Issues in Career Development

Career development is by and large accepted as something to be learned throughout one's lifetime. Career development consists of both "career planning, which is the deliberate process of becoming aware of self, opportunities, constraints, choices and consequences and identifying goals [as well as] career management, which is the ongoing process of preparing and implementing career plans" (Werner et al., 2012). With the vast amount of information regarding career development, it would stand to reason that individuals would be able to progress and do more in their respective careers. However, there is a myriad of challenges that face both men and women in today's working world.

The issues that are generally discussed are those facing minorities and women. In the area of gender, men make more money than women within their chosen profession and do the same type of work. "Statistics show that once women make it through the door of their chosen professions, they linger at the lower echelons" (Johnson-Bailey and Tisdell, 1998) suggesting that much of the dynamic is based solely on inequality. The "American society professes to judge individuals solely on merit, yet the idea of meritocracy is a myth," (Johnson-Bailey and Tisdell, 1998) given the remarkable amount of women who put in the same commitment and dedication in their careers as their male counterparts but are not adequately rewarded as such. Studies also show that women can impede their own career development.

Minorities face similar circumstances in the realm of career development. McCollum (1998) specifically identified the social dilemmas of African Americans who face problems in getting ahead in what they study in college and graduate school when compared to their white counterparts. Issues related to "poor career planning, narrowly focused career aspirations and low expectations of achiev[ement]" (McCollum, 1998) were noted as issues. The question becomes how can the gap be bridged in order for the issues to be minimized? 

There appears to be a rise in the types of quality programs and offerings available to both women and unrepresented minorities as it relates to proper career development. This suggests that the general business world has identified the problems inherent within and has enacted ways of solving them. Moreover, it is likely that with proper career development, many of the issues can be gotten rid of altogether or at a minimum curtailed significantly. 

References

Johnson-Bailey, J., & Tisdell, E. J. (1998, Winter). Diversity Issues in Women’s Career Development. New Directions For Adult and Continuing Education, 80, 83-93.

McCollum, V. J. (1998, Fall). Career Development Issues and Strategies for Counseling African Americans. Journal of Career Development, 25(1), 41-51.

Werner, J. M. & DeSimone, R. L. (2012). Human resource development (6th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning.