Influences of My Career Choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Influences of My Career Choice - Essay Example For one thing, having a job only means that I have an activity through which an individual can earn money. It is a regular activity in exchange of payment. It is not the same as having a career since having a career means that I would essentially be pursuing a lifelong ambition or the general course of progression towards lifelong goals. (Career vs. Job) So, I now knew that although I had a job, I may not want to be doing the same job for the rest of my life. Therefore, I needed to make plans that included developing a career plan for myself that I would follow until the day I retire. I need the career in order to give myself a sense of direction and financial motivation. By choosing a career for myself, I would finally be able to tell people that I knew what I would be doing for myself in the future. Techniques in career management Planning for my future career requires a more-or-less systematic approach, following those models and theories that management experts and practitioners have designed. While these are not hard and fast rules, they are advisory in providing a structure to how I am to plan out my career and work life. We will be using the Wheel of Life, the Greenhaus et al. Career Management Model, and Bolles’ (2008) Flower Diagram. Wheel of Life There are several conceptual tools which are helpful in defining our life goals and aspirations so that we could make a better choice among the possible career paths we could take. The diagram following provides a visual depiction of the theory. The wheel of life is made up of concentric circles showing graduated levels of each part. In applying this wheel in the course of deciding and building a career, it is important to balance our lives according to each part that makes up the wheel. I am aware that work and career, which is of such great importance to me, should also serve to balance personal growth and need for money against love life, hobbies and recreation, and of course family and friends. We must not also pursue career so intensely as to forget our health and fitness, particularly managing the stress that tends to build up at work. In my case, the overbearing influence of family, to be discussed later, has to be moderated by my desire for personal growth, earning money, and work and career. Even while growing up, due to our dire circumstances I was overly occupied with working due to our lack of money that I did not have a healthy balance between study, friends and recreation like other children. Over-emphasizing any of these aspects and neglecting the others will surely lead to my eventual frustration and unhappiness. The Greenhaus, et al. Career Management Model The following diagram depicts the Greenhaus, Callanan & Godshalk (2000) model. I find this model a good tool to use in trying to feel through what career path I choose for myself, and I believe I will continue to refer to it as a framework for gaining my bearings as I reach crucial junctures in my work life. T he model appears to be complicated, but I realize that I had been subconsciously doing the steps during my career planning. An instinctive awareness of my aspirations and capabilities and awareness of the desperation as well as opportunities in my environment have guided me to want better things and perceive a way to do them. Everytime I try out