Areas of Growth

This Unit encapsulates the following aspects of student growth and development:
Stages of Career development
Career Awareness
Career Development Pathways
Goal setting Vision, mission and career mapping
Continuous learning
Objectives
By the end of the Unit, students should be able to;
 Participate actively in the planning, development and management of their chosen careers,
 Interact with academic, professional and social advisors to acquire knowledge and skills
relevant to the development of their careers,
 Network with people in their lines of career to acquire a wider and deeper understanding of
their chosen careers, and
 Utilize acquired skills in planning the progression of their careers, both during and after their
studies.
Learning Outcomes
Appreciation of the importance of a systematic and programmatic approach to developing and
managing careers from the onset,
Awareness of the depth and breadth of prospects and opportunities that studies provide for
career growth and personal development,
Passion for careers through informed knowledge of various career prospects availed by skills
and knowledge acquired through studies,
Appreciation of the wealth of knowledge and skills acquired as students interact with the real
world of work during and after academic education.

Theoretical Framework
Weare going to focus mainly on Donald Super’s theory of “Career Development” as we lay a
theoretical foundation for this Unit.

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Super posits that careers unfold over one’s life span. Super, Savickas, and Super, (1996) define a
career as the entire lifetime of a person.
According to Super, one’s career choice is determined by complex and multifaceted biological,
psychological, sociological, and cultural factors.
Super (1996) suggests that time and experience shape the way a person views their career in light
of the career goals they set for themselves.
Super further posits that every assertive person is capable of attaining positive self-concept
which influences their career choices. Students with a positive self-concept tend to exhibit the
ability to handle responsibilities, control emotions, positively influence their environment, are
willing to take risks, understand their strengths and weaknesses.
In addition, a person’s self-concept is constantly changing based on their environmental
interactions. Such interactional experiences either reinforce or destroy one’s self concept (Super,
Savickas, and Super, 1996).
According to Super, people have various abilities, personalities, and self-concepts, and are
qualified for a variety of occupations based on these and other characteristics which change with
time and experience.
Each occupation requires a characteristics pattern of abilities and personality traits. Trying
multiple career results in new growth, re-exploration and re-establishment.
Career maturity is the agreement between vocation (career) and current life stage. Negative self-
concept is related to less satisfying work choices. Work is seen as dissatisfying if it’s not an
expression of an individual’s vocational abilities, interests, and values (Bragg & Ruud, 2007).
The nature of the career pattern is determined by the individual’s parental socio-economic level,
mental ability, education, skills, personality characteristics (needs, values, interests, traits and
self-concept) and career maturity and by the opportunities to which an individual is exposed
(Super, Savickas, and Super, 1996.)
Application of Career Development Theories to Student Development and Life Skills
Super categorised career development into five stages:
1 Growth Stage: This stage starts at birth and continue through age 14. A person develops their
sense of self and attitude toward work.Super (1957) Suggests the following elements to consider
when making career choices:
Attaining prerequisite educational qualifications,
Pursue something you are passionate about,
Choose a marketable and viable career (Does the career have a future?),
Consider your personal traits-are you an extrovert (Do you like working with people?) or an
introvert (Are you a desk person?),

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 Your work style (Do you enjoy working with deadlines? Or do you thrive with little
guidance?),
Trends of the job market,
Analysing the way we view our potential (i.e abilities, physical and mental wellbeing,
personal acumen, attitudes, personal attributes),
Check how many people enroll in institutions for the same programme you have chosen?
Look for a job whose skills are transferable to another industry in case you have to change
your career,
Evaluate the potential extrinsic and intrinsic rewards associated with performance, for
example, how rewarding the career is,
Undergoing psychometric evaluation of target measures,
Career awareness of available job opportunities and the expectations,
Seeking systematic guidance from a career counselor who will encourage students to explore
the wide range of available career opportunities, and
Career counseling involves career awareness, knowledge of career patterns, preparation to
take up a given career, maturity and proper planning
Exploration Stage
This stage starts at age 15 and continues through age 25. A person tries out different career paths
through classes, hobbies and actual work.

Below, is a rough guide of some of the career paths at your disposal (N.B this is not a
comprehensive list):l
Environmental specialists
Law professionals
Public utility workers
Marketing professionals
Medical practitioners
Police and law enforcement agencies
Caregivers and social workers
Mental health workers IT professionals Data analysts
Architecture and Engineering Occupations

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 Arts, Design
Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Financial Operations
Computer and Mathematical Professionals
Construction and Extraction
Library and Information Professional
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
Food Preparation and Serving
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Office and Administrative Support
Production of protective wear
Landscaping, etc.
Establishment Stage
This stage starts at age 25 and continues through age 44.
A person develops entry-level job skills and develops work experience.
Maintenance Stage
This stage starts at 45 and continues through age 64.
A person changes elements of their career to improve their position.
Decline Stage
This stage begins at age 65.
A person reduces the amount of work they do and prepares for retirement (Super, Savickas, and
Super, 1996)

TANAKA MANHIMSELF

MARSH SUEDE

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References
Brown, D, and Brooks, L (Ed), ‘Career Choice and Development: Applying Contemporary
Theories to Practice’, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Department of Employment Services,
‘Developmental Theories’, accessed December 2008,
http://does.dc.gov.Updated 6 Dec 2019 Super, D. E. 1957. The Psychology of Careers; New
York: Harper& Row.
Super, D. E., Savickas, M. L. and Super, C. M. 1996. “The Life-span, Life-space Approach to
Careers” Pp. 121-178 in Career Choice and Development. 3rd ed.
Super, D. E. 1963. “Self-concepts in Vocational Development” Pp. 1-16 in Career Development:
Self-concept Theory, edited by D. E. Super, R. Starishevski, N. Matlin, and J. P. Jordan. New
York: College Entrance Examination Board.
Super, D. E. 1964. “A Developmental Approach to Vocational Guidance: Recent Theory and
Results.” Vocational Guidance Quarterly 13:1-10
Super, D. E. 1980. “A Life-span, Life-space Approach to Career Development.” Journal of
Vocational Behavior 16:282-298.

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