| A career is the sum total of all of your work-related | | | | from moment to moment."When I attended a recent |
| contributions to society in a lifetime. This includes time | | | | California Career Development Conference, I heard |
| and effort spent to provide goods, services, or | | | | several other metaphors to describe the career |
| benefit to others. A career includes paid, un-paid, | | | | development process. One person said, "The old |
| volunteer, part-time, and full-time positions. Your | | | | career was a marriage. The new career is a date." |
| career includes many life roles you may not think of: | | | | And someone else mentioned, "A career is like going |
| student, homemaker, babysitter, office worker, | | | | to an amusement park, where you go from one ride |
| doctor, lawyer, etc. A career encompasses all the | | | | to the next."Obviously, the concept of climbing the |
| roles you play and duties you perform. You may | | | | career ladder is antiquated. Rather than "moving up" |
| have many jobs or positions that make up your | | | | in one organization, you will find yourself moving up, |
| career, but you only have one overall career. There | | | | down, and even off the ladder. It could, in fact, seem |
| are various career options in the modern world of | | | | more like a maze, with many twists and turns, stops |
| work: Self-Employed, Organization Employed, or | | | | and starts.My own concept of career is like a |
| Project-Employed.By definition, career development is | | | | wardrobe, where you "try on" different outfits |
| the interaction of psychological, sociological, economic, | | | | throughout your lifetime, and continue to check the |
| physical and chance factors that shape the sequence | | | | mirror to see if it still fits and matches your current |
| of jobs, occupations, or positions a person may | | | | style and taste. In the modern world of work, you |
| engage in throughout his or her lifetime. Career | | | | will need to find work that is "suited" to you. Think of |
| development is an ongoing process that includes the | | | | your life's work as your wardrobe. It is ever-changing |
| aspects of planning and strategizing your career | | | | as you move through life, changing as your styles |
| based on information about your self, the world of | | | | and interests change. Throughout the process, you |
| work, the match between them, and the action you | | | | will be tailoring yourself to fit different roles, and to |
| will take to create your life's work. Formal career | | | | meet changing work styles and expectations.Thus, |
| development occurs in high schools, colleges and | | | | today, the way in which we go about planning and |
| universities, adult education programs, business and | | | | strategizing our work life is constantly changing. We |
| industry, military, community and government | | | | are taking a more proactive---therefore more exciting |
| agencies, trade and technical schools. Consider all the | | | | and challenging approach--- to managing which way |
| places you have developed your career with either | | | | our career takes us. People are daring to walk their |
| academic or work experience. Where can you go | | | | unique paths, and ignoring traditional routes. In fact, |
| next and what can you do to further develop your | | | | tomorrow's jobs are relatively unknown to us at this |
| career?You have the power to create what you | | | | time, as there will be new titles and new career fields |
| want, whether you wish to be self-employed, change | | | | that will develop. If a modern career is like a |
| career fields entirely, hold a certain kind of position, | | | | wardrobe, you will wear many kinds of outfits |
| or volunteer your time. Smart career development | | | | throughout a lifetime, sometimes mixing and matching |
| requires you to be self-reflective, resourceful, | | | | ensembles, but always checking to see that it still |
| motivated, flexible, and able to keep your skills and | | | | reflects your current style and remains a good fit. It |
| competencies up-to-date.Contemporary Career | | | | has been said that clothes make the man-what you |
| ConceptsStatistics say that we will experience many | | | | are displaying to the world through your choice of |
| job transitions throughout our life. For example: the | | | | clothing is how you express yourself. Similarly, how |
| U.S. Department of Labor says that the average | | | | you express yourself and what you value is reflected |
| person will have 3.5 different careers in his lifetime | | | | in the work you choose to perform.As Mark Twain |
| and work for ten employers, keeping each job for | | | | said, "There is no security in life, only opportunity." |
| 3.5 years.From the 1995 National Association of | | | | Given today's changing times, we cannot hold onto |
| Colleges and Employers Journal of Career Planning, | | | | one idea for very long---there is so much good work |
| "The average American beginning his or her career in | | | | that must be done to help us evolve to our fullest |
| the 1990s will probably work in ten or more jobs for | | | | potential. We are multi-talented, multi-faceted beings |
| five or more employers before retiring."In the mid | | | | with many gifts to share. We cannot lock ourselves |
| 1990s, Richard Knowdell said, "Career planning in the | | | | into any one job or job path. We must walk our |
| 1950s and 1960s was like riding on a train. The train | | | | path, but remain flexible and open to new |
| remained on the track and one could quite possibly | | | | experiences. We also need to learn our lessons along |
| stay on that track until retirement day. In the 1970s | | | | the way. Each job, no matter how small, is |
| and 1980s career planning was like getting on a bus. | | | | meaningful and is part of our career plan in that we |
| One could change buses and it was a little closer to | | | | are always building onto our careers. Today's work |
| driving than on a train. For the 1990s and beyond, | | | | will prepare us for tomorrow's opportunities.**Excerpt |
| career planning is more like an all-terrain vehicle. The | | | | from the book, Get Smart! About Modern Career |
| worker gets to drive, has to read the map, and has | | | | Development (2001). all rights reserved---Michelle |
| to be attuned to the terrain, which could change | | | | Casto. |