Summary
The article ‘Career Development Strivings’ by Dik, Sargent and Steger discusses what motivates individuals during the decision-making process in their career path. Career development strivings are influenced by five dimensions which include outcome expectations, self-efficacy, spiritual significance, sense of calling and materialism . Personal goals play a vital role in the functioning of individuals. The model is advantageous as it enables individuals to identify the different motives which drive them. The model is also advantageous since it is flexible, and therefore highly efficient . These strivings influence the path individuals are likely to use to achieve career development. The model does not use the common motivations which have been used by individuals to access what motivates individuals towards career development. The article implies that the subject of career development is yet to be researched thoroughly. Understanding the motives behind an individual’s career development can be used to enhance career development. These motives can be measured for every individual and those that are most significant used to enhance career development. Individuals should be able to identify their motivations and goals, as well as clearly define those which they are more confident of fulfilling.
Analysis
Career development strivings are an important tool which can be used in career development practice due to the flexibility of the tool. Goals are an important tool since they help maintain focus especially when the rewards are not instant . Effective goal setting behavior is a process which involves delayed gratification, prioritizing and personal action. Goal-oriented behavior is often used by counselors to grant their clients satisfaction. These strivings are closely linked to a person’s psychology. An individual’s personality influences the type of choices they are likely to make to manipulate future outcomes in their life . The social cognitive theory argues that during the decision-making process, three aspects interact with each other. These factors include personal outcome expectations, self-efficacy beliefs, and personal goals. According to the theory, individuals are likely to adopt goal oriented behavior which is associated with high levels of self-efficacy . The striving model makes use of multiple variables which are more likely to provide the researcher with more accurate results. The sense of calling matches one's career and one’s perceived general purpose in life. Extrinsic motivations are associated with materialism and are associated to low productivity.
The current world is in need of effective and practical career development models. The field of career development is still in need of more research. A lot of research has been conducted into the matter, but little is yet to be done to link theory in career development and practice . The industry is need of more ways through which the findings in these researches can be incorporated into the practice of career development. Practice is yet to be used to inform theory, as most research focusses on the needs that can be met by careers . Such theories should be incorporated in career development programs. The SCCT model used by Dik might prove ineffective if efficient tools to measure the variables are not used. The model also requires a lot of financial investment. For such a model to be effective in school programs, for instance, schools will need government funding to facilitate the program . The model also lacks ways through which the effectiveness of the model can be accessed. Every learning program requires an instrument which measures the success and failure of the program.
One of the barriers between practice and theory arises from the nature of the jobs carried out by both scientists and counselors. Counselors are not allowed to disclose the findings of their practice while scientists write about their research but rarely counsel on how to implement these findings . Dik offers a great amount of suggestions for career development, but the model would be more effective if suggestions on how to apply theory into practice can be incorporated into the study. The article also fails to disclose more information on career and focusses on individuals. The nature of the career is an important aspect to consider when pursuing career development. Dik correctly names personality as one of the leading determinants of motives. Personality is, however, influenced by other aspects which include race, gender, and sexuality . Minority groups such as African-Americans, women, and homosexuals are therefore expected to have different goals in career development. Career development is a recent field which is closely linked to the behavioral theory by Bandura . Dik stresses the importance of incorporating behavioral changes to enhance career development . The article provides a good insight on the various types of motivations which propel individuals towards career development but fails to incorporate theory into practice.
Suggestions for Future Research
Future research should focus on practice. A lot of research has been conducted into the theory of career development, but individuals and counselors are still unable to access the knowledge from this research. Models which will enable evaluation of the career development model should be invented. Every learning program requires an instrument to determine the success or the failure of the learning tool. Minority groups should be considered in the research since their personality differs from that of majority groups in the society.
References
Dik, B. J., Sargent, A. M., & Steger, M. F. (2008). Career Development Strivings. Journal of career development, 23-41.
Patton, W., & McMahon, M. (2014). Career Development and Systems Theory. Boston: Sense Publishers.
Prideaux, L.-A. (2002). Development of a theoretically derived school career program: An Australian endeavour. Retrieved from Griffith University: http://www98.griffith.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/handle/10072/7164/19628.pdf?sequence=1
