The paper traces the evolution of career guidance from 1909 to the present. The predominant views before 1950 were almost entirely nondevelopmental, but in response to questions raised at a series of major national conferences in the 1960's and the national impact of the career education concept, the 1970's have seen a flurry of writings and several pieces of legislation before Congress related to career guidance. Four recent efforts to conceptualize career guidance are highlighted: (1) a 1973 position paper, a joint effort of the American Vocational Association (AVA) and the National Vocational Guidance Association (NVGA), recognizing the need for career guidance as an intervention process for persons of all ages and specifying that programs should encourage individuals' responsibility for their own career development; (2) the American Personnel and Guidance Association (APGA) Position Paper on the Role of Counselors in Career Education, outlining 12 desirable changes; (3) the 1975 draft of the Association for Counselor Educators and Supervisors (ACES) position paper stressing common counselor competencies; and (4) a 1975 journal article by Tenneyson and Hansen outlining principles for a self-based career guidance program. The paper concludes with a discussion of John Gardner's guidlines for self-renewal. (AJ)