THE PORTFOLIO OF CAREER MANAGEMENT GUIDE

The portfolio of career Management Guide

The portfolio of career Management Guide

Introduction

This study concerns the general framework of personal and professional development. Professional development is the catalyst to transforming theory into current best networking practices. In order to provide effective professional development, there are many variables that must be considered by the network administrator including personal beliefs and receptivity, the organisational climate, and available local network support. Professional development, as defined by Berlew & Hall (1966), is the process of improving staff skills and competencies needed to produce outstanding results for people.

Since the 1960s, much has been written about the topic of careers in organizations, resulting in numerous definitions of the term career. Unfortunately, however, no universally accepted definition has emerged from these many years of study. Several definitions to the notion of career are presented in this chapter, each reflecting, or emphasizing, a somewhat different aspect of a total definition. Given the focus of my career goal, each definition included has as its theme a theoretical connection to the process of career development.

Four basic definitions for the term career have been advanced, each thought to contribute uniquely to a comprehensive understanding, and each generally accepted (Hall, 1976). The first of these establishes the importance of "career as advancement." More specifically, a career represents a sequence of promotions and other moves in a work-related hierarchy during the course of a person's work life. Noteworthy in this aspect of the definition is the recognition that advancement can include lateral assignment to positions of enhanced responsibility or visibility within a particular organizational setting as well as moves to either better locations or organisations.

At the heart of this aspect of a definition of career is the assumption that upward mobility occupies a central position in what constitutes career success (Hall, 1976). In short, most of us place some value on advancement. Up is good; becoming plateaued or downward movement were generally viewed with disfavor. Within the military, where assignments and reassignments are written and published as "orders," and all recognition tied to advancement (e.g., promotions, selection for training awards, command selection) are published for all members of the organization to view, career advancement can readily be measured in terms of real or potential for upward mobility. Such an emphasis is not singularly restricted to the military establishment; many large corporations regularly publish the names of individuals who have met the requirements for advancement in position.

Second, careers are also viewed as tied to a profession. Certain occupants have a built-in advancement potential, others do not (Adams, 1985b). Jobs within occupational groupings that do not generally lead to advancement or to a long-term series of related positions are frequently viewed as not constituting a career. Third, a career is frequently viewed as a lifelong sequence of jobs. All people who work acquire work histories, and thus have careers. It is particularly important to note that no value judgment is made about either the type of occupation or the direction of ...