Career Development for Meaningful Life Work
by Susan Imel
ERIC
Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education, 2002
Career
Development for Meaningful Life Work
Job
Satisfaction and Career Happiness
Developments
in Career Development Theory
This above all, to thine own self be true.
(Shakespeare)
I think there is a "sweet spot" that each of us has...It's the
kind of work we want to perform, the kind of work that makes us
proud. But finding that sweet spot requires deep self-knowledge.
You start by looking at the work you are drawn to. You try it,
you evaluate the experience, and you evolve as you discover more
about it. I think of this process as developmental
self-interrogation. You're working on a mental model of yourself-
-always. (Larry Smith, quoted in Warshaw 1998)
The attacks of
"What am I doing with my life?" (Cannon 2002, p. 44) and "Am I
really living the way that I want to live?" (Boyatzis, McKee, and
Goleman 2002, p. 87). Some individuals have responded by changing
to careers that have more meaning for them; for example, one
woman left a secure job in manufacturing to help homeless women
in the
shocking events of that day caused many individuals to stop and
take stock of their careers, others have been quietly seeking
more satisfying and meaningful work lives for a number of years.
An article titled, "Boomers Trade Security for Freedom,"
published in the St. Louis
Post-Dispatch on
example, began with the statement "many baby boomers, unfulfilled
by corporate jobs at which they've worked for years, are deciding
to give up the great pay and benefits to do what they want to do"
(Hudson 2001, p. 8). These examples support emerging perspectives
that view work as an expression of meaning. Many individuals are
no longer satisfied with working for a living but instead want to
work at living (Boyatzis, McKee, and Goleman 2002). Career
development theory and practices that foster the development of
meaning in work are reviewed in this Digest.
The Work-Meaning Connection
Several years ago, a Wall Street Journal/ABC News poll reported
that nearly 50% of all those
working in the
choose a new type of work if they had the chance (Warshaw 1998).
Why do so many people feel dissatisfied with their work? The
answer is complex and multifaceted. We live in an age where work
has become "more personal than ever--when who you are is what you
do--a deeper source of personal satisfaction than ever" (ibid.,
online, n.p.). Many are reexamining their careers in light of the
growing realization that work should be more than a job. Instead
of listening to internal signals, many individuals make choices
about work and careers on the basis of external criteria such as
income potential, status, and the opinions of others. Although
they may achieve success in these careers, they may be unhappy
and dissatisfied because their work is not aligned with who they
are--their "core self" (Clark 1999-2000). Others may select
careers based on their aptitudes--things they are good at
doing-but just like external criteria these aptitudes may not
reflect their "deep interests," that is, the things that really
make them happy (Webber 1998).
According to Timothy Butler and James Waldroop, examining the
terminology used to describe work can help unravel some of the
questions about choosing work that is meaningful. Although the
term "career" is used most frequently, the term "vocation" is
more profound because it has to do with doing work that makes a
difference and that has meaning. The Latin word vocare, which
means "to call," is the root of the word vocation. A vocation is
a calling that one has to listen for. It is not immediately
recognizable and one has to be attuned to the message for it to
be heard (Webber 1998). Finding meaningful work, therefore,
involves listening for those internal signals that signify "deep
interests" and then allowing the interests to lead to work that
is aligned with a "core self."
Job Satisfaction and Career Happiness
Traditional vocational or career guidance grew out of the needs
of the modern industrial era and focused on measuring individual
differences or traits and then using this information to match
people to occupations. Part of this tradition was measuring job
satisfaction through a positive evaluation of individuals'
attitudes toward their jobs. Career satisfaction measures
concentrated on correlating external job factors with global
measures of satisfaction (Henderson 1999-2000; Savickas 2000).
Job satisfaction also depended on an individual's ability to
recognize and follow his or her interests (Henderson 2000).
According to
began suggesting deeper meaning in work...these traditional
studies and assessment techniques began to have an empty ring"
for both individuals and career development professionals (p. 6).
In response to the need to address the evolving concept of
meaningful work, a new construct known as career happiness has
emerged (Henderson 1999-2000,
2000). As defined by
(ibid.) and a number of colleagues (see the Winter 1999-2000
issue of Career Planning and Adult Development Journal), career
happiness results when individuals find or develop careers that
allow them to express their core identities and values, that tap
into their true essence. According to
"Career happiness appears to have emerged more from philosophy,
mythology, and psychology, than from the existing job
satisfaction literature" (p. 6). Theories underlying the
construct include the following
(adapted from
1999-2000, p. 6):
Concept of true self and its potential (Maslow
and
Kiekergaard)
Concepts of innate self and potentiality related
to
processes for psychological healing (Jung and Carl Rogers)
Mythological processes for self-discovery and
self-expression in career and life stage development that
honor life journeys of profound purpose and meaning (Joseph
Concept of serendipity that enable individuals
to take
advantage of unexpected or chance events (Bandura)
Optimal experience as critical determinants of
personal
happiness (Csikszentmihalyi)
Career happiness is connected to human development and is
influenced by developmental processes (Harris 1999-2000). Career
happiness may result "when career activities, challenges, and
environments support, gently challenge, and resonate with
fundamental developmental tasks," but as an individual grows and
changes, activities that once resulted in career happiness may
not continue to be meaningful (ibid., p. 28).
A study (Henderson 2000) of eight people who experienced career
happiness revealed that the participants had the following
personality traits: a positive sense of self, self-determination,
energy, strength of character, positive and productive
relationships with others, and a positive relationship to the
world. Work environments contributed to their career happiness by
providing freedom and autonomy, challenges, a positive social
atmosphere, and the opportunity to make personally meaningful
contributions.
Developments in Career Development Theory
A number of recent developments in career development theory
support the concept of meaningful work:
Constructivism. The search for meaningful work is connected
to constructivism with its emphasis on deriving meaning from
experience. As a part of their career development,
individuals can construct careers that are personally
meaningful and self-managed. To have meaningful careers,
individuals will need to reflect on their experiences and
make the changes necessary to keep their careers aligned
with their values and interests (Patton 2000; Savickas
2000).
Career adaptability. Career adaptability emphasizes making
career changes without great difficulty to fit new or
changing circumstances. It involves both an ability to cope
with the predictable tasks of career development such as
preparing for and finding a job as well as a future
orientation that allows individuals to improve the match
between their internal job description and the external
world on a continuing basis (Plimmer et al. 1999-2000;
Savickas 1997). It "involves planful attitudes, self- and
environmental exploration, and informed decision making,"
(Savickas 1997, p. 254).
Planned happenstance. Planned happenstance is a theory that
helps individuals develop skills to recognize, create, and
use chance in career development. Closely related to both
constructivist notions of career development and career
adaptability, it requires individuals to exercise curiosity
to explore new learning opportunities, to persist despite
setbacks, to meet changing attitudes and circumstances with
flexibility, to optimistically view new opportunities as
possible and attainable, and to take risks by being
proactive in the face of uncertain outcomes (Mitchell,
Levin, and Krumboltz 1999).
Connecting spirit and work. The idea that work has a
dimension that is spiritual or carries with it a sense of
harmony is connected to meaningful work (Bloch 1999-2000).
When individuals connect what they really like to do with
what they do for pay and when they are absorbed in that
work, they have achieved a connection between their spirit
and their work. Career development plays a role in this
process by helping individuals discover their needs,
interests, and values and understand the nature of work and
occupations, and then by assisting in bringing the two areas
together. Meaning lies in how the two areas are merged.
(Bloch 1997). Bloch (1997) suggests the practice of
intentionality--a process of using the mind to influence
events outside one's self--as a way of creating career
changes that will lead to more meaningful work.
Conclusion
Achieving meaningful life work is a process that involves
aligning one's work with one's true essence or core self. It is
an ongoing process that involves self-reflection to discover the
deep passions within and then exploring how to bring those
passions or interests to bear in
meaningful ways in work (
1999-2000). Career development theories such as constructivism,
adaptability, and planned happenstance support the development of
careers that are purposeful and meaningful. As described in the
literature reviewed for this Digest, career development for
meaningful life work has a middle-class orientation. The concepts
discussed do not address gender, class, or race, and they are
also reflect Western culture in their emphasis on the individual.
References
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News & World
Report,
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(
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<http://www.fastcompany.com/online/13/hbrplus.html>
This
project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds
from the
CO-0013. The content of this publication does not necessarily
reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education
nor
does mention of trade names, commercial products, or
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be freely reproduced and are available at
http://ericacve.org/digests.asp.
Judy
Wagner / wagner.6@osu.edu /
ericacve.org/
ERIC
Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education
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