Career Development

Career Development Issues

A vocational psychologist studies many important issues that people might encounter in their career development process. Often these same issues are what prompt an individual to seek the assistance of a psychologist or career counselor. These issues include career transitions (i.e., school to work, midlife changes, and work to retirement), work and well-being, job satisfaction, career advancement, career coping strategies, networking, work motivation, and stress and burnout. Motivation and stress are two of the most common issues of importance to the career development process.

Motivation to work varies from person to person. For many people, work is more than earning a wage. Most individuals share the basic human need for self-fulfillment through meaningful work. Choosing a particular career may fulfill other needs, such as status, security, or satisfaction. The type of tasks required for a particular occupation, the working conditions (both physical and interpersonal), and the working hours required (e.g., shift work) may also influence motivation to work.

The work environment and the demands of work have the potential to be stressors that may interact with stressors outside work (e.g., family stressors). These stressors, as frequently cited in the literature, include poor physical working conditions (e.g. excess heat), work overload or underload, home and work pressures, job dissatisfaction, shift work, and poor relationships with colleagues or management. Stressors may also stem from the person. For example, a Type A personality is characterized by excessive competitiveness and ambition, which may cause the person to experience greater occupational stress. Stress overload may result in burnout, which is the depletion of physical and mental resources that results in nonproductive behavior, job dissatisfaction, boredom, accidents, or interpersonal conflicts.

Telephone Operator Career

Telephone operators help people using phone company services, as well as other telephone operators, to place calls and to make connections. There are approximately 213,000 switchboard operators, 29,000 telephone operators, and 4,200 other communications equipment operators employed in the United States. History of Telephone Operator Career In the years since Alexander Graham Bell was granted […]

Veterinary Technician Career

Veterinary technicians provide support and assistance to veterinarians. They work in a variety of environments, including zoos, animal hospitals, clinics, private practices, kennels, and laboratories. Their work may involve large or small animals or both. Although most veterinary technicians work with domestic animals, some professional settings may require treating exotic or endangered species. There are […]

Physician Assistant Career

Physician assistants (PAs) practice medicine under the supervision of licensed doctors of medicine or osteopathy, providing various health care services to patients. Much of the work they do was formerly limited to physicians. There are approximately 59,000 physician assistants employed in the United States. Physician Assistant Career History Physician assistants are fairly recent additions to […]

Senior Care Pharmacist Career

Pharmacists are health care professionals responsible for the dispensation of prescription and nonprescription medications. They may advise physicians, nurses, or other health care professionals on the use of medications, and they also give patients instructions for taking and storing medicines. Senior care pharmacists have expert knowledge regarding the medical conditions of the elderly and the […]

Quality Control Engineer and Technician Career

Quality control engineers plan and direct procedures and activities that will ensure the quality of materials and goods. They select the best techniques for a specific process or method, determine the level of quality needed, and take the necessary action to maintain or improve quality performance. Quality control technicians assist quality control engineers in devising […]

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Career Development Issues

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