a term paper on career development

Essay on Career Development

Students are often asked to write an essay on Career Development in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

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100 Words Essay on Career Development

What is career development.

Career development is the journey your job takes from the start to the end. Think of it like a video game where you move up levels. You begin at an easy stage, learn new skills, get better, and then move to harder challenges. It’s about growing in your job.

Why Plan Your Career?

Planning your career is like using a map on a trip. It helps you decide where you want to go and how to get there. Without a plan, you might get lost or take longer to reach your goals.

Learning New Skills

To move up in your career, you need to keep learning. This could mean going to school, taking training courses, or practicing new tasks. Just like in sports, practice makes perfect.

Getting Experience

Experience is when you have done a job and know how to handle it. It’s like riding a bike. At first, it’s tough, but the more you ride, the easier it gets. Jobs are the same way.

Making Connections

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250 Words Essay on Career Development

Career development is like growing a plant. Just as a plant starts small and needs water, sunlight, and care to grow, a person’s career starts with their first job and grows as they learn more and work harder. It is the path your job follows, which sometimes goes straight, sometimes turns, and sometimes even climbs up.

Starting Your Journey

When you first start thinking about what you want to be when you grow up, that’s when your career development begins. It’s like picking what kind of seed to plant. You might think about what you enjoy doing or what you are good at. Maybe you like drawing, so you think about being an artist. Or you love helping people, so you consider becoming a doctor.

Learning and Growing

Once you have an idea of the job you want, you need to learn how to do it well. This can mean going to school, getting good grades, and maybe even getting extra training. It’s like giving your plant the right food so it can grow strong.

Experience is like the water for your career plant. You get experience by doing jobs that are like the one you want. This could be a part-time job, an internship, or volunteer work. It helps you understand the work better and shows future employers that you are serious about your career.

Building Your Path

Career development is a big adventure that lasts your whole life. It’s about finding what you love to do and getting better at it every day.

500 Words Essay on Career Development

Career development is the process of choosing a job, getting the right education, and growing in your work. Imagine it like a long road trip to your dream destination, which in this case, is the job you want to have when you grow up. Just like you need a map to reach your favorite holiday spot, you need a plan to achieve your career goals.

Choosing a Career Path

Getting the right education.

After you know what job you want, it’s time to learn the skills you need. This could mean going to college, taking special classes, or even learning from someone who already does the job you want. It’s like training for a sport – the more you practice, the better you get.

Gaining Experience

Learning in a classroom is important, but so is real-world experience. You can volunteer, do internships, or work part-time jobs related to your dream job. It’s like trying out a mini-version of your future career to see if it’s really what you want.

Building a Network

Moving up the ladder.

Once you have a job, the next goal is to do well and move up to better positions. This means learning more, taking on new responsibilities, and sometimes even going back to school for more education. It’s like leveling up in a video game where each level brings new challenges and rewards.

Adapting to Change

Jobs can change over time because of new technology or new ways of doing things. It’s important to keep learning and be ready to change your plans if needed. It’s like being ready to take a detour on your road trip if you find out there’s a better route.

Career development is an exciting adventure that lasts your whole life. By knowing what you like, getting the right education, gaining experience, meeting helpful people, doing well in your job, and being ready for change, you can build a career that makes you happy and successful. Remember, it’s your journey, so take the steps that are right for you and enjoy the ride to your dream job!

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Career Development From Adolescence Through Emerging Adulthood Insights From Information Technology Occupations

Emily e. messersmith.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Jessica L. Garrett

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Pamela E. Davis-Kean

Oksana malanchuk, jacquelynne s. eccles.

Career development theories suggest that social-contextual experiences are influential in individuals' career interests, aspirations, and skill development and may be a source of gender and ethnic differences in certain career fields. In this mixed methods study, we examine the supportive and obstructive career-related experiences of 13 men and 13 women (modal age 25). Interviews focused primarily on the pathway toward or away from an information technology (IT) career. Thematic coding indicated that parents were mostly supportive, while experiences in school and work occasionally made individuals reconsider their career plans. Social influences often changed developmentally as participants entered full-time jobs. Gendered participation in IT was often attributed to women's perception that it is a male-oriented field.

Attracting new employees to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) jobs, as well as increasing the diversity of this workforce, has been of great interest to researchers, policy makers, and employers in recent years ( Meece, 2006 ). Despite efforts to increase the number of women and minorities in STEM careers, they remain underrepresented in the STEM workforce ( National Science Foundation, 1996 ). Career development theories suggest that individuals select career fields based on their self-perceptions, values, and beliefs and that individual differences in these cognitions can explain much of the gender and ethnic gaps in career field participation ( Eccles et al., 1983 ; Gottfredson, 1981 ; Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994 ; Savickas, 2005 ). Although internal cognitions are the most proximal factors to career choice, career development theorists also suggest that these cognitions are developed through experiences in homes, schools, and other contexts and that these experiences may be more distal sources of imbalanced workforces.

In one particular STEM field, information technology (IT), the rapid creation of new jobs has led to a shortage of qualified employees ( U.S. Department of Commerce, 2003 ). As with other STEM careers, the IT field currently attracts substantially more men than women and more European Americans and Asian Americans than members of other ethnic groups ( National Science Foundation, 1996 ; U.S. Department of Commerce, 2003 ; Zarrett, Malanchuk, Davis-Kean, & Eccles, 2006 ). For instance, women hold less than 30% of the jobs in professional IT occupations ( U.S. Department of Labor, 2005 ), and African Americans receive approximately 11% of all bachelor's degrees, 6% of all master's, and 2% of all doctorates in computer science ( U.S. Department of Commerce, 2003 ).

This article examines the career path of emerging adults who enter IT careers and those who could enter these careers but do not in order to highlight socialization influences that may contribute to occupational choices. Examining the IT field in particular has the unique potential to highlight both gender and racial differences in socialization toward (or away from) some occupations.

Socialization and Career Choices

The occupational choices made by emerging adults have their roots in earlier interactions and experiences ( Eccles et al., 1983 ; Gottfredson, 1981 ; Lent et al., 1994 ; Savickas, 2005 ; Whiston & Keller, 2004 ). For instance, children begin to learn about possible future jobs through seeing adults in their communities and parents' social networks ( Schultheiss, Palma, & Manzi, 2005 ; Super, 1990 ). Self-perceptions develop through experiences in school ( Lent et al., 1994 ) and feedback from one's social network ( Jacobs, Davis-Kean, Bleeker, Eccles, & Malanchuk, 2005 ). During adolescence, individuals often engage in and value the same activities as their friends in order to fulfill a need for relatedness ( Fredricks et al., 2002 ); such activity participation may lead them toward particular career paths. Part-time work during adolescence is also a key source of information about work and one's place in the workforce ( Levine & Hoffner, 2006 ). Jacobs and Eccles (2000) suggested that parents influence their children's values in four main ways: developing a socioemotional climate, acting as role models, providing key experiences, and transmitting their perceptions and expectations. Thus, the proximal, internal influences on emerging adults' career have their roots in earlier experiences.

Given gender differences in the composition of some career fields (e.g., IT), researchers have theorized that career choices partially arise from gender role socialization throughout life ( Eccles et al., 1993 ; Martin & Ruble, 2004 ). Children's awareness of their gender and social class influence their perceptions of appropriate career aspirations ( Eccles, 1994 ; Gottfredson 1981 , 2005 ). There is also evidence that parents' beliefs about gender differences in children's abilities are transmitted to and internalized by their children ( Eccles Parsons, Adler, & Kaczala, 1982 ; Frome & Eccles, 1998 ) and that there are ethnic differences in the messages that children internalize from their parents ( Whiston & Keller, 2004 ). Opportunities for skill development vary considerably and may contribute to differences in career-related self-efficacies ( Lent et al., 1994 ; Turner et al., 2004 ). Despite different socialization, the same career development and occupational choice processes seem to occur for men and women as well as European Americans and minorities ( Lent et al., 2005 ).

Emerging adulthood is a particularly meaningful age period in which to study career development because of the unique experiences that emerging adults have regarding the world of work ( Arnett, 2004 ; Hamilton & Hamilton, 2006 ). This is an age during which previous socialization combines with current experiences to shape career choices and long-term goals. Emerging adults are more independent than children and adolescents, but their parents and other important people still actively influence their career opportunities ( Arnett, 2004 ; Whiston & Keller, 2004 ).

In addition, emerging adults are still engaged in identity exploration, of which one of the most salient aspects is occupational identity ( Arnett, 2004 ; Hamilton & Hamilton, 2006 ). Many individuals also continue to explore potential paths and identities during postsecondary educational pursuits and workplace experiences. However, not all emerging adults are able to construct their own careers to the same degree ( Blustein, 2004 ). Thus, not only is the study of emerging adults useful for examining distal factors in career development, it is also useful for examining active occupational identity formation and contextual influences.

In this article, we examine the socialization processes and experiences that have influenced emerging adults' career development. Although previous research has examined many aspects of career development, we still do not fully understand the contextual and social influences on emerging adults' choices to reject one career path in favor of another. To examine potential causes for differential gender and ethnic representation in some careers, as well as to apply general career development theories to a single career field, we address three research questions. First, how might families influence emerging adults' career paths, specifically into IT careers? Second, how do educational experiences influence children's, adolescents', and emerging adults' progression toward or regression away from an IT career? Third, what other formative experiences do emerging adults mention when they recall their career paths? While addressing these questions we pay particular attention to instances in which the experiences of boys and girls, or women and men, appear to differ substantially. This study has the advantage of examining statements from in-depth interviews as well as comparing the common experiences described in these interviews to survey data collected from a larger sample.

Data used in this study come from a subsample of a longitudinal project that began in 1991. The lead investigators of the project chose to collect data from a particular county near Washington, D.C., because of the unique demographic composition of this area during the early 1990s. The diversity of actual towns and neighborhoods in the region varied, but throughout the county both European American and African American families were well represented. In addition, income was normally distributed for both African Americans and European Americans, and the income discrepancy between these groups was much less than the discrepancy found in national samples. The original sample consisted of 61% African Americans, 35% European Americans, and 4% youth of other ethnicities. Mean age at the first data collection was 12 years old. More information about the sample is provided by Sameroff, Peck, and Eccles (2004) .

This sample provides an excellent resource to examine the early computer experiences of children who are now young adult workers. Since the majority of the sample was born in 1979, they were among the first generation to grow up with home computers and computers in their classrooms. However, their exposure to computers was quite variable; some had these resources in early childhood or elementary school, while others first had consistent access to computers in high school or later.

During the first wave of data collection, participants were 7th-grade students in a public school district. Data were collected again when the majority of these participants were going into the 9th grade and in 11th grade, as well as at ages 19 and 21. For the first three waves of data collection participants completed a survey and a face-to-face interview at home. In the two waves collected after high school, participants completed and returned mailed surveys.

Qualitative data specific to career development were collected in a separate wave of data collection, when the participants were approximately 25 years old. At that time, we used data from the longitudinal sample to select a smaller sample of participants. Specifically, 74 individuals were targeted based on their potential to enter an IT career. IT careers were identified by 1990 U.S. census occupation codes for both aspirations and actual jobs at age 25 and included jobs such as computer programmer and network administrator. Participants were deemed as having the potential to enter an IT career if they met at least two of the following criteria: (a) having an IT career aspiration in at least two of the last three surveys, (b) frequently playing video or computer games, (c) having taken at least one IT course, or (d) reporting a high self-concept in mathematics in at least two surveys. Each of these criteria has been related to occupational choice in general or choice of an IT career in particular ( Eccles et al., 1983 ; Kiesler, Sproull, & Eccles, 1985 ; Lent et al., 1994 ). Further information about the targeted sub-sample may be obtained from the authors.

Two interviewers attempted to contact all of the participants by phone and with letters; 59 were successfully contacted and completed a screening interview. From the information in these interviews, 10 individuals who were employed in the IT field and 18 individuals who were in a variety of non–IT fields were asked to complete longer interviews about their careers. Non–IT fields included both “soft” computer jobs (i.e., administrative support) and jobs that, according to the participants, did not require extensive computer use (i.e., teachers). Two interview tapes were corrupted and not included in the current analyses, leaving transcripts of only 16 individuals of the original 18 who were not in IT fields. Table 1 shows the pseudonym of each participant who was contacted and completed the career development interview. Of the 26 final participants whose interviews we report in this study, 1 was a student in a professional degree program, 12 were graduates of 4-year colleges, 1 was a graduate of a 2-year college, 2 were still enrolled in college, and 10 had no degree higher than a high school diploma.

Semistructured career development interviews were conducted with the 28 selected individuals by phone; these lasted between 45 and 150 minutes. Each participant received a $100 honorarium after they completed the interview. The interviews followed a standard protocol, but additional clarifying questions were asked when necessary. Typically, interview topics progressed as follows: an overview of their career path, early educational experiences (especially in math, English, and computers/technology), early socialization experiences, current job experiences, constraints and barriers in their lives and careers, career barriers that might impact others, and future goals. Participants who were students were also asked about their current courses in detail as well as their part-time jobs and their expectations for their future careers. To protect the identity of the participants, the authors assigned names to each individual who completed a final career development interview.

Data Analysis

We analyzed transcripts of the interviews with interpretative phenomenological analysis ( IPA; Smith & Osborn, 2003 ). This approach acknowledges that participants' experiences are personal and subjective. Thus, although the research team held theoretically based assumptions, we sought to ground our codes in participants' own words to ensure an appropriate interpretation. Consistent with IPA, members of our research team began the coding process by independently reading each transcript while taking notes about the important issues that emerged in the interviews. The authors then held several meetings, during which we came to a consensus and created a coding scheme for the entirety of the interview protocol. The coding scheme was based loosely on several theoretical viewpoints (see Jacobs & Eccles, 2000 ; Lent et al., 1994 ), but we also included themes that emerged from the content of the interviews. Once the coding scheme was agreed upon by everyone, three members of the research team read and coded the same three interviews line by line. After they reached agreement (Cohen's kappa > 0.90) on these interviews, they continued coding interviews independently and met periodically to reach consensus regarding difficult portions of a few interviews.

After coding was complete, the authors began weekly meetings to discuss relevant previous research and the emergent themes found in the interviews. We took this approach in an attempt to increase the validity of our interpretations. These meetings involved both (a) seeking confirming and disconfirming evidence for various career theories and (b) discussing the meaning of emergent, unexpected themes in the interviews.

To support our findings from the qualitative interviews, we also conducted descriptive analyses on the entire sample from which the interviewed participants were selected. These analyses used data from the most recent wave of survey data collection ( N = 574), obtained when participants were approximately 21 years old. To capitalize on the diversity in this sample, we divided the majority of the sample into four categories based on their gender and ethnicity (African American females, African American males, European American females, and European American males). We used ANOVAs and cross-tabulations with chi-square statistics to compare differences in participants' experiences with computers. We separate participants into subgroups not to assume racial or gender differences in IT experiences but as a way to identify potential reasons for the unequal demographic composition of the IT workforce.

For the purposes of clarity and brevity, we edited the quotes that are included in the following. Specifically, we deleted words unrelated to content, such as um or like . Occasionally, we deleted larger sections of the text in which participants changed their focus; these are identified by “…”. Additionally, we added information in brackets to clarify terms that are ambiguous in the quotes but are clearer in the context of the larger interview. Readers who would like to read full, unedited transcripts may request them from the authors.

Question 1: How Might Families Influence Emerging Adults' Career Paths, Specifically the Path Into IT Careers?

Given the importance of parental support, expectations, and involvement in their children's lives for their children's educational success and career development, we identified themes outlined by Jacobs and Eccles (2000) . During the interviews, participants were asked specifically about their parents' expectations for them and the messages they received from their parents about the IT field. In addition to these solicited accounts, participants often mentioned their parents when they spoke of experiences in their childhood or social supports that helped them to be successful. Names of participants who were coded into each thematic category are listed in Table 2 .

When describing some of their earliest memories involving computers and technology, 4 participants who entered an IT career and 1 who did not recalled their parents acting as role models. These memories included parents working or playing on computers, parents who worked in the IT field, and parents giving them guidance about how to use computers. For example, when recalling his father using computers, Eric said,

My dad is very big into computer technology and I always enjoyed the respect everyone showed him and he always liked showing me everything he did. He was very happy with what he did. I realized … not just the computer side of it, but just the fact that he loved what he did. I knew I had to find something that I loved to work [in/with] or I wouldn't enjoy working and I'd be miserable overall in life.

Having role models who use computers and convey interest or utility in doing so likely served as a message for these youth that they could and should do well with computers too. Furthermore, role models stimulate observational learning ( Bandura, 1986 ) that may spark similar behavior as the participants tried to imitate and repeat the actions they saw.

In addition, 7 individuals who eventually entered IT careers and 4 individuals who did not reported that their parents provided either resources or key opportunities that encouraged them to explore a potential IT career. Most of these resources involved having family-owned or personal computers during elementary school or “when I was young.” In fact, 1 woman who did not enter the IT field was enrolled in a basic computer course before she began kindergarten. Tangible resources continued to play a role later in their career development. Namely, 2 individuals who eventually entered an IT job mentioned that their parents helped them pay for college tuition, and Dan reported that his mother helped him get a scholarship to study computers in college. Also, 2 individuals who did not enter IT mentioned parental financial assistance as key to being able to attend college.

Jacobs and Eccles (2000) suggested that parents transmit their perceptions and expectations about careers to their children. In the interviews, this form of influence appeared to be related to activities during childhood and later consisted of receiving messages about a particular job or career field. Amy recalled that when she was young, her father tried to communicate this message:

My dad … loves computers. He loves to try, he loves to play with it, and he breaks it all the time. But he likes it anyway and he's not scared of breaking it. And I was always pleased with that attitude. He would say, “It's a computer. You can't break it. The worst you can do is make it not work, and then somebody will reboot it or we'll restart it or we'll wipe out the hard drive or something else, but then it would be fine again.” So it [this attitude] was always taught that no matter what I did … everything was gonna be fixable.

As Amy grew older, her father's comments were directed toward specific career possibilities rather than toward general activities. For instance, her father communicated his perceptions of the benefits of accepting a particular job offer,

My father also works for the federal government. So when I got this government job he was excited because he likes the benefits. He's always enjoyed his work and he knew that it would be a good secure job for me, as compared to some of the more lucrative positions in private industry.

Also, 7 participants mentioned similar messages about computers or careers from their parents. Most individuals who recalled encouragement from their parents did not report it with a level of detail similar to Amy's; we coded these individuals as having received general encouragement, or a positive socioemotional climate, rather than direct statements of support. In addition, 7 individuals who eventually entered an IT job indicated that they had received general encouragement from their parents; this is approximately the same rate of encouragement received by participants who had not entered IT careers. These comments were similar to Dan's when he said, “My parents have always been supportive,” and did not suggest that parents pushed their children into a particular career field or job.

In sum, parents were often mentioned as sources of support, encouragement, assistance, and even initial exposure to the world of computing and technology. Their influence as sources of access to computers appeared early in participants' lives, but nearly all parents continued to play prominent roles during adolescence and young adulthood. Often, parents helped their children into an IT career path by providing broad encouragement or by paying for college tuition as their children sought to obtain official credentials, but encouragement or financial support was not unique to participants who remained on an IT career path. Only a few participants did not mention their parents while describing their career path. Among the majority who did mention parents, their comments were primarily positive.

Since many individuals who entered an IT career mentioned having early access to computers, we thought this might be a source of differential socialization. In the earlier quantitative surveys conducted with the whole longitudinal sample at age 21, participants noted whether they had computers in their homes at various times in their lives. We performed cross-tabulations to examine early access to computers by ethnicity and gender; results are presented in Table 3 . Participants' recollection of having a computer in the home during their elementary school and middle school years differed significantly. Throughout these years European Americans were more likely than African Americans to have access to computers in their homes. By high school, only African American females were less likely than expected (by chance alone) to have access to computers in their homes. European American participants continued to be more likely than expected to have computers in their homes during their high school years. If access to a computer in the home is enough to start children on the path toward an IT career, these results suggest that the European American participants would be more likely to enter an IT career than African Americans participants. However, it is likely that access to computers during childhood is not enough by itself to evoke movement toward an IT career. Furthermore, if it were enough, then other circumstances in youth's lives would need to be implicated in the gendered composition of the IT workforce.

Note: Percentage refers to the percentage of individuals in each demographic category (i.e., African American females). Adj. resid refers to the adjusted standardized residuals.

Question 2: How Do Educational Experiences Influence Children's, Adolescents', and Emerging Adults' Progression Toward or Regression Away From an IT Career?

During the career interviews, participants were asked specifically about their memories of English classes, mathematics classes, and computer science or engineering classes during their entire educational history. From their responses, it was clear that their computer science and technology courses varied widely in content: Some participants were able to take advanced courses while in high school, whereas others only enrolled in very basic courses such as introduction to the Internet.

When describing their experiences in courses or in school, participants' comments revealed several distinct, but sometimes overlapping, themes. First, 6 individuals reported feeling capable in computer classes or while completing coursework. These comments took the form of describing their good grades or feeling that computer activities were easy for them; such reports reflect the benefits of high feelings of self-efficacy or competence that are theorized to be driving forces in career choices ( Eccles et al., 1983 ; Lent et al., 1994 ). Not surprisingly then, 4 of these 6 entered the IT field.

Of the participants, 2 individuals who did not enter IT, 1 who entered IT but left by the time of the interview, and 1 who was still in IT mentioned that challenging courses provided reinforcement of their career aspirations for the IT field. In contrast, 2 participants who entered IT and 2 who did not mentioned that their courses proved to be too difficult: They felt underprepared for the coursework or struggled to receive passing grades. For instance, when describing one of her college courses, Amy said,

I took introduction to programming because for a while I thought I might want to make that switch [into an IT major]. [The class was] Programming in C[++]. That was terrible … the projects built on each other … sometimes I'd be so far behind on a previous project that I couldn't even get to the second project because the second project goes from the first one.

Despite her experience in this class, Amy did try to enter a major that required intensive computer use but was unable to do so because the program was too selective. Instead, she majored in a math-intensive field and pursued a non–IT career after graduating from college. Other research has shown that students make internal comparisons about their performance in multiple domains ( Marsh & Hau, 2004 ) and likely prefer the content area in which they feel more capable ( Eccles et al., 1983 ). Struggles doing well in difficult classes made these 4 participants question whether persistence in the IT field was worth the effort, and 2 of them chose a career field other than IT.

One theme that was always mentioned in a positive way was having a class-related opportunity to solve problems and make computers work. Of the participants who described their classroom experiences this way, 4 were in IT jobs at the time of the interview, 1 had entered IT and left, and 2 were not in IT. These 7 participants expressed this theme in several ways, such as working hands-on with computers, diagnosing and resolving problems, and seeing one's efforts pay off in a functional manner. These comments all involved working through a problem (either a real problem or an assignment) and attempting to solve it; often participants reported appreciating feedback from the computer that the problem had indeed been solved. Comments about problem solving appeared in many areas of the interviews; only some of these instances involved talking about classes. Angela fondly recalled the problem solving in her early computer classes when she said the classes “were really fun. I mean, it was just learning about computer science and being able to get computers to do something.”

Of the participants, 6 seemed to have little or no exposure to computers before taking courses in middle school, high school, or after high school. In fact, 3 people described their first or only computer courses as being introductory, where they learned how to type or navigate the Internet. All of these individuals spoke of these basic courses in a positive way, but only 1 eventually entered an IT career.

For the students who did not have extensive previous exposure to computers, basic classes were useful and interesting. However, 4 other participants who were already experienced with computers felt that their courses were inadequate or outdated. For 3 participants (all of whom entered an IT job, though 1 left IT before the interview), coursework included using programming languages that were not relevant to their eventual jobs. The 4th participant who was dissatisfied with her courses, Melissa, could tell that she had not learned adequate skills to be competitive on the job market. Melissa attended a technical institute to focus on programming and network administration. After not learning as much as she felt she should have and “wasting thousands and thousands of dollars,” she was so disappointed with the IT field that she decided to switch career paths. At the time of the interview, she was pursuing a career in the medical field instead.

In addition to difficult courses and inadequate course content, some participants reported negative encounters with teachers. In the case of 1 individual who was in IT and 1 who had already left the IT field, instructors presented the material in boring, ineffectual ways. In addition, 2 participants who never pursued IT–related jobs felt that their instructors were underprepared to teach the course material.

In sum, educational experiences were often positive in that they provided sources of self-efficacy and interest and they taught valuable computing skills. The qualities that made computer classes and educational experiences beneficial included being challenging (but not too difficult) and being applied and taught in a way in which students could see their efforts pay off. Yet, educational experiences were frequently negative as well and appeared be behind the decision of some participants to not enter the IT field. This occurred when courses were too difficult and students fell behind in their coursework, when teachers were underprepared to teach the class, and when the course content seemed outdated or out of touch with the IT workplace. Thus, although classes are one way to develop children's and adolescents' aspirations for an IT career, the quality of classes and fit of the course to students' skill level must be high to best encourage youth to enter or remain on the path to an IT career.

Since the value of educational experiences and the self-assessments drawn from them varied widely across participants, courses are a likely source of differential socialization by gender or ethnicity. Again, we turned to the larger, longitudinal sample from which these participants were selected to examine whether particular groups of youth were more likely to have positive or negative educational experiences. To do so, we performed cross-tabulations and ANOVAs. We found no gender or ethnic differences in whether youth had taken an IT course, Pearson χ 2 (3) = .369, p = .95. Among those youth who had taken at least one course related to IT, there were no significant gender or ethnic differences in their level of comfort with classmates, F (3, 249) = 1.35, p = .26, or their level of comfort with professors in these courses, F (3, 248) = 1.41, p = .24. There were also no significant differences in their enjoyment of the courses, F (3, 389) = 2.58, p = .05, although there was a trend for African Americans to enjoy the classes more than European Americans. Therefore, although many youth reported negative experiences in their IT–related classes, these experiences did not appear to be systematically related to gender or ethnicity.

Question 3: What Other Formative Experiences Do Emerging Adults Mention When They Recall Their Career Paths?

Other important people.

Although participants did not mention people outside their families and schools as often as they mentioned their parents, a few participants did recall peers, counselors, relatives, and other adults as sources of formative experiences or assistance. For instance, before Dan entered an IT career, he became interested in computers after borrowing a programming book from his friend. Also, 2 participants who eventually entered IT were told by respected adults (a school counselor and a professional in the private sector) that they should enter a computer- or technology-related career. Furthermore, 1 future IT employee was allowed to format the hard drive of a family friend's computer. In addition to these key opportunities, family friends and others often expressed support and encouragement that was similar to the kind provided by parents.

Although networking is not always discussed in the career development literature (though see Lin, 1999 , and Try, 2005 , for a social capital perspective), it was discussed by a number of participants, including those who were in and who were not in IT careers. For instance, Adam and Michael obtained IT jobs at the same company as a friend. Ben was given his first IT job by his uncle and remained in the IT field ever since. Thus, although other individuals were not often involved in participants' career development, they certainly played important roles when they were involved.

To tap into experiences that occur outside of a traditional school setting, participants were asked if they were involved in activities that reinforced their interests or in which they developed new skills or interests. Many participants mentioned something in response to this question, but not all of these responses were related to computers or technology. Of the 5 individuals who were involved in an IT–related activity outside of school or work, all eventually entered an IT career. In addition, 1 person mentioned that his first exposure to computers occurred in a computer programming club in which he was enrolled during primary school. Another individual was involved in a summer camp in which he programmed and controlled robots with a computer. Also, 2 individuals mentioned video games as a source of exposure or continued involvement in technology, and 1 also played with remote controlled cars and made alterations to them with his friends.

Edward participated in an extracurricular club involving electronic music and hosting social events for other students. When describing why he enjoyed electronic music he related the creation of music to the creation of screen savers, which was the activity that drove his early interest in computers. He said, “Sound is another pattern just like screen savers. There is light and sound and audio and it really has the same love for me.” Although electronic music is not often discussed as being related to information technology, several individuals said that they were interested in the creation or production of music. These individuals viewed music production as a creative outlet with which they could utilize their skills in computer technology.

Finally, 7 people, 6 of whom entered IT, mentioned early summer jobs or internships that used or developed their computer skills. In addition, 2 people taught schoolchildren basic information about computers and enjoyed both figuring out how to make computers interesting to others and having the opportunity to teach young children. Others learned new skills, such as graphic arts or how to install a computer network. Overall, extracurricular activities and part-time jobs served to expand the set of possible careers that participants considered and help individuals weigh various career options.

Workplace experiences

Once youth enter career-track jobs, their experiences in the workplace can either solidify their commitment to the field or convince them to pursue an alternative occupation. To understand the situation of the IT job market, we focus here on the negative workplace experiences in IT jobs. Of the 10 participants who were employed in IT at the time of the interview, 7 reported negative workplace experiences, as did both of the women who left the IT field before the interviews were conducted. In addition, 3 participants who at one time had a job in the IT field mentioned negative experiences with coworkers. Crystal found that her colleagues were too competitive; the other 2 participants were frustrated by the lack of enthusiasm or technical knowledge held by their coworkers. Edward was considering leaving his job (but staying in the IT field), partially because of his experiences with coworkers. In reference to his company and workplace experiences, he said,

Their technical department is absolutely horrid. There's not a single person in there who does the computer trade with enthusiasm because they like it. It's all [just] a job to everybody … I've been inherently struck that the only people I want to work with are those that love to do it [their job/work with computers].

Beyond negative experiences with coworkers, 5 participants had difficulties with their supervisors in IT jobs. At times, supervisors were unsupportive of participants' growth and performance or were too rigid in the way they managed their employees. Although these experiences were not uncommon, no participants suggested that problems with supervisors led them to seek new jobs or careers. There were also several individuals who mentioned positive experiences with their supervisors. Generally, experiences with supervisors in IT jobs did not appear to be systematically different from experiences with supervisors in non–IT fields.

The third kind of complaint about IT jobs was a negative working environment. For participants who worked in a negative environment, their jobs did not allow them to express their personalities or feel comfortable with their social identities. For instance, 1 woman felt as though she couldn't be as “goofy” or lighthearted as she would like to be when she was employed in an IT job. Another man wanted more opportunity to be creative in his tasks at work. Both women who left the IT field reported sexism in their workplaces; in addition, 1 experienced racism and 1 encountered ageism. As an example, when asked whether she enjoyed her previous job in IT, Rachel replied,

Well, there wasn't a lot of gratification in the computer programming thing [job] because it was so natural to me that a lot of people felt I was arrogant. And I wound up getting fired because there were a lot of older people in the company and they didn't like some young woman with no college degree knowing more then they did.

Unfortunately, ageism and racism also appeared in interviews with non–IT professionals, but sexism only appeared in relation to male-dominated careers such as law enforcement. Although only two occurrences of sexism were reported in relation to IT careers, it is important to remember that we interviewed few women who were ever in an IT career (see Table 1 ). Thus, although we found little evidence for racism and sexism in the IT field, we found enough evidence that it may present a significant hindrance for women and minorities who are employed in IT jobs. In fact, when asked why women are underrepresented in IT, 10 of the 26 participants mentioned that male-oriented classes or career fields (including the IT field) can be intimidating to women or can maintain biased hiring and promotion decisions. In the minds of many participants, women may choose careers in which they will be less likely to encounter sexism or barriers due to their gender.

This study sought to examine theorized external influences on individual career development in the context of a specific career field in which both women and members of some minority groups are underrepresented. We considered the supportive and obstructive factors associated with entering and staying in an IT job in an attempt to determine how social supports and contexts continue to influence emerging adults as they enter their career tracks. We found clear evidence that these external influences exist in childhood and adolescence. Furthermore, even though most participants had career aspirations or had made career-related choices by early adulthood, the influence of parents, peers, and others remained salient in their career pathways.

Most of the social influences found across interviews appeared to change in developmentally appropriate ways as participants entered full-time jobs. For instance, parents' messages during childhood centered on general activities; as their children entered adulthood, parents spoke of their expectations and perceptions of specific jobs. Experiences provided by others also changed, from the opportunity to play with computers casually to the opportunity to interview at a particular company. These changes indicated that emerging adults' parents, peers, and significant others do not become less influential in the process of career development. Rather, they continue to play similar roles while adapting their communication and assistance to emerging adults' new circumstances ( Arnett, 2004 ; Whiston & Keller, 2004 ).

When possible, emerging adults seek jobs and careers that provide self-fulfillment and expression of their identity, often engaging in exploration of such careers through several jobs in a short period of time ( Arnett, 2004 ; Hamilton & Hamilton, 2006 ). Therefore, it is not surprising that several of the participants in this study had already held multiple jobs in different fields. Experiences in the workplace allowed participants to continue exploring themselves and career fields in meaningful ways, leading to greater satisfaction with career choices ( Blustein, Phillips, Jobin-Davis, Finkelberg, & Roake, 1997 ).

Although workforce experiences were very useful for the career development process, such experiences also appeared to be the one most likely related to underrepresentation of women in IT occupations. On the one hand, actual discrimination may be a cost that leads women and minorities, like Rachel and Crystal, away from IT jobs. On the other hand, anticipated discrimination may have an even larger impact on individuals' career trajectories ( Gottfredson & Becker, 1981 ). Many individuals discussed the difficulty of choosing a male-oriented career field or the potential for discriminatory hiring and promotion practices in such fields. Workplace barriers and difficulties, either anticipated or actually experienced, are incorporated into emerging adults' career plans and may play a subtle yet powerful role in women's and minorities' career choices.

Career development involves many choices throughout the life span. Unlike some occupations, entry into an IT career path appears to begin quite early, often with direct manipulation of computers and problem solving. Activities, educational experiences, and encouragement from one's social network can persuade individuals to remain on the IT path or in some cases to select another path that is more valued or in which one has more confidence. The study of retrospective accounts of career paths confirms and highlights important contextual aspects of developmental theories. As such, future research in career development might examine occupational changes made by adults and how these are related to life span development.

Children born in recent years are more likely to have computers both at home and at school than were the participants in this study ( Bae, Choy, Geddes, Sable, & Snyder, 2000 ; Parsad & Jones, 2005 ). However, increased access to computers does not mean that children are engaging with computers in a meaningful way. Rather, children and adolescents often engage in “soft” computing activities ( DeBell & Chapman, 2004 ). They work with user-friendly, preprogrammed software, browse the Internet, and communicate with friends. Although many of the participants in this study (both in the qualitative sample and the larger sample from which it was drawn) had access to computers in their homes or schools during childhood, being exposed to computers was not enough to develop interest in entering a computer-related career. Thus, children who have access to computers may not be engaging with them in ways that will promote the skills needed by the future IT workforce or attract them to computer programming, engineering, or maintenance. Interest in computers and the IT field develops through processes similar to those of other occupational interests. Therefore, engaging educational programs, summer camps, and other opportunities are needed if the IT field seeks a large, diverse workforce in the future.

Acknowledgments

Authors' Note: This research is supported in part by NSF grant EIA 0089972 on Women and Minorities in IT awarded to Jacquelynne S. Eccles and Pamela Davis-Kean and by a grant from the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at the University of Michigan to Pamela Davis-Kean. The original data collection was supported by funding from the MacArthur Research Network on Successful Adolescent Development in High Risk Settings and by NICHD Grant R01 No. 033437. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Ariel Sankar-Bergmann, Rebbeca Tesfai, Cynthia Winston and graduate students at Howard University, and Nicole Zarrett.

Biographies

Emily Messersmith received her PhD in education and psychology from the University of Michigan and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Developmental Science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She studies the development of adolescents' and emerging adults' plans, goals, and choices, especially those regarding education and work.

Jessica Garrett received her PhD in educational psychology at the University of Michigan in 2007. Her research focuses on the development of motivation for decision making over the life span with a focus on understanding how contextual factors influence individuals' decisions and how individuals coordinate decisions in multiple life domains in the transition to adulthood.

Pamela Davis-Kean received her PhD in social/developmental psychology at Vanderbilt University in 1996. Her research focuses on the development of self-esteem over the life span; the impact of parental education attainment on children; the role that families, schools, and significant figures play in the development of children; and why gender plays a role in IT occupations. Davis-Kean also has expertise in methodology and statistics primarily focusing on psychometric properties of questionnaires.

Oksana Malanchuk serves as the administrator on the Maryland Adolescent Development In Context Study (MADICS). She received her BA (psychology) and PhD (social psychology) degrees from the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on the study of social and personal identity development, specifically gender, ethnic, political, and occupational identity, as well as the development of self-esteem.

Jacquelynne Eccles is the Wilbert McKeachie Collegiate Professor of Psychology, Women's Studies and Education, as well as a research scientist at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Over the past 30 years, she has conducted research on a wide variety of topics including gender-role socialization, teacher expectancies, classroom influences on student motivation, and social development in the family and school context. Much of this work has focused on the adolescent periods of life when health-compromising behaviors such as smoking dramatically increase.

Contributor Information

Emily E. Messersmith, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Jessica L. Garrett, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Pamela E. Davis-Kean, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Oksana Malanchuk, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Jacquelynne S. Eccles, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

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104 Career Development Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

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Career development is an essential aspect of personal growth and professional success. Whether you are a student exploring different career paths or a working professional looking to advance in your current field, writing an essay on career development can help you gain clarity and insight into your goals and aspirations. To help you get started, here are 104 career development essay topic ideas and examples:

• The importance of career development in achieving personal and professional goals.
• How to create a career development plan that aligns with your skills and interests.
• The impact of technology on career development in the digital age.
• The role of education in career development and advancement.
• Exploring different career paths: How to discover your true passion.
• The benefits of career development programs and workshops for employees.
• The challenges and opportunities of a career change.
• The role of mentorship in career development.
• How to effectively network for career growth.
• The importance of continuous learning and professional development.
• The impact of globalization on career opportunities.
• The skills and qualities needed for success in the modern workplace.
• The influence of family and cultural background on career choices.
• The role of internships and apprenticeships in career development.
• The impact of social media on personal branding and career advancement.
• The benefits and challenges of freelancing and remote work.
• The role of emotional intelligence in career success.
• The importance of work-life balance in career satisfaction.
• The impact of gender and diversity on career opportunities.
• The role of self-assessment in career decision-making.
• The impact of economic factors on career choices.
• The benefits of volunteering in career development.
• The influence of societal expectations on career choices.
• The role of personality traits in choosing a career path.
• The impact of automation and artificial intelligence on future job prospects.
• The benefits of having a career mentor.
• The role of leadership skills in career advancement.
• The impact of organizational culture on career development.
• The benefits of international work experience in career growth.
• The role of goal setting in career planning.
• The impact of career development on job satisfaction.
• The benefits and challenges of entrepreneurship.
• The role of communication skills in career success.
• The influence of role models on career choices.
• The impact of economic recession on career opportunities.
• The benefits of continuous feedback and performance reviews in career growth.
• The role of emotional well-being in career development.
• The impact of job insecurity on career choices.
• The benefits of developing a personal brand for career advancement.
• The role of negotiation skills in career progression.
• The impact of work environment on career satisfaction.
• The benefits of lifelong learning in career development.
• The role of resilience in overcoming career setbacks.
• The influence of societal trends on career choices.
• The impact of job automation on future career prospects.
• The benefits of cross-functional experience in career growth.
• The role of networking events in career development.
• The impact of organizational support on career advancement.
• The benefits of mentoring others in your career field.
• The role of adaptability in navigating career changes.
• The influence of personal values on career choices.
• The impact of job market trends on career opportunities.
• The benefits of professional certifications in career development.
• The role of feedback in improving career performance.
• The impact of flexible work arrangements on career satisfaction.
• The benefits of continuous self-reflection in career growth.
• The role of social capital in career advancement.
• The impact of job mobility on career choices.
• The benefits of attending industry conferences in career development.
• The role of work-life integration in achieving career success.
• The influence of organizational values on career choices.
• The impact of job outsourcing on future career prospects.
• The benefits of cross-cultural experience in career growth.
• The role of professional associations in career development.
• The impact of work-life balance policies on career satisfaction.
• The benefits of seeking feedback from colleagues in career development.
• The role of mentorship in promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
• The impact of job insecurity on career choices for millennials.
• The benefits of building a personal brand on social media in career growth.
• The role of negotiation skills in achieving work-life balance.
• The influence of personal interests and hobbies on career choices.
• The impact of artificial intelligence on the future of career development.
• The benefits of pursuing advanced degrees in career advancement.
• The role of emotional intelligence in managing workplace conflicts.
• The impact of job satisfaction on career choices.
• The benefits of participating in professional development programs for career growth.
• The role of mindfulness in career development.
• The influence of organizational structure on career choices.
• The impact of job insecurity on career choices for Generation Z.
• The benefits of building a personal network in career advancement.
• The role of negotiation skills in career transitions.
• The impact of workplace diversity on career satisfaction.
• The benefits of pursuing side projects and hobbies in career development.
• The role of resilience in adapting to technological advancements in the workplace.
• The influence of parental expectations on career choices.
• The impact of job automation on the future of career paths.
• The benefits of cross-industry experience in career growth.
• The role of emotional intelligence in effective leadership and career advancement.
• The impact of job security on career choices.
• The benefits of continuous professional training in career development.
• The role of work-life balance in reducing occupational burnout and enhancing career satisfaction.
• The influence of societal norms and stereotypes on career choices.
• The impact of job market competition on future career prospects.
• The benefits of workplace mentoring programs in career growth.
• The role of negotiation skills in salary negotiation and career progression.
• The impact of workplace culture on employee engagement and career satisfaction.
• The benefits of international assignments in career development.
• The role of self-confidence in career advancement.
• The influence of personal experiences and challenges on career choices.
• The impact of job security on career choices for the gig economy.
• The benefits of continuous learning and upskilling in career growth.
• The role of emotional intelligence in building effective workplace relationships and fostering career success.
• The impact of job satisfaction on overall life satisfaction and career choices.
• The benefits of pursuing a portfolio career in career development.

These essay topic ideas provide a diverse range of perspectives on career development. Whether you choose to explore the impact of technology, societal expectations, personal values, or any other aspect, remember to back your arguments with examples and evidence to make your essay more compelling. Good luck with your career development journey and essay writing!

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Academic career development: A review and research agenda

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The Big Five Career Theories

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Career guidance and counselling in the western world, most notably in the United States (USA), has developed a comprehensive system of theories and intervention strategies in its more than 100 years of history. It began in the years of Frank Parson as a trait-factor approach in the early twentieth century (Betz, Fitzgerald, & Hill, 1989; Zunker, 2002), and slowly evolved to become a rather mature discipline today in the twenty-first century with a strong theoretical and empirical base, with the potential to further develop into a more “global” discipline in the years ahead. Indeed, vocational and career related issues are salient across different cultures and nationalities (Hesketh & Rounds, 1995; Leung, 2004). In an age of economic globalisation, all individuals are affected by an array of work related concerns, some of these concerns are unique to certain cultures, but others are common to many cultural groups. The search for life purposes and meanings, the journey to actualise oneself through various life and work-related roles, and the efforts by nations to deal with problems of employment and unemployment, are examples of universal issues that seem to affect many individuals from diverse cultures. Under the theme of career development, there are experiences, oncerns, and issues that we could share, explore, and discussed at a global stage (Richardson, 1993; Lips-Wiersma & McMorland, 2006).

The development of career guidance and development into a global discipline requires a set of theoretical frameworks with universal validity and applications, as well as culture-specific models that could be used to explain career development issues and phenomenon at a local level. The focus of this chapter is on the five theories of career development that have guided career guidance and counselling practice and research in the past few decades in the USA as well as internationally. These five theories are (a) Theory of Work-Adjustment, (b) Holland’s Theory of Vocational Personalities in Work Environment, (c) the Self-concept Theory of Career Development formulated by Super and more recently by Savickas, (d) Gottfredson’s Theory of Circumscription and Compromise, and (e) Social Cognitive Career Theory. Given that the “big-five” theoretical models were developed by scholars in the USA, most of the existing reviews and summaries covering these frameworks (e.g., D. Brown & Associates, 2002; S. D. Brown & Lent, 2005; Swanson & Gore, 2000) have drawn from the literature in the USA. To augment the literature, this chapter will adopt an “international” perspective and will seek to selectively review studies conducted in regions around the world. With that as a backdrop, this chapter aims to achieve three objectives. First, to review the core conceptual propositions and the evolvement of the “big five” career development models, and discuss specific components of these models that are attractive to international career guidance professionals. Second, to review recent international empirical work (that is, studies conducted outside of the USA) that has been done in relation to the “big five” career development models. Third, to discuss directions that researchers and practitioners could take to advance and “indigenous” the big five career theories in their own cultural regions.

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Leung, S.A. (2008). The Big Five Career Theories. In: Athanasou, J.A., Van Esbroeck, R. (eds) International Handbook of Career Guidance. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6230-8_6

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Career Development .

Career development: definition, planning & resources, career development definition.

Career development is the progression of short-term steps taken to achieve long-term professional goals. It involves the building of role-specific skill sets, and can include taking night classes, networking, seeking out a mentor and taking on new responsibilities in your current job. Effective career development requires a thoughtful approach: decide on a career goal, then map out the experience, competencies and connections you’ll need to get there.

What Is Career Development?

Career development is the process of learning and utilizing short-term skills to progress toward long-term professional goals. This process is often lifelong and involves steadily reaching milestones specific to your designated career path. Much of career development calls for reflection and the exploration of purpose in your work, and is the foundation for achieving larger career growth . 

A career path can be visualized as a ladder, with each rung symbolizing the level of a role on the path. Landing a job is a  paramount first step, but odds are you may not want to stay at the entry level forever. Moving up the career ladder and earning promotions is easier said than done, however. It often requires careful planning and taking intentional steps.

Career development is all about gathering what skills and experiences can launch you further on your career path, and navigating these processes in increments (or ladder steps) to make career growth manageable.

Why Is Career Development Important?

Having a structured career development plan helps professionals ensure that they are entering and traversing a career path that makes the most of both their skills and values. 

Helps Make Use of Skills 

The further you climb the career ladder, the more you have to build and utilize certain skills for the workplace. Career development helps employees home in on what specific skills they would like to learn, what actions need to be taken to learn them and how to actively use them. Plus, seeing the positive feedback of forming new skills signals a feeling of reward, incentivizing an employee to continue the practice.

Increases Motivation at Work  

Career development is all about finding tangible goals to work toward. This helps workers set realistic expectations, feel less pressure and find more enthusiasm to reach these goals. As their career develops, an employee often gains a sense of accomplishment and motivation to do even more in their job.

Helps Achieve Financial Goals 

A worker with more experience and refined skills generally will receive a higher pay. While following a career development plan, employees typically get a better idea of what milestones need to be met on the job in order to get a promotion or increased salary.

Increases Employee Retention  

People want to make the most out of their jobs, and can feel stuck or neglected in their career without proper growth resources. Employees who are provided professional development opportunities at work are shown to be more engaged and yield a higher retention in comparison to those who aren’t . Making learning and career development a part of a company’s culture can help employers both attract and keep their employees for the long run.

Increases Happiness and Satisfaction  

Career development and happiness at work often go hand-in-hand. Feeling successful in your development goals at work will likely boost workplace happiness, and in turn workplace happiness will boost performance and incentivize further development. To frequently learn, develop and master new skills as an employee makes for a more rewarding and satisfying career overall.

How to Create a Career Development Plan 

Laying out the groundwork for goals years down the road can be overwhelming, which is where the short-term actionable goals of career development come in. These stages for how to create a plan are only the smaller parts of overall career growth, and likewise, each stage is also comprised of individual pieces or skills to consider. Being realistic about what you can immediately accomplish and taking your plan one step or ladder rung at a time is paramount for healthy career development.

Don’t think of your first career development plan as creating the final plan or a checklist list you have to precisely follow, but rather just a basis to reference on your career journey. 

Explore Your Interests and Goals 

So you’ve decided to build a career for yourself. Now what? Start by reflecting and ask yourself the big questions about what you want out of your job. Though career development isn’t entirely about the final destination, having an overarching vision can keep you motivated, grounded and get a grasp on your values as an employee. 

Take a step back and think about what you like to do and what you’re good at. Do you want to manage people, or do you want to achieve excellence in your craft? Do you prefer to work at a small startup where you can experiment with responsibilities beyond your job description, or a big tech company with more structure and support systems?

Be sure to consider factors outside of work too. More responsibility often translates into more money, but it can also make work more stressful and your schedule less predictable. And if you love to travel or spend time outdoors when the weather is good, a decent job at a company that’s flexible about taking time off with short notice might be just as good as a more exciting, but all-consuming one. Figuring out what you want might require some experimentation.

Research the Skills You Need

After getting an idea of your desired career, start by brainstorming and researching what skills, competencies and years of experience the people in your dream job have. Ask yourself: How can you gain them? Can you talk to someone already doing the work about how they got there?

As an example, imagine you are currently working as an entry-level software engineer at a tech company and want to eventually become a mid-level software engineer. In this case, a steady progression on the career ladder is needed. 

Let’s say you researched what you need to make it to the mid-level engineering role within your company. Your research shows you need proficiency in up to three programming languages and to be more proactive within your role. Ask yourself how to boost these areas of expertise — maybe it involves learning another coding language, or maybe it involves leading more projects within your team. Necessary skills will change for each new role, so this process must be repeated in each rung of the career ladder.

Though everyone’s career development path is different, conducting this kind of research one role at a time for each role in your path gets you slightly closer to your conclusive goal or dream role. Compile your research on requirements for each role within your path to keep track of career progress and measure any skill gaps that may need filling.

Build Your Skills

Now it’s time to seek out opportunities to build the skills necessary for your desired path. Some hard skills like coding or editing can be learned through classes or reading books, while some soft skills like interpersonal communication and collaboration are best learned on the job and by volunteering to take on additional responsibilities as they come up. 

Keep an eye out for opportunities to show you’re capable and enthusiastic about moving to the next role level in your career. Additionally, don’t be afraid to seek guidance from mentors, managers or colleagues you encounter along the way, as they can be a great avenue for gaining such opportunities or just passing down industry knowledge.

Going back to our example, to get a promotion to a mid-level software engineering role in your company, you know you’ll need to gain some more experience in another coding language relating to your work, as well as show greater initiative in your work and processes. To build these skills, this could include participating in a Java, Python or similar coding bootcamp , or offering to help collaborate in a cross-team project. 

How you build your skills will look different depending on the seniority of the role you’re pursuing though. Attending a coding bootcamp may be the answer to building a skillset you need for the mid-level engineering role, but that may not be the same case when it’s time to advance to a senior-level engineering role.

Career Development Resources and Tips

Salary and benefits.

Finding a fulfilling job is important, but pay and benefits matter too. Effectively advocating for yourself can make a huge difference to your lifetime earnings — and doing that starts with understanding how compensation works.

How to Ask for a Raise

Don’t just sit around waiting for more money; ask for it . That might sound simple, but many of us leave money on the table because we’re too afraid to ask for raises. To negotiate effectively, you need to do some research to understand how much your peers at other companies make, as well as how your company’s salaries compare to broader market trends. That said, don’t think of these ranges as the cap of your earnings potential. If you’re good at what you do, you might be able to negotiate yourself to an above-market rate. 

How to Counter a Job Offer

Starting pay has major implications for earnings down the line, since many companies calculate raises based on a percentage of base salary. Making an effective counter offer requires some finesse, though, since you need to weigh getting what you want against the risk of alienating a potential employer. Common strategies for striking the right balance include asking for a company’s internal salary range, insisting on reviewing the written offer before accepting, and ensuring that you don’t tip your hand too much in the negotiation.

Stock Options

Early stage startups can’t match corporate salaries, so they make up the difference with stock options . In short, stock options are contracts that let you buy part of a company at a set price in the future, giving you the chance to share in the upside of an IPO or an acquisition. How much you stand to make from an exit depends on a number of factors, including the company’s valuation, the number of shares you hold and your strike price — which is usually lower for longer-tenured employees. 

Severance Pay

A severance package can lessen the blow of losing a job, but it isn’t free money, exactly. Packages can include weeks’ or months’ worth of your base salary, as well as extended healthcare benefits and help finding a new job. In exchange, you typically need to sign away the right to sue your former employer — and some agreements include non-disparagement, non-disclosure and non-compete clauses as well. You really should review it before you sign anything. 

How to Get the Career You Want

If you have specific goals, you need specific plans. If you’re lacking in either, these resources will help you kick off your career development journey.

How to Get Your Dream Job

Your dream job might be something you lose yourself in entirely, and where you find yourself bursting with ideas and enjoying every moment. Or it might be more about negative space: a job that’s pretty good, but flexible, and that leaves plenty of room for whatever else you like to do with your time. If you don’t know what your dream job is, it might be time to start thinking about it. Otherwise, your career might pass by before you find out. 

How to Set Effective Long-Term Career Goals

Too often, we become laser focused on the next step on the career ladder, losing track entirely of long-term career goals . Taking a longer-term view is important, because chasing the next step can end up leading you astray. Do you want a high-powered career with lots of responsibility, or do you want to close your laptop at the same time every night to spend time with friends and family? Do you want to be responsible for other people, or do you prefer to focus on excellence as an individual contributor? The answers to these questions should shape your long-term career goals. 

How to Set Career Goals

Sometimes, it’s the short-term plans of career goals that are lacking. If you find yourself stuck in a rut without a clear path forward, a good first step is thinking about some short-term to medium-term goals. These goals should feel fulfilling, yet also attainable. Think: “Mentor a colleague,” or “Lead a presentation for my team about best practices.” Don’t make it trivial, but don’t make it too hard, either. A quick win can do wonders for your self-esteem, and help you reach more ambitious goals in the future. 

How to Set Short-Term Goals to Boost Career Growth

Short-term goals need to be specific and measurable. For example, if you want to expand your professional network, “establishing two new contacts every month” is a better goal than “having a robust network by the end of the year.” Once you’ve established a goal, write it down and ask someone you trust to hold you accountable. 

What You Need to Know About Job Shadowing

Many companies reserve job shadowing for interns, but a chance to look ahead at what the future could hold can be valuable at any step in your career journey. Shadowing lets you look beyond job descriptions and get a sense of what the day-to-day work actually looks like. That’s important if you want a clear idea of what you’d like to do, or, perhaps equally importantly, what you don’t want to do. 

Use the 30-60-90 Day Plan

No one expects a new hire to know everything, but some things are more important to remember than others. The 30-60-90 day plan is designed to help new hires prioritize their time, laying out expectations for the first, second and third month, respectively. In most jobs, the first month is mostly about learning, while the second and third months are for experimenting and taking on real responsibilities. 

Building Your Network

Networking opens up the door for new roles or knowledge in your career, and can be done no matter if you work in-person or completely remote . It’s important to note, however, that a robust network doesn’t appear overnight. If you put in the effort and offer up as much help as you receive to your colleagues, you might soon find that all roads in your chosen field lead back to you. 

How to Build a Professional Network

Building the right network can do wonders for your career, helping with everything from introductions to gut checks before important decisions. But although your network might grow naturally over the course of your career, you’re going to have to put in some time and effort in developing and maintaining connections. The best way to do that is to set aside some time every week for keeping up. 

How to Find the Right Mentor

Different people want different things from a mentor . Some people want a role model with a job they dream to hold. Others are looking for a successful peer with a shared professional or personal background. And while some turn to mentors for emotional support while things are tough, others want a trusted person like a coach who will tell them when they’re in the wrong. Whether you’re looking for a mentor or coach , there’s probably someone out there for you. 

How to Get the Most out of Informational Interviews

The informational interview can be a powerful tool for anyone looking to break into a new specialization or industry. Usually initiated by the person looking to make inroads, these interviews are opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of what someone does and how they do it. Informational interviews do have the potential to help you land a job down the line, but you shouldn’t spend your contact’s precious time trying to sell yourself. Instead, do your research and ask thoughtful questions, and trust that your wits and curiosity will make an impression. Either way, the insights you gather are likely to help you do better in your next job interview. 

Developing New Skills

Traits like communication, confidence and ability to trust people play an outsize role for anyone aspiring to leadership of any kind. They may sound like nice-to-haves, but neglecting these so-called “soft skills” will derail even the best-laid career development plans.

How to Develop Interpersonal Skills

Technical know-how might get you a foot in the door, but if you want to move up within an organization and do high-impact work, you’ll need strong interpersonal skills . Fortunately, you can work on those, just like you can any other skill. One important thing you can do is pay more attention to how you behave around others — do you interrupt often, for example? Other strategies include setting aside time for checking in with coworkers and asking for honest feedback about what it’s like to work with you. 

How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome

If you ever feel like you’re in over your head and about to get found out, you’re not alone. Imposter syndrome is extremely common in the tech industry — especially among women and members of other underrepresented groups. Fortunately, talking openly about these feelings can help, since it sheds light on how everyone struggles in one way or another. And if everyone feels like they’re falling short in some way, maybe we’re all just setting the bar too high for ourselves. 

Active Listening Techniques to Know

If you’re thinking about what you’re going to say next, you’re not really listening. Some of us are better at hearing what others are saying than others, but active listening is a skill we could all stand to get better at. Some improvements will come easy, like disabling notifications when you step into a meeting. Others require a shift in mindset, away from troubleshooting a conversation partner’s problems in real time, and toward embracing moments of silence as you consider what to ask next. 

Which Soft Skills Are Most Important?

People will go on endlessly about the importance of soft skills , but which skills are they actually talking about? In tech, hiring managers tend to look for communication and listening skills, a collaborative mindset, friendliness, and openness to feedback. It might sound like a no-brainer, but developing these skills is easier said than done: hiring managers consistently report trouble finding candidates who possess them. 

How to Avoid Micromanagement

The transition from individual contributor to manager can be tricky, in large part because it involves moving from doing something you’re good at to managing other people in the job you used to have. Often, that means you can fix problems your employees are stuck on in no time — but this can easily lead to micromanagement . Letting your employees learn how to solve their own problems is critical to their professional growth, and it’s going to make your own job easier in the long run. It can be painful at times, but it’s the right thing to do. 

How to Write Effective Interview Follow-Ups

Some hiring managers don’t care about interview follow-ups , while others think it speaks volumes about a candidate’s interest in the job. Since there’s no way of knowing which camp someone falls into, skipping the follow-up email can end up costing you the job. That said, be sure not to overwhelm the recipient. Keep it short, reiterate your interest and emphasize why you think you’re the right person for the role. 

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Career Development

Posted: January 4th, 2023

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The paper addresses the topic of career development, which entails advancing in one’s profession. It illustrates how organizational leaders and employees have to play their roles to attain the best results’ development process. It also describes the importance of considering several factors that could impact the career development process, including personal characteristics, financial resources and obligations, mental, emotional, physical impairments, and age. The study concludes by describing the various phases of career development that each person is likely to pass through while seeking to move from their current situation to an elevated position.

Introduction

Business leaders and workers should consider career development to be a vital process that provides them with the opportunity to shift from their current position to a higher rank at the place of work. Managers and their followers have a role to play in promoting career development, and it is upon each person to act in a way that encourages advancement. However, it is essential to understand some of the factors that could prevent any disruption or inconvenience. Besides, organizational leaders and their subjects should consider the various career development phases to transit through them effectively. Career development provides workers with a chance to improve their position and service delivery by transiting to a higher or better position in one’s profession. 

Describing Career Development

Career development is an essential phase in one’s life because they use the time to advance their professional awareness, skills, and competence. Sullivan and Baruch (2009) describe career development as a lifelong endeavor of handling learning activities, leisure, work, and transformation from one phase to another to move towards a future that one prefers. In an educational context, career development entails providing a person, mainly a student, with the chance to focus on subjects or careers to perform in the future. Many learning facilities have counselors to help learners with their career development (Sullivan & Baruch, 2009). However, the study pays attention to career development in an organizational context where individuals handle their careers within businesses and how the business structures their members’ career practices. Depending on how businesses define their people’s career progress, career development could also revolve around succession planning, which entails preparing some individuals so that they can assume the leadership position. 

The Role of Leaders in Improving Career Development

Organizational leaders play essential roles in promoting career development, and their involvement increases the chances of recording impressive results. Business leaders allow workers to develop their careers by providing promotions and other growth (Stoner, Freeman & Gilbert, 2011). Leaders give the necessary financial and moral support, especially if the organization has such plans. It is easier to develop a career when business leaders encourage their employees to use various motivational approaches (Stoner, Freeman & Gilbert, 2011). Motivation is a vital aspect of inspiring workers, and managers should identify the techniques that would encourage their followers to advance their practices. More fundamentally, managers should provide other necessary support to develop the career of their workers. 

The Role of Employees in Boosting Career Development

Many workers have not thought beyond their current position or the next job or promotion they would like to receive. Workers need to expand their short-term perception and think big. They need to understand that as they move upwards in the organizational chart, it becomes more challenging to get jobs, yet proceeding to advance experience and skills should be the leading priority for individuals getting value from or adding value to their profession (Stoner, Freeman & Gilbert, 2009). Workers may experience the outcome they want when they put some little effort. 

Individual workers can explore multiple approaches to experience career advancement, but this is only possible when they invest in their career progress and development. Workers may monitor other workers within the organization to acquire valuable information and skills about various jobs (Robbins & Coulter, 2009). Learning from others provides the opportunity to increase value and broaden individual skills. Similarly, individual workers should try to deepen and broaden their experience because it is easier to encounter some hurdles when conversing with a single task (Robbins & Coulter, 2009). Having the ability to perform numerous functions can increase variety to what a person can do and widen their skills. Individual workers seeking to advance their careers should spare time to attend training sessions and classes to expand their knowledge (Robbins & Coulter, 2009). They should know that new technologies and strategies applicable to nearly every career emerge every day, and staying up to date provides a suitable opportunity to be ahead. Individual employees may form book clubs where they share valuable concepts, knowledge, and terminology that would help them improve their performance. Such clubs allow workers to learn new things and be clear on areas that they do not understand. Also, individual workers can identify a mentor from another organizational department they would like to explore (Robbins & Coulter, 2009). Often, learning on another person’s experience is an excellent approach to acquire knowledge and introduce oneself to other available opportunities. Applying these personal initiatives could go a long way toward developing one’s career. 

Employees can explore other options that could help them develop and grow their careers. Every member of staff needs to set objectives and create a plan to attain them. People who succeed in their work usually determine what they aspire to get the internal drive to work harder. A suitable way to achieve the best results from the goal-setting process is to use the goal-setting theory as guidance. The framework introduced by Edwin Locke in the 1960s implies that setting goals are primarily connected to job performance (Bozkurt et al., 2017). It suggests that challenging and specific objectives and suitable responses contribute to better and higher task outcomes (Locke & Latham, 2006). Nonetheless, the commitment to work towards the achievement of the goal is the primary source of motivation. Workers should remember several key factors when setting goals, including specific and measurable aspirations, which include precise estimates and dates so one can measure their level of success (Locke & Latham, 2006). Individuals should set attainable and relevant goals because it is unrealistic to set a standard that is difficult to achieve. Individual workers can develop their careers by creating a timeline, which outlines the key milestones (Locke & Latham, 2006). Besides, workers should use the available company programs considering that some firms have formal initiatives to help workers advance their careers. Whereas workers may have to pursue their career development informally, others have programs that may help employees improve their careers and follow the right direction. Other tips that individual workers can use to advance their career include owning one’s career path by knowing what they want, writing down what one wants to achieve to avoid any confusion and transitioning from one phase to the other without much stress.  

Factors that Impact Career Development

Other than the roles business leaders and workers play to foster career development, both the leaders and employees should understand that various factors can influence a person’s career development. Therefore, it is imperative to consider these factors during helping others improve their level to attain the best results (Kaya & Ceylan, 2014). The success of a career development would depend on individual personality characteristics. It is only possible to achieve the best outcome from a career development process when both the organizational leaders and their followers have positive values, interests, personality, and aptitude (Kaya & Ceylan, 2014). These personal qualities play essential functions in career development because they determine the occupations that individuals find satisfying and the nature of corporate environments in which it is possible to thrive (Kaya & Ceylan, 2014). It is why both business leaders and workers need to perform a self-appraisal that will help them learn about themselves. 

Businesses must consider financial obligations and resources because it is only possible to develop a career when they have the monetary prowess to engage in the practice. The business should know that pursuing some career options may be expensive (Hedge & Rineer, 2017). For example, the firm may have to spend more money paying its workers’ tuition fees in developing a career. Such an option that requires one to attend college may be difficult for the company to manage, especially when it lacks the financial prowess to finance the project. Similarly, the practice can be costly for workers who want to advance their careers at a personal level (Hedge & Rineer, 2017). Moreover, financial obligations, such as loans, mortgages, rent, and fees, may derail individuals’ attempts to develop their careers. Individual employees and the business can overcome the challenge by putting enough money to utilize during a career transformation (Hedge & Rineer, 2017). It is essential to consider other factors that could influence career development and take appropriate actions. Emotional, mental, and physical impairments could be a significant challenge in career development that all parties must consider with uttermost attention (Hedge & Rineer, 2017). Additionally, it is essential to consider how age can impact career development because, in many instances, older people may not have much time to advance their career. 

Phases of Career Development

The organization and workers should be conversant with the various career development stages to achieve the best results. Gyansah and Guantai (2018) think that the most appropriate way to examine and discuss careers is to consider them as comprising different phases. The first stage is an exploration where a person develops several expectations about the career they want to develop. A person at this phase makes consultations widely to identify what suits them. The second phase is an establishment stage where a person takes the initiative to pursue their dreams. The third phase is mid-career, where one engages in their new position practices while exploring their strengths and weaknesses. The fourth phase is the late-career, where a person evaluates their progress and achievements in their new position. An individual may want respect from junior workers at this stage. The final phase is decline, where a person retires or starts to experience some drop in their performance. Knowing these stages is essential because it prepares one of what to expect while developing their career.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The study argues that workers and organizational leaders all have a role in promoting career development. The paper describes how business managers and their employees have a role to play in fostering career development. However, it is imperative to consider factors that could hamper the initiative and take appropriate remedies. The findings suggest that career development yields the best results when workers and organizational leaders work as a team to improve their capacity to serve. Moreover, the study informs that achieving the best outcome requires managers and employees to play their respective roles while acknowledging that attaining the desired outcome depends on how well they can help them.

Bozkurt, T., et al. (2017). Application of goal setting theory. Pressacademia , 3 (1), 796-801.

Gyansah, S., & Guantai, H. (2018). Career development in organizations: Placing the

            organization and employee on the same pedestal to enhance maximum productivity.

            European Journal of Business and Management , 10 (4), 40-45.

Hedge, J.W., & Rineer, J. R., (2017). Improving career development opportunities through

            rigorous career pathways research . Research Triangle Park: RTI Press Publication.

Kaya, C., & Ceylan, B. (2014). An empirical study on the role of career development programs

            in organizations and organizational commitment on job satisfaction of employees.

            American Journal of Business and Management , 3 (3), 178-191.

Locke, E., & Latham, G.  (2006). New directions in goal-setting theory. Association for

            Psychological Scie nce, 15(5), 265-268.

Mathis, R., & Jackson, L. (2011). Human resource management . Boston: Cengage Learning.

Robbins, S. P., & Coulter, M. (2009). Management . London: Prentice Hall.

Stoner, J., Freeman, A., & Gilbert, D. (2009). Management . London: Pearson.

Sullivan, S., & Baruch, Y. (2009). Advances in career theory and research: A critical review and

            agenda for future exploration. Journal of Management , 35 (6), 1542-1571.

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115 Career Development Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best career development topic ideas & essay examples, 💡 interesting topics to write about career development, 📌 simple & easy career development essay titles, 👍 good essay topics on career development, ❓ career development questions.

• Personal, Professional, and Career Development In this case, the mother had a misconceived perception that the chances of succeeding in an attempt to renovate and improve the school were minimal.
• Mobile App Development Career Speech On the other hand, mobile app development might be a tedious task, which requires superior analytical skills and mastery of programming languages. In conclusion, mobile app development is a fascinating and rewarding career.
• Career Development: From Accountant to Branch Manager My five-year career development plan is in the business field, where I am currently working as an accountant in a bank and am planning that in the next five years I will have been promoted […]
• Electrical and Electronics Engineering Career Development Electronics engineering is the branch of electrical engineering, which deals with the uses of “the electromagnetic spectrum and with the application of such electronic devices as integrated circuits, transistors, and vacuum tubes”.
• Bandura’s and Holland’s Career Development Theories I believe that self-efficacy is a concept that can be used by anyone to change the way they view themselves and gain more confidence.
• Career Path Analysis and Professional Development In making this plan then one has to consider the current lifestyle and the current job so that in making the plan then you will be sure of what you are to change so that […]
• Socialization and Career Development For instance, effective socialization structures have enabled employees of institutions that operate in the tourism sector in the US to understand the needs of customers and what is expected of them.
• A Five-Year Career Development Plan In other words, selecting a career is not enough; rather, one has to be willing to work on acquiring the skills and competencies needed to pursue a chosen career successfully. The development plan further assists […]
• Career Development: Definition and Stages It is career development that forms the core of the kind of job a person actually desires to have. For a country to realize the most outcomes of effective learning, it is without question to […]
• Personal Brand and Career Development The “I” brand concept suggests that the potential job candidate and career builders approach themselves as marketed goods and attempt to turn their own sets of skills and personalities into goods, wanted and attractive to […]
• Plan for Trucking Career Development According to Mazareanu, it accounts for the majority of land freight transportation in the United States, with a market valued at US$732.
• Career Development Program for 30-Year-Old Population At the age of thirty, it might be a challenging task for the individual to decide to change one’s career and face particular risks and concerns regarding a new occupation.
• Healthcare Managers’ Career Development Healthcare managers are expected to develop a detailed action plan to facilitate the achievement of the goals, provision of quality services to patients, and the accomplishment of the ultimate organizational goals.
• Healthcare Administrators and Managers’ Career Development Healthcare managers and administrators are in increasing demand as the organizations become more cumbersome and complex. It refers to the processes of recording, interpreting, classifying, and reporting financial transactions and economic data of the company.
• Career Development in Healthcare Administration The institution provides regular training to the members and updates the current trends that are witnessed in the healthcare sector. Second, The American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration is a website that helps in […]
• Career Development for Healthcare Administrators This, in turn, means that the government should allocate a more significant part of the budget to public healthcare, and the patients should pay more for medical services.
• HFMA: Learning, and Career Development The Healthcare Financial Management Association is an organization that offers membership and professional development opportunities to businesses in the healthcare field and reviews complex issues affecting the industry to provide guidance and education.
• Self-Efficacy and Career Development On the path to achieving the set goal, it is important that an individual realizes the fact that success or failure are possibilities, and that what will make one achieve either of the two is […]
• Paralegal Career Development in Law Firms The company has a total of seven attorneys specializing in different fields of law. The company does the hiring of various employees as and when the opportunity arises.
• Electrical Engineering Career Development However, this will be a possibility due to the size of equipment and machines that reduce with the increase in technology.
• Medical Specialties and Career Development This specialty is concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases afflicting infants, children, and the adolescent. Pediatric cardiology deals with the treatment of heart and circulatory illnesses of children.
• Studying Abroad and Improving the Outcomes of Students’ Career Development Because of the opportunities for knowledge sharing and active cross-cultural communication, one can expect studying abroad to have a significantly positive effect on the career development of students in the public health sector.
• Teacher Career: Professional Development Plan The short plan examines the current status and needs of the particular user, while at the same time looking at the different ways in which the needs can be met and recording the goals and […]
• Career Development Effect on Employees’ Commitment Project Proposal Introduction Background information Aim of the study Objectives of the study Methodology Research design Sampling techniques Data collection, measures, and data analysis
• Career Development Plan Summary The main task of the manager of the company is the exposure of hidden resources in the organization, right arrangement of the staff according to the tasks they are provided with.
• Career Development Plan – Compensation Planning I am pleased to forward my recommended compensation plan for the Employment and Hiring team of ten staffers and one Supervisor.
• Key Elements in a Successful Career Development in a School The essay tries to analyze the concepts of career development, career education, career counseling, career guidance, and career information with special reference to the Australian career development system in schools.
• Career Development Compensation Plan For example, in the compensation plan it is shown that there will be different rewards for the best employee, the best improved and honoring of retired employees.
• Career Development & Employee Motivation Initiatives: Chipotle Introduction Motivation and Organizational Behavior Problem Evaluation Goal of Analysis Hypothesis Recommendations and Solutions Conclusion
• Career Development and Employee Motivation Initiatives at Chipotle However, as revealed in this paper, Chipotle’s vast expansion has resulted in challenges pertaining to the sustainability of its operations and the control of the prevailing business culture. Chipotle’s culture of sustainability, reverence, and growth […]
• Interest Profiler and Career Development I think it reflects my disposition as an individual and in my career since I like working with people and communing in a friendly and skillful manner.
• Management Career Possibilities and Development Therefore, the following paper is to discuss and determine the personal steps that one has to take in order to become a conscious manager.
• Career Planning and Development The components discussed in the paper include matching my skills and abilities with the preferred occupation of SGM, matching my work styles and values with the position of SGM, establishing the viability of remuneration package […]
• Career Development Theories The individuals inappropriate for the application of social learning theory are the individuals that happened to be isolated from life in the society and interactions with other people.
• Career Development in Saudi Arabian Organizations Saudi Arabia is regarded as a high-income economy because of the attractive wages that the organizations pay the employees. A significant challenge that faces the programs is the willingness of Saudi nationals to take up […]
• Public Policy for Career Development Although this is the intention of the curriculum, it is evident that the current academic system is not training the pupils to nurture their careers as they continue to acquire skills.
• Formalized Career Development System A formalized career development system may be helpful to an organization in terms of setting the expectations and reviewing the success through competencies and learning objectives.
• Leadership and Career Development Interventions The second aspect is leadership development that bridges the routine, policy and science of leadership development by highlighting the importance of enhancing both physical and social capital in organizations.
• Career Development and Compensation Career development refers to the lifelong process of managing progression in learning and work, which significantly determines the nature and quality of individual’s lives, the kind of people they become, their sense of purpose, the […]
• Career Development Activities A career development mentor should be assigned to the employees to provide this kind of mentorship for the employees. The company therefore needs to be prepared for other stages such as reviewing the pay package […]
• Critical Analysis: The Peter Principle as an Explanation of Problem of Career Development However, the statement of the point of incompetence should be considered from the position of the lack of motivation and the peculiarity of every situation.
• Theories of Learning and Their Significance When Developing Career Development Systems
• Managers Can Assist Employees with Career Development
• Aspects Concerning the Opportunities of Career Development in the Human Resources Domain
• How Technology Affects Career Development
• An Analysis Of Employee Training And Career Development
• Career Development Is the Responsibility of the Individual
• The Theories Of Individual Career Development
• An Analysis of the Career Development Model in the United States of America
• The Different Steps in Learning the Proper Career Development
• Ethics Codes And The National Career Development Association
• Factors Which Enhance Job Recruitment and Career Development
• The Role of Career Development in Improving Organizational Effectiveness and Employee Development
• What Are Your Aims for Your Future Career Development
• Concept of Career in the Context of Career Development Perspective
• Civil Servants Career Development in the Romanian Central Public Administration
• Career Development Intervention Vs. Leadership Development Intervention
• LGBT Identity Stages and Career Development
• The Importance of Career Development Class to Students
• Career Development in Generation X
• Transitions Of Career Development And Transition Programs
• Effective Succession Planning and Career Development
• Gender Differences in the Career Development of Young White-collar Workers
• Leadership Style, Career Development and Work Satisfaction to Employee’s Performance
• Middle School Principals and Professional Career Development
• Improving Performance For Future Career Development
• Career Development And Performance Of Succession Planning
• Leading Theories And Practices On Career Development
• Enhancements of Job Recruitment and Career Development
• Career Development And Initial Start Into Professional Learning Communit
• The Importance Of Management And Career Development
• Career Development of Native American Adolescents
• The Effect Of Compensation, Career Development, Work-Family Support On Job Satisfaction
• Attracting Retaining Talents And Career Development In Global Era
• Factors Affecting Health Care Administration Career Development by Gender Differences
• Factors Affect The Culinary Career Development Management
• Men and Women in Fiduciary Institutions: A Study of Sex Differences in Career Development
• Measuring Personality For Use In Career Development
• Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Career Development
• The Relationships Among Performance Appraisal Satisfaction, Career Development and Creative Behavior
• Using Technology To Enhance Employee Productivity And Career Development
• Career Development Is The Most Essential Aspect Of Human
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy And Body Dysmorphic Disorder Counseling
• The Relationship Between Effective Learning And Career Development Programs And Employee Retention In Organizations
• What Challenges Facing Women’s Career Development in the Greek Banking Sector?
• Why Is It Important to Learn About Careers?
• What Is Career Development?
• How Does the School Testing Methods Affect the Students in Preparation for College or Careers?
• What Is Career Development, and Why It Is Important for an Organization?
• Why Is Career Development Important in Our Lives?
• What Are the Benefits of Planning Your Future Career?
• Is Career Development Necessary to an Individual?
• What Are the Barriers That Influence Career Development?
• How Does Career Development Impact Your Professional Development?
• What Factors Influence Career Development?
• How Does Skills Affect Career Choice?
• What Are the Things You Need to Consider in Creating Your Career Plan?
• Why Structural Engineering Is an Appealing Career?
• What Career Transitions Are You Likely to Face in the Next Ten Years?
• How Do You Discuss Your Career Goals?
• What Are the Types of Career Development?
• How Do You Discuss Career Development With Your Boss?
• What Are the Stages of Career Development?
• What Are Career Development Strategies?
• What Are the Principles of Career Development?
• What Four Questions Should You Ask When Choosing a Career?
• What Are Good Questions to Ask a Manager for Career Development?
• What Are Some Good Career Development Questions?
• What Do You Discuss in Career Development?
• What Do You Say in a Career Development Meeting?
• What Can You Do to Improve Your Skills in Achieving Your Career Goals?
• What Skills Will You Need to Develop to Prepare for This Career?
• What Are the 5 P’s of Career Development?
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• Chicago (A-D)
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IvyPanda. (2023, November 9). 115 Career Development Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/career-development-essay-topics/

"115 Career Development Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." IvyPanda , 9 Nov. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/career-development-essay-topics/.

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IvyPanda . 2023. "115 Career Development Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." November 9, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/career-development-essay-topics/.

1. IvyPanda . "115 Career Development Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." November 9, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/career-development-essay-topics/.

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IvyPanda . "115 Career Development Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." November 9, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/career-development-essay-topics/.

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Career Development, Essay Example

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Chosen Organization: Cathay Pacific Airways

Job Opening In The Company Chosen: Flight Attendant

Job Description For A Flight Attendant In Cathay Pacific

Duties And Tasks Of The Flight Attendant In Cathay Pacific:

-Implement and enforce inflight safety and security measures (“Flight Attendant” 1).

-Disseminate professional and excellent customer service to passengers on board (“Flight Attendant” 1).

-Be in assistance of passengers’ needs promptly, efficiently and professionally (“Flight Attendant” 1).

-Serve food and beverages on board efficiently, and in a friendly manner to passengers.

In order to become effective in carrying out the duties and tasks, newly hired flight attendants would need to undergo a six-week intensive training program (“Flight Attendant” 1). In this training program, new flight attendants would get to feel the aircraft in flight mock up situations. They would get to be exposed to the process of checking and assisting on the safety procedures concerning the passengers before takeoff and landing. These safety measures include checking to see if the seatbelts are properly fastened. Additionally, they may demonstrate their ability to assist passengers fasten their seat belts if needed, during this mock up demonstration.

Newly hired flight attendants may demonstrate their mock up service of friendliness to passengers when asking them to straighten up their seats before take off and landing. The flight attendants can show the human resource managers that they are capable of being friendly to the passengers even during stressful situations. Stressful situations are not excuses for flight attendants to be grouchy. They should act professional at all times regardless of the situation in order to live with the policy that customers always come first.

New flight attendants should also demonstrate during in flight mock ups, their ability to respond to urgent situations involving the passengers. For example, a passenger needing medical assistance should be attended to immediately. Food and beverages on board being handled with care and efficiency must be demonstrated by new flight attendants. In this regard, grace in the movement of the flight attendants is important.

The knowledge, skills and abilities required for the flight attendant position in Cathay Pacific are the following:

-Knowledge of the basics of professional customer service.

-Knowledge of the basics of marketing in the airline industry.

-Knowledge of the tourism industry basics of Hong Kong, the city where Cathay Pacific is based.

Skills And Abilities:

-Having the skill to work in a fast paced environment in a professional and friendly manner.

-Having the skill to be able to deal with customers of various personalities and backgrounds.

-Are able to enforce rescue procedures during emergency landings.

-Are able to enforce medical procedures to passengers, on board, if needed.

-Have the ability to pay strong attention keenly on details.

Being knowledgeable of the basics of customer service enables the flight attendants to be able to be familiar with the things that irritate passengers when it comes to customer service. For example, flight attendants would be able to be familiar which actions are considered rude in customer service. Being familiar with the marketing basics in the airline industry enables the flight attendants to apply positive customer service skills not typically found in other airlines’ flights, thus, gaining competitive edge against other airlines. The flight attendants’ promotion of the tourism industry the home city hub of the airline enables the airline to gain more customers in the long run. More customers flying to Hong Kong means more profits for the airline since most of its flights originate to and from Hong Kong, given the fact that Hong Kong is the airline’s city hub.

Deficiencies In The Required KSAs:

I am deficient in providing the most excellent customer service to passengers on board. This is because I have not had experience providing extensive customer service. I may probably need to take up a course focusing on the polishing of customer service skills in order to be efficient in the mentioned task. I am not knowledgeable of the marketing basics of the airline industry. I was considering another type of career before; therefore, I have not given consideration to studying the marketing techniques employed in the airline industry.

Studying the marketing techiniques of the airline industry would likely require me to take up a degree in tourism in order to formally get familiarized with the basics.Enrolling in the tourism degree program would enable one to take a course in the familiarization of the tourism industry of different key cities around the world, such as Hong Kong.

I am deficient in being able to carry heavy objects, which may make me deficient in being able to perform rescue operations during emergency landings. I would need to exercise well and keep my body fit in order to be strongly fit to carry objects. I would need to carry rescued passengers during emergency landings.

Taking up a short program in performing medical assistances would help me in becoming efficient in enforcing assistance to passengers on board in cases of health emergencies on board. There is no medical staff on board during flights. It is usually up to the flight attendants to look after the overall welfare of the passengers on board, including health welfare.

It is important that I enhance my skills for the human resource manager to consider me for the position as a flight attendant in Cathay Pacific. The mock up demonstration during flights are one of the most crucial processes when hiring flight attendants. They are the parts of the application process which test out how potential flight attendants would fare in actual work situations.

The human resource manager would tremendously be impressed with the expert skills that I have acquired through taking up the tourism degree and other professional courses. I would certainly stand out from other candidates when I get extra free knowledge from my professor in my classes. This extra free knowledge may ultimately lead me into getting hired by the airline. Being friendly to the human resource manager helps in attracting the acquisition of the position as well. If I can be friendly to the human resource manager, I can ultimately be friendly to the passengers as well if hired.

Type Of Education Required For Flight Attendants

A high school diploma is the minimum educational requirement for flight attendants (McKay 1). However, several airline companies prefer to hire flight attendants who have earned a college degree (McKay 1). One of the leading undergraduate majors which are related to being a flight attendant is tourism and leisure. This degree program provides the basic knowledge to students on how to best provide the services sought for by international travelers.

Taking up a short study program of human resource management concerning the recruitment of airline staff may provide benefits to the potential flight attendants as well. Enrolling in this short program of study would enable potential flight attendants to study the bases of the hiring decision making patterns of the human resource managers in the airline industry. Likewise, through taking this program of study, they would be able to find which airlines typically have stricter guidelines in hiring staff as compared to their airline counterparts.

Enrolling in a basic customer service enhancement study program may likely help in polishing service skills in the airline industry as a potential flight attendant. This program of study allows students to learn how to interact with customers in a mock up setting.There may be a mock up work setting included in this course of study due to the fact that it is a basic course. Teaching the fundamentals of skills require actual real life demonstrations in order to gauge the abilities acquired by the students from participating in such basic study program. The trends of successful customer service patterns may likely be revealed as students take classes for this program of study.

Taking up classes in the food and beverage program of study would help in enabling the potential flight attendants to better serve inflight meals and beverages to passengers. Potential flight attendants who have not had any experiences in the food and beverage careers may find it difficult to serve meals and beverages to passengers on board. These flight attendants may have difficulty in carrying food trays if they are not used to serving meals on a daily basis. If this difficulty does indeed arises, it would be more urgently necessary to take up a short study program in food and beverage.

Previous Work Experiences Required For Flight Attendants

Airlines around the world prioritize hiring flight attendants who have experiences working with the public (Mc Kay 2). Some of the occupations which include extensive public or customer service contact include: receptionists of all sorts, waiters and waitresses in restaurants, call center or reservation agents, public relations representatives, among others. Receptionists in hotels and other establishments extensively deal with customers of various backgrounds who walk into their offices. They deal with different temperaments exhibited by each customer they encounter. They learn to be patient in dealing with rude customers even when they are in a bad mood.With these experiences, their customer service skills are better enhanced.

Waiters and waitresses are familiar with the preferred types of services of customers when dining in. Aside from friendliness, customers definitely would like servers who take caution in serving them their food and beverages. Customers naturally do not want servers who constantly ‘accidentally’ spill food and drinks on them due to carelessness. In order to avoid such carelessness, waiters, waitresses and potential flight attendants alike need to enhance their motor gross skills. Practicing friendliness in a previous job waiting tables also helps potential flight attendants to be naturally friendly to passengers when serving them food and beverages even during situations that passengers ask a lot of requests from flight attendants.

Call center or reservation agents work in speed. Furthermore, they become familiar with the most common complaints of customers with regards to services provided. A prior call center agent job helps enhance a potential flight attendant’s working speed in a fast paced environment. Being a previous reservation agent enables potential flight attendant to avoid repeating the same mistakes when it comes to implementing customer services to clients. Lessons may be learned from various interactions with clients in a call center environment.

Public relations representatives serve as ambassadors in promoting and marketing the products and services in the organizations where they work. They deal with several public contacts not only with customers, but also with various sectors of the industry where their organizations maintain business relations with. Potential flight attendants who have had the experiences working in this type of position would learn how a large part of an organization operates. If hired as flight attendants, they would be an extra asset to the airline. They would contribute in imparting their extra ideas on the other operation sectors of the organizations. The flight attendants’ ability to do this would be something that their employer would treasure.

Personal Development Requirements For Flight Attendants

Because of their constant interaction with the public, flight attendants are required by the management to maintain a neat and presentable physical appearance (Barnhouse 1). Flight attendants interact with passengers coming from different parts of the world, who have their own vision of what constitute as plesant looking in their eyes. Flight attendants must be able to present their general best physical appearance. During the mock up in flight demonstration in the application process, flight attendants must demonstrate to human resource managers that they are capable of presenting themselves in a neat and presentable manner. Doing so may be one of the plus points in having the human resource managers make a decision on hiring the flight attendant applicant.

Having a negative eyesight vision is not acceptable for a flight attendant (Barnhouse 1). If a person seriously would like to pursue a career as a flight attendant, he/she is recommended to undergo a laser surgery of the eyes in order to have a perfect vision. Undergoing a laser surgery is a serious commitiment one has to think over first. One has to think if he/she is actually willing to spend the money and the effort to undergo such procedure for the sake of pursuing a flight attendant career.

Having an outgoing personality helps in enabling potential flight attendants to deal with customers in a positive manner. Outgoing potential flight attendants are usually the ones who can attract customers of the airline to come back to the same airline for future flights. This is because lively conversations attract the customers to the staff of the airline. They find lively flight attendants to be giving them entertaining moments during flights so as to cut down their boring moments on air.

Personally enhancing one’s fluency on a second most universal language would likewise help in preparing to become a flight attendant. International airlines are usually the airline companies which pay good in the industry. They are also the airline companies which usually require potential flight attendants to be fluent in another internationally known language. It would be of help if potential flight attendants enroll in a Spanish or Mandarin language class, before applying as a flight attendant. Spanish and Mandarin are the most commonly spoken languages in the world, after English.

Works Cited:

“Flight Attendant.” Cathay pacific. One World, n.d. Web. 23 April 2013.

“Flight Attendant: Career Information.” About. About Career Planning, n.d. Web. 23 April 2013.

“What Are The Skills Needed To Become A Flight Attendant?” ehow. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 24 April 2013.

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🖋 best way to write a great college term paper, term paper on career development.

Career Development Term Paper:

Career development is the process of the personal development at the workplace which makes the individual go up the career path. It does not worth mentioning that every employee who works at a big company dreams about the advance and higher positions in the structure of the company. In order to maintain career development one should possess numerous qualities and skills.

First of all if one wants to gain credit of the executives and win the advance, he has to be active, creative, independent and should evaluate the condition of the company and brainstorm the ways of its improvement. Employers respect and praise such employees who do more than they have to and if their constructive advice and solutions are really useful, they can be promoted rapidly. The human creativity and ability to apply knowledge on practice is very important for the career development, because simple knowledge and skills without ambitions and risk will never be noticed by the employer.

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Speaking about the purpose of career development one should admit that it is not always money, but the opportunity to demonstrate personal knowledge, skills, creativity, ability to solve serious problems, etc. The people who have reached the high positions at work have the chance to do their favourite work and develop themselves in the appropriate way, because if the job brings both money and pleasure, such a job can be called the ideal one. Career development is a serious method of encouraging of employees and big companies use it actively making their employees work harder, compete and strive to reach the peaks of the corporate ladder.

Career development is the aim of everyone who strives to make much money and achieve success in life but the career path is extremely difficult and takes much time and very often the success depends on the slight circumstances but not on the personal qualities of an individual. Writing a term paper about career development the student should dwell on the explanation of the meaning of ‘career development’, the factors which influence it, the strong and the weak sides of the career development and the difficulties which can be faced during this process. The student is supposed to observe the topic from all sides and pay attention to the psychological and economic point of view on the problem.

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Staff Professional Development Funds

At Ohio State, you can combine opportunities and resources to create professional development that works for you. Staff Professional Development Funds (previously the Staff and Manager Career Development Grants) provide a way to identify development opportunities, request funding and expand your skills.

In partnership with the University Staff Advisory Committee (USAC), Human Resources offers the funds to staff who are interested in pursuing professional development over the next year.

Application and Funding Timeline

Applications for fiscal year 2025 closed on May 31, 2024. Awarded funds are available for use July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.

Funding Use

Staff Professional Development Funds can be used to cover any number of activities. Only an interest in development is needed to apply. You do not need to specify a specific course, program or use when applying for the funds.

Departments should use their discretion as to what defines professional development activities. All Ohio State-sponsored training is approved, including undergraduate, graduate, or professional course books or fees, MAPS courses, and/or the Staff Leadership Series. Other activities could include workshops, seminars, conference registration, travel, professional organization fees/membership, books, and/or educational/professional software.

You can select the amount you are requesting on the application. Each year there is a finite amount of funds available and as many eligible applications as possible will be funded.

• Individuals can request up to $1,000.
• Groups of two or more people can request up to $2,250.

Eligibility

All university and Ohio State Wexner Medical Center staff who have been employed at least one consecutive year as of the application close date (May 31, 2024) with at least a 0.75 FTE status are eligible to apply. Faculty and students are not eligible. Recipients of professional development funds are only eligible to receive funds every three years and eligibility will be confirmed prior to funding decisions.

• Applications for fiscal year 2025 closed on May 31, 2024.
• USAC will review completed applications to screen for eligibility.
• Recipients will be selected by a random drawing.
• Applicants will be notified of funding decisions by mid-June 2024.
• If awarded, recipients have 30 days to provide Workday worktag information (financial account), which should be gathered from award recipients in partnership with their fiscal team.
• Upon receipt of that information, requested grant funds will be transferred to the recipient’s department, and the recipient will work with their fiscal team to use the funds by June 30, 2025.

Examples of Approved and Unapproved Development

• Can include courses in a degree program or non-degree coursework

Not Approved:

• Taxes assessed on tuition for Ohio State coursework that exceeds the IRS educational benefit threshold
• Application fees

Trainings, Seminars and Conferences

• Ohio State-sponsored training, seminars, workshops and programs
• MAPS courses and/or the Staff Leadership Series
• Professional conference registration/fees
• Enrollment fees for courses, workshops, etc.

Materials and Supplies for Professional Activities

• Specialized computer software (must be approved by OTDI)
• Required course, workshop and training materials
• Office equipment and supplies
• Lab and/or clinical supplies
• Computer hardware
• Office, college or unit “swag”
• Rewards or gifts for self or team members

Food and Travel

• Costs associated with professional-related travel (food, parking, transportation, hotel, etc.)
• Personal travel (includes working vacations, missions trips, volunteer projects)
• Parking fees (unless associated with travel/per diem)
• Food for self or team members (unless associated with travel/per diem)

Coaching and Consulting

• One-time professional consultation
• Professional coaching
• Career coaching
• Self-promotion activities (personal coaching, personal branding consultants, etc.)
• Self-care activities (life coaching, therapy, etc.)
• Work-life balance activities

Miscellaneous Expenses

• Professional organization membership fees/dues
• Examinations for professional certifications
• Publication costs
• Invited speaker fees
• Processing fees

Not approved:

• Hiring additional staff

Awards received will follow all applicable tax guidelines and may be subject to taxation based on how the funds are utilized for professional development. Below are some taxable and nontaxable examples. However, this is not an all-inclusive list. If you have questions or concerns regarding the tax implications, reach out to [email protected] for further assistance.

• Professional development for current job
• Map courses.
• Professional conference registrations/Fees
• Seminars, workshops, etc
• Professional organization membership/fees for current position
• Invited speaker fees.
• Professional development to develop for new career.
• Tuition related to undergraduate, graduate, or professional course work (Ohio state or other institutions) that is not covered by Ohio states tuition assistance.
• Books, fees for college courses
• Anything not related to current position.

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More From Forbes

4 ways servant leaders can inspire professional development in the workplace.

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Edward DeAngelis, CEO, EDA Contractors , advocates emotional intelligence and psychological safety.

Servant leadership is very important to me. As business leaders, we strive to build natural and genuine relationships with our workforce, ideally to empower them, as people within the organization, and, in a collective sense, to demonstrate to each individual that the organization, as an entity, recognizes and appreciates…everyone.

To support employee retention and performance, leaders must make engaging with their teams a priority. Employees who feel appreciated and acknowledged may not only stay with an organization and be more productive and positive, but also improve customer experiences, increased sales and profitability for the entire organization.

It is my hope that my legacy, the legacy that I am building, will be one of servant leadership—that I built a company and, with the talents and support of my family, colleagues and remarkable team, gave rise to a community of care that positively impacted countless lives. Servant leaders have the opportunity to do that—to influence lives for the better. I can think of no more honorable opportunity as a business leader than to influence lives for the better.

In today's rapidly evolving work experience, providing employees with pathways to enhance professional development has emerged as a cornerstone of employee engagement and organizational success.

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This is a very good thing.

Providing professional advancement opportunities can boost confidence, creativity and job satisfaction for employees. By focusing on professional development opportunities and creating career advancement pathways, employees have a roadmap to their personal and professional success within an organization. To achieve this, it's essential to set clear expectations, offer comprehensive training and create a positive work environment. These measures can improve employee performance and help them grasp their responsibilities and growth opportunities.

Here are four ways servant leaders can inspire and support employee development.

Cultivate a culture of continuous learning.

Thought leaders understand that learning doesn't end with formal education but is a lifelong journey. To cultivate a culture where curiosity and a hunger for knowledge are celebrated, leaders must foster an environment that values continuous learning, inspire employees to seek out new skills, stay abreast of industry trends and pursue opportunities for growth. Lead by example when it comes to professional development. Show commitment to your own growth and development by continuously learning from others, developing key relationships and working with coaches. Modeling a dedication to learning and self-improvement can inspire your teams to do the same.

Provide resources and mentorship.

As a thought leader, you must recognize the importance of providing employees with the resources and support they need to succeed in their professional development efforts. Invest in your employees' growth and development—whether it's offering access to online courses, hosting lunch-and-learn sessions or providing financial assistance for further education. Mentorship and coaching are powerful tools for professional development. Help employees unlock their full potential and achieve their goals by pair them with mentors who can offer guidance, support and feedback as they navigate their career paths.

Set clear expectations and collaborative goals.

Thought leaders communicate clear expectations and goals for professional development, aligning individual growth with organizational objectives. Work with employees to identify areas for improvement and create personalized development plans that support both short-term skill enhancement and long-term career advancement. Leaders can foster a culture of collaboration by creating a supportive community where employees can learn and grow together. Create opportunities for employees to collaborate on projects, share expertise and learn from one another's experiences.

Recognize achievements and empower everyone.

Thought leaders understand the importance of recognizing and celebrating employees' achievements in their professional development journey. Whether it's a promotion, completion of a certification program or mastering a new skill, take the time to acknowledge and celebrate milestones to foster a sense of accomplishment and motivation among your teams. Empowered employees who have opportunities for growth and development are more engaged and motivated. Provide opportunities for employees to take on new responsibilities and lead projects, which helps them grow and gain confidence.

Servant leaders have the opportunity to empower their workforces to thrive and succeed, one vibrant career at a time.

Servant leadership represents a commitment to shift from more traditional leadership philosophies. With servant leadership, the primary goal is to serve and empower employees. This approach, rooted in the principles of listening, empathy and stewardship, transforms the traditional power dynamics of organizations—resulting in the emergence of positive and inclusive workplaces nurtured by empathetic servant leaders committed to cultivating work environments in which all feel empowered, respected and served. At the end of the day, I find that there is no greater legacy for a business leader to aspire to achieve.

Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?

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Empowered and Proud: How Skills Training Helped a Youth Turn Challenges into Career Opportunities

Like many young people, Michell Batiancila, 26, from General Santos City was worried about landing a job. In 2018, Michell had to leave school because her father got sick and she needed to earn money to pay for his hospital bills.

Neither of her parents had stable work. Her father was a laborer and her mother was a housewife. Michell was anxious about fending for herself and her family. She tried her hand at different jobs – from selling “isaw” or grilled chicken intestines on the street, to manning food stalls, market stalls, and a bakery – but she had trouble fitting in and advancing. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, she was sometimes bullied and called a “tomboy” or told she should find a husband.

Then in 2023, Michell learned about an opportunity to undergo customer service training. Since YouthWorks was launched in 2018, it has reached 6,501 out-of-school youth across the country, and has opened up 16,650 training slots with various program partners.

USAID’s YouthWorks PH program connected Michell to an opportunity to undergo a two-week life skills training where she learned about workplace ethics, teamwork, and customer management, among others. She underwent another two weeks worth of on-the-job training at General Santos’ KCC Mall, where she was able to apply what she learned in a professional setting.

A month after completing her training, KCC formally recruited Michell to work full-time as a scaler, weighing produce and overseeing the pricing of items at the supermarket. Thanks to her USAID training, Michell had the confidence to tackle logistical challenges, manage inventories, and address customers’ needs.

At her new workplace, Michell has found acceptance and appreciation for her grit and hard work. “ I feel great whenever I see myself in the mirror and wearing my uniform. I have a good job,” Michell says, “I’m also earning and able to help my family. I am able to buy things for myself, and slowly, I am able to establish myself because of Youthworks–and for that I am very grateful.”

Michell's father passed away in 2023. She wishes he could’ve witnessed her growth on her YouthWorks PH journey, but knows he would be proud of her for persevering and supporting their family.

Ten months into her job, Michell uses her salary to send money home to her family in Davao Oriental and live independently. She is saving up to establish a small grocery store she can manage in the future.

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Where Do Premier Executive Search Firms Fit into Top School MBAs’ Career Journeys? An MIT Sloan Career Development Office Q&A with Egon Zehnder’s Sergio Della Zassa

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Q.  With 47.1.% of accepted full-time offers coming from return offers from their summer internship employers [1] , MIT Sloan grads have been able to tap into the value of personal engagement to build their career paths upon graduation. Still, what other resources should MIT Sloan students and alumni consider as they build sustainable careers given evolving workforce dynamics?

A. ( Sergio Della Zassa )

Students can leverage MIT Sloan’s ecosystem which includes not only the Career Development Office [2] but also its global network of alumni. But before engaging, remember to do your homework. For example, if you are a Gen-Z student who has been able to secure a meeting with an older alumnus who may be a seasoned executive, think about what you might be able to do for that person. Come prepared with some potential offers of help. Perhaps the person is an officer of your local alumni chapter, and they need volunteers to establish some fun new programming. While this person might be volunteering to share sage mentoring advice to you, think about what actions you can offer as well—this will enable that person to learn about your work ethic and collaboration skills. After all, it is going to be challenging for a new acquaintance to give a strong recommendation on you if they do not have any data points to reference. If your alumni contact happens to be an executive recruiter like me, their reputation is at stake with every introduction they make. Just because we are fellow alums, it does not mean that we are going to grant introductions to our personal networks.

In addition to networking within your own employer, explore external channels such as conferences and shared interest groups like angel investors to establish new connections. Again, when you volunteer on a committee with tangible outcomes, your new contacts can see you in action and observe how you work. For instance, if there are multiple generations represented at an organization, perhaps you can create a “dinner by the decades” event where all attendees mingle during cocktails and then guests eat at their designated tables for dinner. It has been a well-received program here in the Greater Philadelphia area! [3]

Q.  In order to build a long-term relationship with a premier executive search firm consultant, what are your top three recommendations?

A. (Sergio Della Zassa)

With over 5,800 executive search firms in the U.S. [4] , these companies are looking to help fill roles based upon a variety of levels and/or years of experience. While each firm has its value propositions and preferred ways of engagement, here are three overarching recommendations:

First, always be kind and remember to invest time in building relationships , especially when you do not need their help. Even if you are not interested in someone’s outreach and you are “busy,” make the time to think hard about your personal network so as to provide qualified leads to them.  

Second, leverage your personal network to help provide warm introductions. While “SHREK” firms [5] , like Egon Zehnder, tend to focus on C-level roles, most in our industry understand that tomorrow’s C-suite leaders are today’s up and comers. That being said, instead of a cold-call outreach, identify someone who can provide a personal introduction to us. Interestingly, some of my personal contacts provided introductions between SHREK partners and me—even though I was not actively looking at the time for a new career role. But I remembered to always be nice to recruiters, and I took the calls. I did provide some suggested candidates who had the types of experiences which they were looking for and who might be interested in looking for new career opportunities. Lo and behold, these informal conversations led to my pivot to the executive recruitment vertical. It was an unexpected but valuable set of conversations.

Finally, figure out the WIIFIM (“What’s in it for me?”) for your search consultant. The reality is that I receive hundreds of resumes every month. If you expect me to provide an introduction to a hiring manager over other strong candidates, you need to find a way to stand out! For example, do your prep work to learn how my employer, which just celebrated its 60 th anniversary and has a “One Firm” model, prioritizes shared interests over individual incentives. Knowing this information, you will realize that I not only have interest in top-talent in the Greater Philadelphia market but also in other global cities. This might expand your mindset around potential top talent within your purview. Remember, building a long-term relationship with an executive recruiter can support your sustainable career journey.

Sergio Della Zassa is an executive within Egon Zehnder’s global Health Practice and is helping to expand its practice within the Greater Philadelphia area. Sergio’s corporate experience includes roles as Adare Biome’s VP for Strategic Innovation and New Market Development and Zoetis’ (formerly Pfizer Animal Health) Director of Strategic Planning. Earlier in his career, Sergio was a consultant at McKinsey’s offices in Milan and Boston where he led projects across multiple industries, functions, and geographies. Sergio earned a BS and MS in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan, then completed an MBA at the Harvard Business School.

Partha Anbil is a Contributing Writer for the MIT Sloan Career Development Office and an alum of MIT Sloan. Besides being VP of Programs of the MIT Club of Delaware Valley, Partha is a long-time life sciences consulting industry veteran, currently with an NYSE-listed WNS, a digital-led business transformation company, as Senior Vice President and Practice Leader for their Life Sciences practice.

Michael Wong is a Contributing Writer for the MIT Sloan Career Development Office and an Emeritus Co-President and board member of the Harvard Business School Healthcare Alumni Association. Michael  is a Part-time Lecturer for the Wharton Communication Program at the University of Pennsylvania and his ideas have been shared in the MIT Sloan Management Review and Harvard Business Review.

[1] https://mitsloan.mit.edu/sites/default/files/2023-12/MBA-Employment-Report-2023-2024_2.pdf

[2] https://cdo.mit.edu/

[3] https://hrcphilly.clubs.harvard.edu/article.html?aid=462

[4] https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/executive-search-recruiters-industry/#IndustryStatisticsAndTrends

[5] https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/02/07/shrek-5-the-headhunters

USM Postdoctoral Research Symposium 2024

USM PRS 2024

Register Now for Attendance!

Submit your abstract.

Postdocs have two options for sharing their work at the Postdoc Research Symposium: in a poster session or a five-minute flash talk . On this form , please indicate which format (either the poster presentation or flash talk) you would like to sign up for. Regardless of the format you choose, please submit an abstract summarizing the research you will be presenting at the Postdoc Research Symposium. Your abstract should be brief, clear, and concise. It should not exceed 300 words . If you have any questions, please reach out to Anne-Charlotte Mecklenburg at [email protected] .

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs in the Graduate School at the University of Maryland is excited to host the 8th Annual Postdoctoral Research Symposium on Friday, September 27 , as the culmination of our activities during National Postdoctoral Appreciation Month .

This year, for the first time, the symposium is a system-wide initiative , representing the collective efforts and collaborative spirit of the entire University System of Maryland (USM). This milestone event is made possible by the invaluable support of LaKeisha Harris , Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore , and Jennifer Aumiller , Director of the Office of Postdoctoral Scholars and Director of the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Career and Professional Development at the University of Maryland School of Medicine . We are also delighted to recognize the RISE UPP Alliance , an NSF’s Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES Initiative, for its outstanding efforts to diversify STEM faculty through postdoctoral pathways.

The symposium will feature a traditional poster presentation session and an exciting new addition: a Flash Talk session, providing a dynamic platform for postdocs to present their work and network with peers, faculty, and staff!

Symposium Goals

• To recognize and showcase the cutting-edge research conducted by postdocs at the University of Maryland.
• To provide opportunities for postdocs to develop their presentation skills through Flash Talk.
• To foster networking and interaction among postdocs, as well as with faculty and staff from across campus.  

Event Highlights

Event details.

• Date: Friday, September 27, 2024
• Time: Registration begins at 9:00 am, and the event concludes at 3:00 pm
• Location: Stamp Student Union

In addition to our month-long celebration, we strongly encourage you to explore the resources and program offered by the National Postdoctoral Association for their Appreciation Week between September 16 and 20.

Symposium Agenda

9:00 am - registration and breakfast, 9:30 am - welcome.

• Blessing Enekwe , Program Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
• Anne-Charlotte Mecklenburg , Postdoctoral Associate for Academic Support
• Stephen Roth , Associate Provost and Dean, The Graduate School

9:45 am - Keynote

10:30 am - Flash Talk Session

Experience a dynamic series of rapid-fire presentations where postdoctoral fellows share their research in concise, engaging talks. Each presenter will have a limited time to highlight the key aspects and significance of their work, making this session an exciting opportunity to gain a broad overview of diverse research topics. This format encourages clarity and creativity, allowing attendees to grasp complex ideas and innovations, even if they come from different academic backgrounds. Don’t miss this chance to witness how effectively researchers can communicate their work to a diverse audience.

11:15 am - Posters: Session A

12:00 pm - lunch and panel discussion: insights from emerging scholars.

Join us for lunch and a panel discussion featuring early-career faculty members from various campuses within the University System of Maryland. This session offers a unique opportunity to gain insights into the experiences and perspectives of emerging scholars as they navigate the early stages of their academic careers. Topics such as research development, teaching strategies, career progression, and tips for securing a faculty position will be covered, with plenty of time for audience questions and open discussion. Don’t miss this chance to network and learn from those who have recently transitioned into faculty positions!

1:45 pm - Posters: Session B

2:30 pm - event conclusion.

• Closing Remarks
• Poster / Flash Talk / Mentor of the Year Awards
• Ice Cream Social

This symposium was funded in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES initiative, Re-Imagining STEM Equity Utilizing Postdoc Pathways (RISE UPP) , award #2217329.

2024 Postdoctoral Symposium Planning Committee Members

Blessing Enekwe , Program Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (Symposium Co-Chair)  Anne-Charlotte Mecklenburg , Postdoctoral Associate for Academic Support (Symposium Co-Chair) Thiago Pezzuto , Graduate Assistant, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (Symposium Co-Chair)   LaKeisha Harris , Dean, School of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Maryland Eastern Shore Jennifer Aumiller , Director, Office of Postdoctoral Scholars, and Director of the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Career and Professional Development, University of Maryland School of Medicine Spencer Benson , Graduate School Consultant, Retired UMD CMBG faculty member, Former director of UMD’s Teaching and Learning Center Aprajeeta Jha , Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Nutrition and Food Science  Sijil Vijayan Puthur , Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics Taj Kumari Yeruva , Postdoctoral Associate, Fischell Department of Bioengineering

PLEASE BOOKMARK THIS PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

MORE DETAILED SCHEDULE INFORMATION WILL BE ADDED CLOSER TO THE EVENT

Tim Walz's military record: What to know about potential VP's National Guard service

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday, choosing a progressive yet plain-spoken VP candidate from America’s heartland to help her win over rural, white voters.

“I’m pleased to share that I’ve made my decision: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will join our campaign as my running mate,” Harris said via text to supporters. “Tim is a battle-tested leader who has an incredible track record of getting things done for Minnesota families. I know that he will bring that same principled leadership to our campaign, and to the office of the vice president.”

We look at Walz, a 60-year-old U.S. Army National Guard veteran, and his military career over the years.

More: Tim Walz is Kamala Harris' VP pick: Minnesota governor named running mate: Live updates

How long was Walz in the military?

Walz served in the military for 24 years, enlisting in the Nebraska National Guard at 17 in 1981 and then transferring to the Minnesota National Guard in 1996. He retired in 2005 to begin his successful run for the U.S. House, representing Minnesota as command sergeant major, among the highest ranks for enlisted soldiers. His battalion went on to deploy to Iraq shortly after Walz's retirement.

Walz specialized in heavy artillery and had proficiency ribbons in sharpshooting and hand grenades.

But during the 21 years that Walz spent working with large artillery pieces, he suffered hearing loss and tinnitus in both ears, Minnesota Public Radio reported. He was allowed to continue his service after undergoing surgery, which partially resolved his hearing loss.

Where did Walz serve, and what did he do in the National Guard?

During his service, Walz responded to natural disasters, including floods and tornadoes in Minnesota and Nebraska, and was deployed overseas for months at a time, according to MPR.

In 2003, he was sent to Italy, where he served with the European Security Force to support the war in Afghanistan. He was also stationed in Norway for joint training with other NATO militaries.

Walz told MPR that he reenlisted in the National Guard after the September 11 attacks but never saw active combat in his years in the military.

Stars and Stripes reported in 2020 that Walz credited his Army experience with helping him steer Minnesota through the COVID-19 pandemic as governor.

As governor of Minnesota, Walz is commander in chief of the 13,000-soldier Minnesota National Guard. “I’m certainly proud of my military service, but it’s one piece of me,” he told Minnesota Public Radio in 2018. “It doesn’t define me.”

Reuters and USA TODAY reporter Tom Vanden Brook contributed to this story.