CAREER DEVELOPMENT

MEANING OF CAREER: Career can be define as an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with opportunities for progress.                   In educational sector, career development provides a person (often a student), the guide for selecting a career or subjects to undertake in future.  In organizational sector, the study of career development looks at how individuals manage their careers within and between organizations and secondly how organizations structure the career progress of their members.

In personal development, career development is the lifelong psychological and behavioural processes as well as contextual influences shaping one's career over the life span.

Career development is significant part of human development and spans over the individual's entire beginning when the individual first becomes aware of how people make a living. For example, when a child notices that some people are doctors, engineers, lawyers etc. It signals the start of this process. It continues as that person begins to explore occupations and ultimately decides what career to pursue.

HOW CAREER DEVELOPMENT OCCURS    For most individuals, career development occurs without any intervention from other people. There is no age set when it will begin. Some people will start to think about occupational choices very early in life, while others will not give this much thought until they are relatively close to having to decide how they will earn money.  While many individuals go through this process independently, almost everyone can benefit greatly from getting expert career guidance. Advice from a career counselor or other similar trained specialist helps career development and allows you to forge a more satisfying and successful career path. This type of intervention can begin as early as elementary school and it should continue throughout adulthood .

FACTORS AND BARRIERS THAT AFFECT CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Several factors and interactions between them affect career development 

I. PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: Personality type, interests, attitude and work related values make all of us who we are. These personal characteristics play a significant role in career development since they influence which occupation we find satisfying, as well as the type of work environment in which we will succeed. 

II. FINANCIAL RESOURCES:  Pursuing certain career options can be costly. If you choose an occupation for example that requires huge amount of money, you may be limited by your ability to fund it. You could end up altering your plans. Fortunately, there are ways of overcoming such barrier which include student loans, financial aid, scholarship etc. 

III. PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL IMPAIRMENTS:  Some of us are better suited to some careers than we are to others due to our physical abilities and limitations. For example, you may want to become a medical doctor but does not have the intellectual ability to get into medical school. You should if possible find a related occupation that makes the best use of your strengths while accommodating your limitations. 

IV. LACK OF SUPPORT FROM FAMILY AND RELATIONS:  Going after hard -to -achieve goal is even more difficult if your loved ones are not behind you. You have a greater chance of succeeding if you can convince them to become your cheer leaders. If that is unlikely to happen, you may find motivation from other people.

V. AGE: Our age or our perception of it can hinder us in our career development. During our lifetime, we may worry about being too young to pursue a particular path, advance in our career or make change. Also, in another lengthy stretch, we forget about being too old to do those things.  Instead of focusing on your age, concentrate on your abilities and how motivated you are. 

VI. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF LIFE: Our life benchmarks and career choices always lie in the context of the economic and social issues and it is natural. Sometimes, we cannot choose the society in which we have to live, but we can choose the way of life. Different situations and conditions which take place in our economic and social lives give us a definite choice and have a certain effect on it.

MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN CHOOSING A CAREER

I. CHOOSING MONEY OR FAME BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE: Taking a job purely for the money might send you down to a path that will certainly result to unhappiness. The same thing is applicable to choosing a job simply because you want to be popular or because you want to belong to one class of people. Remember we devote our time working and if you are miserable for that amount of time, you would have wasted your efforts. Therefore, strike a balance between decent pay and a fulfilling career.

II. WAITING FOR THE PERFECT CAREER: While you do not want to take a job for some reasons, you  also do not want to exclude yourself from opportunities just because they are not quite perfect.  Staying too long looking for a career can lead to disappointment and frustration, and at some point, you may pass on greater opportunities. No career is perfect but as long as there are more profits than loss, you can proceed.

III. FOLLOWING SOMEONE'S ELSE FOOTSTEPS OR YOUR PARENTS ADVICE: Your parents can guide you on choosing a career but however, will not make the final decision for you. Sometimes, they will like to force their children to choose a career that they might find difficult just to brag that their son or daughter is a medical doctor, Engineer, lawyer etc for example. 

Now the questions you will ask yourself are:  Is that really what you want to do? Will that make you happy? Are you doing it just to please your Mum or Dad?  Similarly, that your best friend chose one career should not influence you to choose same if you know that you are not capable of going into it. 

IV. JUMPING IN BLIND: One of the biggest mistakes anyone can make is not making proper assessment before heading down to a particular career. Do not choose an occupation until you are thoroughly familiar with what it entails. You need to learn  everything you can about any career if you are serious about it. Also, make sure you explore different careers before you decide on the one to choose.

V. RELYING TOO HEAVILY ON OTHER PEOPLE'S OPINIONS: It is always good to seek advice from those with more experience and knowledgeable than you. However, no one knows you better than you know yourself. Parents, friends and your relatives, they all have an opinion about what you should become and which career you should choose, but at the end of the day, the only opinion that really matters more is your own.

TIPS OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT

I. BUILD YOUR DREAM: It is very important to think about your dream and the vision for your own life and career. You need to think of it as a whole. You only have one life to leave and you need to define your goals. 

II. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF: As your skills increase, you gain more experience and a clearer understanding. Believing in yourself, your skills and your ability to succeed are critical success factors for your career development. 

III. NEVER STOP LEARNING: A proven way to advance in your career is to be continually acquiring new knowledge. Stay on top of trends or developments in your field and make sure that your current status reflects those needed skills. Take specific actions to improve your skills like going for training, reading books, blogs etc. Always remember this aphorism " if you are not moving forward, you are moving backward" 

IV. EXPAND YOUR NETWORK: Strengthen your personal network by attending conferences, joining professional Associations in your field. It is a great way to tap from into a career network. Meeting people who work in your prospective field can give you valuable insight into what life is like in that career. Gather information by gathering contacts. The more people who are aware of your strengths and abilities, the better your chance of hearing about new opportunities that might arise. 

V. FIND A MENTOR:  They can be your guide towards making the right choice. Mentors are also great sources of information and career guidance. The perfect mentor is someone who works well with you and who has the experience and success you seek.

VI. BUILD YOUR REPUTATION: Your reputation in any thing you are doing matters so much. Be known for being dependable, professional and cooperative. Act and look the part by dressing professionally. Make a name for yourself by attending conferences, delivering speeches and writing articles.

VII. STOP TELLING AND START SELLING: Learn the fine art of self - promotion. If you have had major accomplishments or created a successful programs, make sure people know about it especially those in influential positions who could be of  help professionally. 

VIII. DEVELOP TRUST. People naturally want to surround themselves with people they trust. Developing trust takes time and consistent effort. Trust goes two ways. Firstly, you need to behave in such a way that people will trust you, will do what you say. On the other hand, you need to trust others.

IX. PAY BACK: Think about who you have met and how you can help someone else. Do some voluntary work. Explore possible career tracks and build a strong networking base through volunteer activities. Volunteering teaches you about yourself while preparing you for the future and connecting you to your community.

X. YOU CAN MAKE YOUR HOBBY YOUR WORK: It is great if you have an opportunity to choose the career which is related to your hobby. 

Usually if you pick the work according to your interest, salary is not the most important motivation for you. But there are examples where someone's hobby turned into a fortune. For example, if you like to write essays, someday you can become a professional writer. You never know what awaits you, so never give up.

In summary, career is perhaps one of the most important decision in our lives. That's why we have to think well and weigh all the problem and prospects before proceeding. Only a well considered and balanced decision can make our lives better.