DEFINITION OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT
A person’s career nowadays includes all they do in life, including what they learn from cultural activities, work experience, education, parenting, sports, hobbies, volunteer work, and paid jobs. All of these life and work responsibilities and activities contribute to a person’s professional development.
Career management is more important than ever in these stressful times.
Career development
Career development is the process of balancing life, learning, and work throughout the course of a lifetime. It applies to everyone:
- Children examine what they want to do as adults during their early childhood development and begin to form ideas about work and adult life.
- While deciding on subjects and a course of study, adolescents must manage school, part-time work, family, and social interests.
- Adults work at home, in paid jobs, and as volunteers; they work part-time and full-time, have part-time and full-time careers, and manage their families and social activities. They engage in a range of ongoing learning scenarios throughout their adult life. They may change jobs, occupations, and areas during their lives, as well as experience periods of unemployment, overemployment, and underemployment. How they respond to these life challenges is all part of their professional development.
Career development Importance
Career development is an important aspect of the lifecycle because it assists people in making the transition from education and training to employment and a fulfilling work life. People can benefit from career development and advising programs in the following ways: through self-awareness exercises, they can explore various career options. Investigate a range of professions.
Develop their career management skills so that they are well-equipped to deal with the challenges of a rapidly changing environment. Recognize how people make decisions and how those actions impact their long-term goals.
Career Counsellors
What is the role of a career counselor?
Our Career Counsellors can help you better understand, develop, and manage your professional options. They’ll work with you to figure out what your goals and interests are, as well as how they relate to possible vocations.
Identify your marketable and transferable talents and strengths; provide skill development assistance to support these aims; seek and comprehend labor market information; and design job applications, including resumes and cover letters.
Who can take advantage of the service?
- People who are unsure of their work/career options and pathways;
- seeking employment but lacking a clear vocational pathway/plan;
- unemployed and struggling to secure work due to a lack of work experience (e.g. recent graduates);
- underemployed and seeking more secure and/or skilled work;
- in need of support to plan a transition to a new occupation/career; wishing to pursue a professional career involving tertiary education pathways;
- wishing to pursue a professional career involving tertiary
What is the Career Development Process?
Career development can start as early as adolescence, while a person is still learning about different ways to produce money. It’s a normal part of human growth, and it can take a lifetime to complete.
When a youngster notices that some people are doctors, firefighters, or mail carriers, for example, this process begins. It continues throughout primary school as pupils begin to investigate various occupations, and then throughout maturity as people decide on a career path.
You’ll need to continue your education once you’ve decided on a career path. After that, you’ll need to get the proper education and training, apply for and get a job, and finally advance in your field. During their working lives, the majority of people will change careers and jobs at least once (and possibly multiple times). When confronted with difficulties or faced with career issues, such as seeking for a new job or changing fields, many people seek expert assistance.
Despite the fact that you can go through this procedure on your own, almost everyone can benefit from professional career guidance. You can build a more enjoyable and successful professional path by seeking advice from a career counselor or other similarly trained specialist, as well as completing a career development program in school.
Influencing Factors in Career Development
A person’s professional development can be influenced by a variety of circumstances, some of which are largely beyond their control. When constructing a career, several factors must be considered.
Personal Characteristics:
Our personality types, interests, aptitudes, and work-related values all define us. These personal characteristics are crucial in job development because they influence which occupations we enjoy and the types of work environments in which we thrive. That is why, before choosing on a career, you should take a self-assessment that will help you learn more about yourself.
Financial Resources:
Making a professional decision can be costly. Your financial resources may be constrained if you choose a vocation that requires you to attend college, for example, prompting you to seek student loans, financial aid, and scholarships. When looking for work, financial constraints might be a burden. When it comes to interview clothes, for example, you may be short on cash.
If you can’t afford to dress professionally for a job interview because you don’t have enough money, look for organizations that collect business attire donations and distribute it to job seekers in need.
Financial Responsibilities:
Financial obligations such as a mortgage, rent, school loans, or even a child’s college tuition may limit a person’s capacity to change vocations or careers. Consider putting money aside for a future career shift or changing your lifestyle to alleviate your financial stress (for example, downsizing your home to get a smaller mortgage payment).
Physical, mental, and emotional disabilities:
Some people are better suited to particular professions than others due to their physical and mental abilities or limitations. For instance, you might wish to be a doctor but lack a strong scientific background.
Age:
Your age, or how you view it, can prevent you from progressing in your career. You can be worried that you’re too young or too old to pursue a particular path, grow in your field, or change careers. Instead of focusing on your age, focus on your abilities and how motivated you are.
Obligations to the family:
Professional growth may be impeded if a person takes time off work to care for children or aging parents. It may be possible to continue working with the help of outside childcare or eldercare.
Remember these key points:
- Career development is a research and action process that shapes a person’s career path.
- It’s a lifelong process that includes evaluating a person’s talents, abilities, interests, and personality in order to identify an appropriate job match.
- It’s a lifelong process that continues throughout adulthood as people analyze prospects for progress or even changing careers.
- A person’s career advancement can be influenced by a range of factors, such as finances and family responsibilities.
THE LINK BETWEEN LEARNING AND WORK
Teachers, according to research, have a considerable impact on students’ career decisions and are regularly sought out by their students for advice and information. Furthermore, the study found that increasing teachers’ knowledge and understanding of job alternatives that are relevant to their subject area boosts students’ learning.
