well informed realistic decisions

Existentialism on the other hand, seems a bit at odds in my opinion, the dictionary defines it as ‘a philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts.’ Many people do not have ‘freedom of choice’ so to speak they will be influenced by a variety of factors, and it could be said that some are a victim of their situation so how can they be responsible entirely for the consequences. Humans are not isolated and they’re experiences are often affected by an amalgamation of factors which they have to react to.