Career Development:

Information

This article was written by Aviyan Khadka. The error in author names is due to migration from Wordpress to Blogger. Thanks

What is a Career? :

• A profession – a relatively permanent job for livelihood
• A sequence of positions occupied by a person in course of a life-time.
• An advancement in an individual’s work life.

Stages of Career:

A person’s career can be viewed as consisting of five stages:

1) Exploration: It is a period in which individuals develop expectations / goals in life, both realistic and unrealistic, by choosing schools, colleges, areas of studies, professions

2) Establishment: It is a period in which individuals:
- search for work, get appointed,
- are accepted by work-mates,
- start learning how to perform the job,
- gain the first tangible evidence of success or     failures, etc.

3) Mid - career: It is a period in which individuals:
- continue improvements in performance or     begin to deteriorate
- use time to re-assess and change career and     life styles.

4) Late career: It is a period in which individuals:
- can best utilize their talents and experiences
- afford relaxation, luxury life
- depend upon younger generation-    employees
- get frustration or realization.

5) Decline: It is a period in which individuals:
- get life is less structured, with few or no responsibilities!
It is a difficult stage for most individuals, and hardest for those who have records of achievements in earlier career stages

Importance of career development from the individual perspectives :

An individual ensures:

1. a sense of mission in life (purpose of life or reasons for living)
2. identification of talents to be developed
3. motivation to develop talents
4. attraction for others (employers/ community/ society
5. a basis for monitoring /measuring success
6. high morale, without confusions, stress, frustrations, etc.
7. happy life

Guidelines for career development (from the individual perspective):

An individual has important role for his//her career development:

1) Identifying / setting the “Aim” in life
2) Drawing a vision of life (mental picture of what you want to be)
3) Assessing your interests, needs, values, beliefs, life philosophy, personality types, etc. 4)Analysing situation / environment (SWOT analysis too may be applicable!)

• assessing personal strengths (potentialities)
• assessing personal weaknesses
• assessing opportunities available or likely to be available in the external environment
• assessing threats in the external environment

5)Using information to choose general career fields and specific job goals.                               6) Developing knowledge, skills and psychological traits                                                                     7) Testing the possibilities against  the realities  of the organization or the job market.
8) Utilising career development opportunities
9) Reviewing career growth periodically, improving required competency
10) Changing career, if not helping to achieve aims in life
11) Satisfying with the career, whatever level of goal achievement
12) Adding new dimensions to life that make you happy or worth for others


-Original by Dr Dinesh Pant