This article will help you comprehend what is career development, as well as various theories that could help individuals in their path to success. Learn what you can apply the various theories to your personal life and career.
What is the process of career development?
Career development It is a procedure in which individuals evaluate their talents and their career direction to help them grow and further advance their personal career path.
Career development could include taking tests to assess one’s skills or starting a search for a new job in line with one’s interests. It may also include training or acquiring the skills necessary to excel in careers that match their skills and passions.
Career development theories
There are a myriad of theories regarding career advancement and the most effective ways to progress in their career choice. We’ve collected a few of the most powerful theories that can be used to help you in your career advancement journey.
Frank Parsons Trait and Factor Theory
The theory was developed in the early 1900s by Frank Parsons in the early 1900s, but the theory wasn’t released until after his death in 1909.
His theory is composed of two major features: traits and. “Factors” refers to potential job opportunities and professions while ‘traits’ refer to the qualities of those interested in career opportunities.
A professional can examine, interview, or examine an individual, evaluate the results, then evaluate their findings with other job opportunities, looking for the most compatible matches possible.
Some other names for this theory include matching, actuarial, as well as career counseling.
Holland theory of types of occupations
John Holland developed his theory basing it on ideas that were formulated in Frank Parsons’ theory.
In essence, he categorizes six personality types:
- Artistic
- Investigative
- Realistic
- Conventional
- Enterprising
- Social
Although there are many aspects associated with every kind of personality, the concept is based on the personality type of an individual to determine their career direction.
The theory suggests that everyone has certain traits that are unique to every personality type, but identifying the predominant characteristic of a person is crucial in finding the best career direction for them.
For instance, someone who has an investigative nature will be best at work as a biologist or an anthropologist. However people with an business-minded personality will do well in the field of sales or marketing businesses as well as services to other people.
Bandura’s theory of social cognition
Albert Bandura created this career development theory which is also based on the individual aspects of an individual’s character to determine their career .
In contrast to other theories, this one places more importance on the person’s previous experiences. Through these experiences, it is possible to discover what drives the individual. If you can identify the motive for what drives a person (praise or a desire to control external factors or competition against peers) You can identify the field in which they will most likely to achieve success.
Super’s self-concept of development theory
Donald Super began developing career theories in the 1950s, and continued to develop them throughout his professional career. When his theories expanded as they grew, so did their the complexity.
But the main premise for his ideas is that we can divide humans into distinct age groups. Within these groups, we also acquire diverse perspectives on the world around us, assume various duties as well as prioritize what is the most important items to the stage of life.
Super also conducted an research that tracked individuals over an extended period of their lives, starting from 9th grade until their 30sto prove his assertions. Super found that as they mature and experience, people change their perception of themselves and frequently their goals. For instance, during early adulthood, people typically concentrate on relationships with other people. As they reach middle age, a lot of people are able to develop their talents and careers.
Social learning at Krumboltz
John Krumboltz developed a theory that was based on the theories of Bandura as his principal concepts. He later used these theories to create his own theory that includes career counseling.
Instead of focusing on inheritance characteristics, the theory of Krumboltz relies on the belief that the development of an individual and their experiences throughout their lives determine which profession they’re most suited for.
The theory of Krumboltz was based on personality traits inherited from parents and life situations, as well as learning from consequences and abilities learned through experiences at work. According to his theory these variables and experiences determine the most appropriate match between the person and their work.
Ann Roe ‘needs’ theory
The ‘needs’ theory that was developed in the work of Ann Roe, assesses the structures of desires and values that each person has based on the experiences they have had beginning in childhood and early in life. But, the theory also considers genetic and environmental aspects, which she believed must be taken into account in order to determine a job that meets an individual’s “needs.’
The theory includes six levels of skills ranging from unskilled to professional/managerial (considered the top-level). Then, Roe also includes eight important occupation categories that you can develop from, including arts, science, technology, and entertainment, outdoors service, management general, and cultural jobs.
