The Elusive Definition of Career Development

The first night of class, I was surprised to find that career development meant something very different to every person in the room. For me, career development is about harnessing your skills and discovering how to be successful...at least that was my previous definition. According to Brown's adopted Sears's definition of career development it is "a lifelong process involving psychological, sociological, education, economic, and physical factors, as well as chance factors that interact to influence the career of an individual" (Brown, 2012, p. 15). How could I have missed all that? When I was asked to think about my choices and influences and how they influenced my career path it is now so obvious that career development is multifaceted.

While growing up my parents always told me how important education was. They pushed me in school and expected my best and only my best.  Looking back on this, I am very grateful that my parent's both pushed me to want an education for myself. They also supported me and encouraged me the entire way. In high school, I found psychology to be the most fascinating subject known to man. I was hooked. I had all I needed. I had an inner curiosity and desire to succeed, and I had a support system that was infallible. For others this may not be their reality. They may not have that kind of influence in their life or it may just not be their priority because they are living day to day just trying to get by. Career development is now not only about skills, but it is about people's ability to evolve and change with the times. In times like this where unemployment is so widespread and those that are lucky enough to be employed are really underemployed because they are not using the job-related knowledge and skills that they have worked hard to develop (Brown, 2012, p. 13). Career development services are in high need, and while I hope that jobs begin to open up, I am not naive to believe that I will be the exception. After graduate school, I may not be able to find a "career". I may have to settle for a job or a position. Like millions of other people, I may also be facing a world that does not bend to my goals, skills, and dreams. I may have to bend until I fit.



Reference

Brown, D. (2012). Career Information, Career Counseling, And Career Development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.