Career Theories. Choose one career of your choice and compare it with any TWO career theories.

Essay by hongmei May 2005

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I. INTRODUCTION

I am a 22 years old Malaysian Chinese. My hometown is Miri (Sarawak). My family consists of me, my parents, and a younger bother who is 12 years younger than me. My mother is a housewife and my father is a businessman in Brunei Darussalam. I've been working in a few places before I pursue my studies here, in Help University College. Jobs that I have done previously include cashier at Guardian Pharmacy, marketing executive at Astraway Sdn Bhd, and waitress at a Taiwanese Restaurant.

Traditionally, careers were thought to evolve within the context of one or two firms and were conceptualised to progress in linear career stages, and success was defined by the organization and measured by promotions and increases in salary (http://wdr.doleta.gov/research/rlib_doc.cfm?docn=5991). This traditional career has dominated U.S. employment because most organizational structures which were tall, multi-layered, and functionally organized structures, supported it. However, these characteristics of organizational structures have changed to become more flexible in order to respond to increased global competition and technological changes (http://wdr.doleta.gov/research/rlib_doc.cfm?docn=5991).

The common way of carrying out this change is to downsize.

As firms downsized, those who "survived" have to cope with increased job responsibilities and working hours, while traditional progression up the corporate ladder has been replaced with lateral cross-functional moves, job rotation, dual career ladders, and multiple career paths (http://www.cete.org/acve/docgen.asp?tbl=tia&ID=167). Consequently, many individuals are pursuing career paths that go beyond the boundaries of a single firm. Hence, as opposed to traditional career model, "boundaryless career" emerged. Some of the features of a boundaryless career include portable skills, knowledge, and abilities across multiple firms, personal identification with the work, on-the-job learning, and development of multiple networks and peer learning relationships (http://wdr.doleta.gov/research/rlib_doc.cfm?docn=5991). Thus, doing this paper will be able to prepare myself to focus on strategies to enhance my career...