Career Self-Efficacy Theory - Research Paper Example

Career Self-Efficacy Theory I have been working for close to 20 years, and when asked what my career is I find it difficult to give a concise answer since I have been involved in a variety of money generating activities since I was as young as 12. As a girl growing up in a middle class American suburb, one would expect that I spent my early teenage years engaged in school co-curricular activities, games and societies like most girls at that age do. While I did participate in those activities, my involvement was minimal and borne of the desire to fit in and rather than any particular fascination in them. I have always wanted to be independent and this was evident when I took my first job handing out packed lunches at cook Street Park. Naturally, this was a minor task requiring little in the way of expertise, I only made a few dollars, however to me these were very valuable since in addition to their monetary worth, they represented a sense of independence that which has remained with me throughout my career trajectory. This was a seasonal job which I only did for three years, however as I joined high school, I almost always had a job on the side and consequently I rarely asked my parents for pocket money. My interest in computer science was sparked off when I was in college since I worked part time as a cashier in a school, I realized that despite the immense capabilities of digital technology, many people tended to underuse them. I applied for an associate degree in computer studies, after I completed it I started my first real job as a computer operator at a local community college. 5 years later, the college phased out my position and I found myself at a low of my career suddenly unemployed. I however decided to take time off and start a family, it was very important to me that I was there for my family since as a child growing up my parents were rarely around and I did not wish the same on my children. A new part of my entrepreneurial careers commenced as I opened a day care center at home so I could both earn a living and also be near my children. When they finally were old enough to go to school, I resumed my IT career but I realized that I had been out for too long, and I needed to hone my skills so as to catch up, I worked part time in computer maintenance, until I got a realtors license and started a new career. I have so far managed to juggle family, education and my realtor job and am finally at a point where I am about to complete my degree; I could either look for a job in the computer sector again or use my IT skills to develop my realtor career and possible strike out on my own. From my career trajectory I can examine myself through several theoretical viewpoints that are concerned with work and career, Donald Super’s theory of life space and lifespan is particularly applicable since it describes a career trajectory in stages of occupational preferences and competencies that change as one grows (Savickas, 1997). His theory is founded on the concept of vocational maturity which can correspond to one’s chronological age since people move through a variety of stages throughout their professional life. The first stage is growth which involved the development of a self-concept as one adjusts to their needs and figures out their environment, the stage is normally from self-awareness to when one is around 14. In my case I had already decided I wanted to be independent which is why I started working at age 12. The second step is exploration between 15 and 24 where one tries out various concepts before they decide which they will settle for; this was true in my case as I worked various jobs throughout high school and college before I decided to pursue computer studies. The third step is establishment during this period one develops expertise and stabilization, for me this was curtailed by losing my job as well as having to start a family, however I was not entirely eliminated from work since I worked from home. Maintenance is the fourth stage where one adjusts to their professional environment, in my case I went back to school to refresh my computer skills, in addition I diversified into real estate and by so doing improved my career prospects and security. Finally there is the decline stage where one’s output reduces and they are need to prepare for retirement, I have however not arrived at this point yet and in many ways I am still at the top of my productivity graph both in real estate and computer. Noticeably, this theory does not effectively cover my career trajectory since it does not make allowances for radical career changes nor does it take to account the fact that one could regress by losing their job. Nevertheless, by tracking ones development through the maturity curve it effectively encompasses most elements of career and personal growth which are inextricably tied. On the other hand, the theory of work adjustment was developed by Rene Davis George England and Lloyd Lofquist in 1964, it is based on the supposition that a person’s abilities skills and attitudes are in correspondence with their ability to be effective at their job (Brown & Lent, 2004). In my case this theory can also be applicable since I have am by nature a very stoic and industrious person by nature attributes that have assisted me in making the best of my circumstances. Even when I lost my job I came up with a way capitalize on the free time to make a home for my family, in addition I managed to enter a new field and recover from my break by going back to school to refresh my skills. The downside of this theory is that it does seems to limit the understanding of one’s career path based on their personal attitudes which are subject to change over time as result of experience and circumstances. For example I was not always a stoic person, rather it was forced on me by circumstances, ergo one trying to analyses my career trajectory prior to when I lost my job may be wrongly predict that I would probably give up or retrogress. Although both theories are dedicated to the same task of analyzing career trajectories, they have several differences. The Adjustment theory relates ones work experience on their attributes as individual and therefore allows for situations where people faced with the same situations may act in radically different ways based on their specific attributes (Betz & Hackett, 2006). On the other hand, Supers theory focuses on the connection between maturity and career progression presupposing that when people are in a given stage of their life, they will likely gravitate towards similar activities and reactions based on the assumed universal maturity graph (Hartung, 2013). They are however share some attributes the most notable of which is the fact that like the adjustment theory, Supers theory albeit indirectly implies and interaction between and individual and the work environment. This is because as they grow up, they constantly have to adjust to the demands of their profession by experimenting and constantly moving to a professional environment that fits with their particular level of maturity. For example in the growth stage, they are feeling out the demands of various profession to determine if their can fit in the environment and they will only settle on the one they find the ones with which they are most compatible with (Fouad, 2007). In my case Super’s theory is the most suitable since it describes my professional and personal growth more closely than the adjustment theory since it depicts my stages from infancy retirement which I find uniquely applicable since I did indeed start off at relatively early age. Currently, I am torn between my “adopted” and my professional careers since from the onset, my career projectile appear to have taken an IT related path, however despite the fact that I am in the process of completing my degree I am unsure whether I should go back to ICT or stick to real estate. Although I have not completely made up my mind about this, my most likely intervention will be to pursue computer at a personal level, this way I can either subcontract my skills or start and IT business venture such as programing or web design which I can do from home as I concentrate on the real estate job. Alternatively, I could use my computer skills to develop my realtor career through marketing properties through websites as well as creating websites and online marketing platforms for the many people I have met in the course of my new career. At the end of the day, the one thing am certain of is that there is no such thing a wasted knowledge or skills and whichever provided the most practical and profitable option will get most attention. References Betz, N. E., & Hackett, G. (2006). Career self-efficacy theory: Back to the future. Journal of Career Assessment, 14(1), 3-11. Brown, S.D., & Lent, R. W. (Eds.). (2004). Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Fouad, N. A. (2007). Work and vocational psychology: Theory, research, and applications. Annu. Rev. Psychol., 58, 543-564. Hartung, P. J. (2013). The life-span, life-space theory of careers. Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work, 83-114. Savickas, M. L. (1997). Career Adaptability: An Integrative Construct for Life‐Span, Life‐Space Theory. The Career Development Quarterly, 45(3), 247-259. Read More