Careers in the 21st Century
Nothing endures but change.
Heraclitus (Greek Philosopher)
In recent years there has been a movement away from a scientific rational approach to careers to a more holistic intuitive perspective. During most of the twentieth century, career development practitioners focused on finding the right fit for a person. The trait and factor paradigm was central to this perspective and it involved matching a person's traits with the needs of a particular profession. This approach assumed that an individual's sense of self and the environment remained static. However, the individual and the environment are two moving targets; the ever evolving self and the dynamic world of work. Furthermore, rapid changes have dramatically altered the fabric of our society. Among these changes are:
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globalisation (call centres and software development in India)
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technological advancement (computers and machines replacing people)
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economic restructuring (downsizing and outsourcing)
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new employment patterns (contract, casual, part time, temporary).
We live in a world where knowledge quickly becomes outdated. Therefore,
employability skills become more important as the content that forms the basis of discipline specific skills is constantly being revised.
Lifelong learning is essential in this process as individuals are required to manage and organise their own development. In these times of rapid change it is important that the individual takes responsibility for their own career development. Many career development experts suggest that all people should act as if they are self-employed in order to be successful in this new world order.
At university, students are being prepared for a future that is largely unknown. Therefore to be effective it is vital that new graduates are encouraged to be responsible for their own learning to keep pace with change. In order to do this, self-awareness is vital so that individuals will be able to identify their strengths and weaknesses and thus effectively promote themselves. Careers in the post-modern era emphasise the social construction of reality, whereby an individual's perceptions are influenced by their values, biases, theoretical perspectives and social locations.
There are no 'jobs for life', rather individuals are expected to have many jobs, perhaps in different industries. Climbing the corporate ladder was the goal of previous generations. However, today it may be more useful to think of traversing the career scaffold. There are fewer opportunities for vertical career advancement due to downsizing, and thus more lateral movement is occuring. In the past, careers were seen as following a clear linear progression that involved progress through a series of positions with the one organisation. Careers are now seen to be non-linear, where employees may work for a variety of different employers across a range of industries.
The concept of staff loyalty has been affected by downsizing and workforce restructuring, where many employees lack a sense of job security. Therefore, employees must deal with this uncertainty and be able to adapt to new environments. This uncertainty has had an impact on people, in some cases undermining their social identity and creating an underlying sense of anxiety about the future. However, if they are given appropriate resources they may be able to effectively manage these challenges.
When discussing career options today it is important to be holistic. An individual's work role may be central to their life but it is not all there is. When thinking of career options it is important to take into consideration other roles (parent, friend, husband/wife, team mate, neighbour) and the manner in which career choices will be affected by them. Furthermore, social contexts will impact on an individual's career development.
The tired old cliche that 'it's not what you know but who you know' is as relevant today as it ever was. Networking is important for career development and the employability skills necessary to be effective in this regard are best developed through practical application.