Transcript What can the curriculum do for careers?

Undergraduates’ pursuit
and understanding of
career: Perspectives on
career theory and
challenges for career
practice
Maura O’Regan June 26th
2008
Business School
(Management)
© University
of Reading
www.reading.ac.uk/ccms
Research aim
To investigate how undergraduate students conceptualise and
contextualise their career by exploring the factors which influence
their career preferences and the role they, others and the
environment play in their career development
Research strategy
QUALITATIVE
& INTERPRETIVE
Three Phases
Volunteers =
30
Second year
undergraduate
s
PRACTICAL APPROACH
Formal
Interviews
&
Diary entries
14 History
(single or
combined)
16 Economics
(modules)
15 Male
15 Female
Informa
l
Conversatio
ns
&
Email
What career theory is not telling…
Coping with change?
Emotion
‘purpose and
passion’ Kidd (1998)
Enthusiasm and
apprehension,
Personal and parental
expectations,
Affective factors
Law (2005)
Success of transition?
Relationships, illness,
bereavement, pregnancy,
accommodation issues,
academic achievement,
stress, anxiety,
depression,
Routines & turning
points
Hodkinson & Sparkes (1997)
Iterative and
idiosyncratic
Mignot (2004)
A theory of career pursuit
Emerging patterns and differing
student orientations to career
- who are content living the
university life
- who are anxious and quite stressed
- who are inclined to procrastinate
- who pursue every opportunity
Young people in transition
I
S
T
U
D
E
N
T
D
E
N
T
I
T
Y
Who I am
Who I want to be
Fugate, Kinichi & Ashforth
(2004)
C
A
R
E
E
R
Motivation and career pursuit
Career motivation
(London & Mone, 1987)
Identity
How central
career is to
the
individual’s
personal
identity, how
you define
yourself by
work
Insight
Realistic
career
expectations,
strengths
and
weakness,
goal setting
Resilience
Ability to adapt to
changing circumstance,
cope with different
work situations –
demonstrate initiative,
maintain performance
levels despite pressure
or lack of support
Orientations to career pursuit: 1
Career Rationalists
Value their education
Enjoy their university experience
I just don’t think it is
important enough
for me to start
worrying about
what I want to do.
I’d rather focus on
other stuff that I
think is more
important like- em like studying
Likely to postpone career decisions
Have established an undergraduate student identity
Set a high priority on what they are gaining from
university
Orientations to career pursuit: 2
Deliberators
Did not make a smooth transition to university
Found it difficult to make friends and fit in
Reflect on their current situation constantly
Likely to worry about being successful on their
course
Find new situations difficult
Worry that they are not doing anything about
their career
..but I’m so
worried about
my studies
and that’s
what concerns
me most at the
moment…
Orientations to career pursuit: 3
Career Hesitators
Reasonably confident and enjoy university
Know what they need to do to realise their
career aspirations
Take responsibility for their procrastination
Can appear motivated but admit they are ‘lazy’
Easily distracted
I won’t do anything until
there is a deadline I
have to reach and I
won’t take action until
the deadline is closing
in…
Orientations to career pursuit: 4
Career Activists
Have adapted well to university
Consciously make career related choices
Actively seek opportunities to realise their career
aspirations
Are likely to be persistent and tenacious
…a benchmark. It gets you more
money…
A stepping stone from school to a
job.
NOW
HESITATORS
CAREER
ACTIVISTS
THEN
CAREER
RELEVANCE
HIGH
FOCUS
CAREER
RATIONALISTS
DELIBERATORS
LOW
What you want, may not be what I
want…
Career Activists (14)
Career Hesitators (10)
(12) Progression and
promotion
(8) Promotion/progression
(12) Financial security
(6) People/social/team
work
(12) Work – life balance
(4) Variety
(8) Training
(4) Enjoyment
(6) Success and achievement
(3) Job satisfaction
(6) Team work, social
opportunities
(7) Enjoyment
What you want, may not be what I
want…
Career Rationalists (3)
Deliberators (3)
(2) Promotion/progression
(2) To make a difference
(2) People/social/team work
(2) Rewarding and
interesting
(1) Enjoyable and
challenging
(1) Financial security
(1) Work-life balance
(1) Success and achievement
(1) Use skills
(1) Variety
(1) Variety
Implications:
Practical
Delivery ‘One size does not fit all…’
Careers Service
Guidance…?
Target Career Activists at the expense of other
students?
Events too Business (finance) or Law orientated
CMS
optional…?
Creative, challenging, embedding,
Deliberators (too anxious),
Career Rationalists (unconcerned about future),
Career Activists (‘nothing new’ not challenging
enough)
Career Hesitators (need to be pushed and motivated)
PDP
Neither personal nor useful – tick box exercise if
Implications:
Practical
Policy
‘One size does not fit all…’
Employability
or experience?
Can employability be learnt? taught?
Not all Players or Purists (Brown & Hesketh, 2004)
Makes assumptions about student priorities
Increases anxiety and compounds extremes – success
and failure
Widening participation
Change in student population different expectations?
Successful transitions? Prepared to cope with
uncertainty and instability?
Increased / reduced numbers of Career Hesitators,
Deliberators, Career Activists, Career Rationalists?
Implications:
Theoretical
Career theory
- Highlights the limitations of existing career theory
- Need to resist the theoretical orientation that
progression is linear, job choice a form of matching
- Confirms the idiosyncratic and iterative nature of
career
- More research into affective factors required
Research design
- Ethical concerns about research ‘with’ people rather
than on people
- Mixed methods approaches
- Need for synchronic and diachronic approaches to
career
Thank you
[email protected]
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