Career

A Career is a personal journey that focuses on work-related accomplishment and represents an worker's cumulative work experience, work skill development, and occupational progression.

• AKA: Vocational Path, Work Trajectory, Occupational Lifespan.
• Context:
  • Temporal Dimensions:
    • It can range from being an Entire Career to being a Career Moment (Current Career, Past Career or Future Career).
    • It can typically span multiple jobs across various organizations and industry sectors.
    • It can typically involve career stages from early career through mid-career to late career.
    • It can typically include career milestones marking significant professional achievements and transition points.
    • It can typically require timeline management for career progression planning.
    • It can typically demonstrate career rhythms of advancement periods and plateau phases.
    • It can typically involve career acceleration during rapid growth periods.
    • It can typically require career pace adjustment for work-life balance.
    • It can typically include career breaks for personal development, family needs, or educational pursuits.
    • It can typically feature career revival after interruption or setback.
  • ...
  • Career Development Components:
    • It can be the focus of Career Planning, with career goals.
    • It can typically require skill acquisition through practical experience and formal training.
    • It can typically involve knowledge development in specialized domains and professional areas.
    • It can typically necessitate credential achievement through qualification and certification.
    • It can typically include performance evaluation for progress assessment.
    • It can typically require professional identity formation connected to work roles.
    • It can typically involve career decision-making about opportunity pursuit.
    • It can typically demand network building with professional contacts.
    • It can typically require career feedback integration for improvement.
    • It can typically benefit from Mentorship and Networking, important factors in career growth and opportunities.
    • It can typically require Lifelong Learning to adapt to technological changes and industry trends.
  • ...
  • Personal Investment Dimensions:
    • It can be associated with a Career Emotional Investment.
    • It can be associated with a Career Energy Investment.
    • It can typically involve career commitment reflecting professional dedication.
    • It can typically require career resilience for setback recovery.
    • It can typically demand career adaptability for change response.
    • It can typically include career satisfaction from meaningful accomplishment.
    • It can typically involve career identity attachment affecting self-concept.
    • It can typically require career sacrifice for professional advancement.
    • It can typically include career passion driving sustained engagement.
    • It can typically involve career motivation influencing professional choices.
    • It can typically demonstrate career pride from achievement recognition.
    • It can typically require career persistence through challenge and obstacle.
  • ...
  • Dynamic Career Elements:
    • It can involve Career Transitions, reflecting shifts in job roles, industries, or professional paths.
    • It can typically require skill transferability between roles and industry sectors.
    • It can typically involve career pivoting to new directions and fields.
    • It can typically include career reinvention through significant redirection.
    • It can typically necessitate career adaptability during industry disruption.
    • It can typically involve lateral movement for skill broadening.
    • It can typically require career advancement strategy for upward mobility.
    • It can typically include career specialization through niche expertise development.
    • It can typically involve career diversification across multiple domains.
    • It can typically demonstrate career evolution responding to market changes.
    • It can typically require career flexibility for opportunity responsiveness.
  • ...
  • Career Development Support:
    • It can be influenced by Career Development Programs, designed to enhance skills and competencies.
    • It can be subject to Career Advancement Opportunities, which facilitate upward mobility within a profession.
    • It can typically benefit from organizational development programs for employee growth.
    • It can typically involve career coaching for professional guidance.
    • It can typically include mentor relationships for knowledge transfer.
    • It can typically require professional development plans for intentional growth.
    • It can typically involve career counseling for direction clarification.
    • It can typically include leadership development initiatives for management readiness.
    • It can typically benefit from succession planning for advancement preparation.
    • It can typically involve talent management systems for potential identification.
    • It can typically include skill development programs for capability enhancement.
    • It can typically require performance review processes for growth feedback.
  • ...
  • External Influence Factors:
    • It can be impacted by Globalization, affecting job availability, work practices, and career trajectories.
    • It can typically be shaped by economic conditions affecting job market.
    • It can typically be influenced by technological advancements creating new roles.
    • It can typically be affected by demographic shifts changing workforce composition.
    • It can typically be impacted by industry disruption altering career paths.
    • It can typically be constrained by geographic factors limiting opportunity access.
    • It can typically be directed by family considerations affecting career choices.
    • It can typically be influenced by social trends changing work values.
    • It can typically be shaped by policy changes affecting employment regulation.
    • It can typically be impacted by educational access determining qualification.
    • It can typically be affected by labor market trends influencing job availability.
    • It can typically be constrained by structural barriers limiting advancement potential.
  • ...
  • Career Pattern Variations:
    • It can typically follow linear progression through increasing responsibility.
    • It can typically involve boundary-less patterns crossing organizational barriers.
    • It can typically include portfolio approaches with multiple work streams.
    • It can typically demonstrate protean career patterns shaped by personal values.
    • It can typically involve spiral progression revisiting skill areas at higher levels.
    • It can typically include expert career paths deepening specialized knowledge.
    • It can typically follow transitory patterns with frequent changes.
    • It can typically involve entrepreneurial trajectorys creating new ventures.
    • It can typically include encore career patterns beginning after initial career.
    • It can typically demonstrate hybrid approaches combining multiple pattern elements.
    • It can typically involve zigzag progression between functional areas.
    • It can typically include bridge career patterns transitioning to retirement.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Career Instances, such as:
    • Individual Career Experiences, such as:
      • X's career is currently in software engineering.
      • X was a truck driver.
      • X is currently a lawyer.
      • X plans to be a philosopher.
      • X's career is in the Video Gaming Industry.
    • Career Field Selections, such as:
      • a career in Computing, Engineering.
      • a career in Healthcare, Teaching.
      • a career in Project Management, Product Management.
      • a career in Creative Arts, Scientific Research.
      • a career in Public Service, Entrepreneurship.
  • Career Transition Examples, such as:
    • a career transition from being a Financial Analyst to a Data Scientist.
    • a career shift from Corporate Employment to Independent Consulting.
    • a career progression from Technical Specialist to Department Manager.
    • a career pivot from Traditional Industry to Emerging Sector.
    • a career evolution from Specialist Role to Generalist Position.
  • Career Development Examples, such as:
    • leveraging Career Development Programs for a promotion within the Marketing field.
    • utilizing Professional Certification to advance in the Project Management field.
    • building a Professional Network to create Career Opportunities in Emerging Industry.
    • participating in Leadership Development Program to prepare for Executive Role.
    • completing an Advanced Degree to facilitate a Career Transition.
  • Career Pattern Examples, such as:
    • a Traditional Linear Career advancing through corporate hierarchy in a single organization.
    • a Portfolio Career combining teaching, consulting, and writing.
    • a Global Career spanning multiple countries and cultural contexts.
    • an Entrepreneurial Career building successive ventures in related industries.
    • a Specialized Expert Career developing deep expertise in a technical domain.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Non-Career Activitys, such as:
    • a Relationship Journey focused on personal connection rather than work accomplishment.
    • a Philanthropic Journey centered on giving rather than professional advancement.
    • a Hobby that does not contribute to professional development or work-related goals.
    • a Personal Project pursued for enjoyment rather than career development.
    • a Volunteer Activity motivated by community service rather than professional gain.
  • Temporary Work Engagements, such as:
    • Temporary work engagements not aligned with long-term career goals.
    • a Summer Job taken for short-term income without career relevance.
    • a Stopgap Position accepted during career transition without developmental intent.
    • a Side Gig performed solely for supplemental income.
    • a Temporary Assignment unrelated to career direction.
  • Life Roles, such as:
    • Family Roles such as parent, spouse, or caregiver.
    • Community Roles such as neighbor, volunteer, or activist.
    • Social Roles such as friend, club member, or hobbyist.
    • Personal Identity Components unrelated to work accomplishment.
    • Leisure Activity Roles focused on recreation and personal enjoyment.
  • ...
• See: Personal Life, Work Life, Relationship Life, Employment-Related Experience, Professional Development, Career Counseling, Careerism, Occupation, Profession, Vocation, Job, Career Path, Work History, Career Management, Career Advancement, Career Transition.

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References

2018

• (Wikipedia, 2018) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Career Retrieved:2018-10-4.
  • A career is an individual's metaphorical "journey" through learning, work and other aspects of life. There are a number of ways to define career and the term is used in a variety of ways.

2011

• (Baruch and Bozionelos, 2011) ⇒ Yehuda Baruch, and Nikos Bozionelos. (2011). “Career issues.” In: APA Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 2. Selecting and developing members for the organization.
  • ABSTRACT: It has not been simple to arrive at a universally acceptable scientific definition of career. Nevertheless, definitions revolve around the notion of sequential employment-related experiences through time and across space. Despite difficulties with its definition, career is a salient element in each person’s working life and demands planning and management from both individuals and organizations. In this chapter, we focus on current career issues, with particular emphasis on the changing nature of careers and with a specific focus on the elements of time and space in their evolvement. We discuss new forms of employment and their impact on careers, the notion of career success and perspectives to approach it, as well as careers in the present era of globalization. We use the term career actor to denote the individual as an active accumulator of experiences that compose a career.

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