PDAE 211

Understanding
Your Self - 01
 CONTENTS
WHAT IS A CAREER
01 Distinguish a career from similar terms

CAREER DEVELOPMENT THEORIES

Appreciate popular career development theories
02 underlying career planning and decision-making

BUILDING A CAREER PROFILE

03 Determine your strengths and know your choices, yourself, and
possible careers; make a skills summary

IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU

04 Know who you are and what you value; make a values
summary
Why do People Work?
(Group work)  Work is a means by which we sustain life;
 Work is one way by which we relate to society;
 Work provides us with status, recognition,
affiliation etc;
 Work helps an individual to develop self-esteem;
 Satisfaction derived from work is an important
determinant in a person’s total satisfaction;
 We spend most of our waking hours working
and continuously make efforts to enhance our
career satisfaction; and
 Dissatisfaction at work can spread to other
aspects of life such as relationships with friends
and family.

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Generalizations on
changes in the  Work will continue to change and will be dramatically
workplace different in the future;
 New jobs will be created and old jobs eliminated;
 Future jobs will require more technological sophistication;
 Academic skills required to be successful will intensify;
 Workers today change jobs more often;
 Today, the internet is the primary job search and
recruitment tool;
 Training and retraining will become a life requirement;
 Much of this will take place in virtual reality workplaces;

To make satisfying career choices and prepare for the world

of work, it is important to understand how work will
continue to change for us to prepare for these changes.

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01. What is a career?
Understanding your strengths and interests, as well as the world of
work, is an essential starting point when deciding on which career path
is for you.

Career CAREER JOB OCCUPATION

sequence & variety DEVELOPMENT paid position
group of similar
of occupations & requiring specific
the process of jobs found
roles (paid/unpaid) attributes/ skills to
managing life, perform tasks in in different
which one undertakes
learning and an organization, industries or
in a lifetime; includes
work over the (part-/full-time) or organizations
life roles, leisure
activities & learning lifespan. for a short/long
and work time

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Truths about career decision-making
• Career decision-making is not magic!
• No one else can make the decision for you.
• You must be actively involved in the process.
• It is never too late to start.
• There is not one ‘ideal’ occupation for you.
There may be several occupations that will give you the satisfaction you
want from work.
• In all likelihood you will have several occupations during your working lifetime
.
The career decision you are making now is not a lifetime decision.
• Think where am I going to start, not where am I going to finish my career.

Your career is a journey, not a destination!

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 CONTENTS

WHAT IS A CAREER
01 Distinguish a career from similar terms

CAREER DEVELOPMENT THEORIES

02 Appreciate popular career development theories
underlying career planning and decision-making

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Career Development
- the process by which a person’s career
identity is formed from childhood through
a lifetime.
Why study career development theories?

Career Development theories help make sense of

1
TEXT experiences.

It provides a rationalized set of assumptions or

2
TEXT hypothesis that allows us to explain the past and predict
the future.

It may provide “direction” and as theories are tested and

3
TEXT prove “true”, theories may be said to expand knowledge.

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Limitations of career development theories

1. Minorities, women, and socio-economic diversity are

underrepresented in the research (most studies are based
on middle class white males);
2. May not translate across all cultures since the studies are
based on the experience of specific cultures.

Recommendation

Career counsellors should employ a holistic approach by

drawing from a combination of theories that best suit the
personal style as well as the unique needs of their client.
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Disciplines where career development theory comes
from:

1. Differential Psychology
is interested in work and occupations;
2. Personality Psychology
views individuals as an organizer of their own
experiences;
3. Developmental Psychology
is concerned with the “life course”;
4. Sociology
focuses on occupational mobility.

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Career development theories
MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF
NEEDS THEORY
KRUMBOLT'S PLANNED
PARSON'S TRAIT AND HAPPENSTANCE
FACTOR THEORY THEORY

HOLLAND'S CAREER
TYPOLOGY THEORY

BANDURA'S SOCIAL
COGNITIVE THEORY

JUNG’S THEORY OF DURIE'S WELL-BEING

PERSONALITY TYPES SUPER'S CAREER THEORY
DEVELOPMENT THEORY

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Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs Theory Video 1: Maslow' Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Level 1 - Physiological needs: Basic needs

for survival like food, clothing, shelter.
Level 2 – Safety Needs: Work-related needs
and security of employment, property, family,
and resources.
Level 3 – Love & Belonging: Individuals
start working and discovering/developing their
career paths.
Level 4 – Esteem: Achieving career status.
Level 5 – Self-Actualization: This is where an
individual feels comfortable relying on his or
her own experiences and judgements. The
person is comfortable with him or herself, sees
problems as challenges, is creative, fair, and
accepting of others’ skills. The person also Video 2: Maslow's Theory in the work place
may have a need to fulfill inner potential.
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Parsons’ Trait and Factor Theory
Frank Parsons developed the idea of matching careers to talents,
skills and personality. He is the founder of the vocational
guidance movement and developed the talent-matching
approach (Trait and Factor Theory of Occupational Choice).

People perform best when they are in jobs best suited

to their abilities
Major assumptions:
 People may be matched to an occupation that's a good fit;
 It's possible to measure individual talents and the attributes
required in most jobs;
 Close matches are positively correlated with job success and
satisfaction.
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Parsons’ Trait and Factor Theory Online Activity 1:
What is your true color?
Occupational decision making occurs
https://lonerwolf.com/tru
when people have achieved:
 an accurate understanding of their e-colors-personality-test/
individual traits (aptitudes, interests,
personal abilities),  Many aptitude tests, such as True
 a knowledge of jobs and the labor Colors, are based on Trait and
market, and Factor Theory.
 rational and objective judgment  One challenge of this theory is that
about the relationship between it relies on the stability of the labor
their individual traits, and the labor market, individuals’ values, interests
market. over time. Individuals must be
prepared to change and adapt to
the circumstances.

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 Holland's Career Choice Theory
John Holland suggested that
"people can function and develop
best and find job satisfaction in
work environments that are
compatible with their personalities."
Video 3: Holland's Video 4: Holland's Career
Personality Types Choice Theory
His theory was based on two major
assumptions:
 People tend to choose careers that
are reflective of their personalities;
 The environment reflects their
personalities because people tend
Video 5: Holland's Theory of Career Choice to be attracted to certain jobs.

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Holland's Theory of  Career choice is not random but an expression of our
Personality Types personality/characteristics and occupational tasks.
 Individuals possess a combination of two or more of
six personality types. Occupational environments are
also a combination of these six types.
 Holland theorized that people in similar jobs have
similar personality traits.
 The highest career satisfaction comes when there is
congruence between the individual’s type and that
ACTIVITY 2: of the occupation.
Take the test and explore  Many career assessment tools are based on Holland’s
your future careers based theories.
on your personality type.  Advantage: It helps the individual get oriented to
https://www.mynextmov varied work environments.
e.org/explore/ip
 Limitation: There is no insight as to how type is
Read: Overview of Career developed or how to work with specific types.
Development Theories.pdf
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Let's pause here.