Blackwell Reference Online

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Although it may seem obvious, career development is about work. Specifically career development refers to how individuals manage and implement decisions related to their job/career across their lifetime. Career development is a process in which individuals evaluate aspects of the self that can help to make career-related decisions that will lead to increased job opportunities, enhance job satisfaction, and improve job performance. A significant amount of people's time and energy is devoted to working. As work is a central component of daily life and because it overlaps with so many other parts of life, psychologists believe that having a fundamental understanding of work and its role in an individual's life is essential to helping people. It is important to consider that career development is much broader than just our work and jobs; it encompasses a broad range of life roles (e.g., student, worker, partner, parent) that interact with one another in various settings (e.g., school, work, home) and events to develop one's life work over time. Equally important to note is that work includes both paid and unpaid pursuits, and that people hold varied definitions of work and the role it plays in their lives. For some individuals, work serves to define their identity and for others, work is something to do to meet the basic needs of life. Positive psychology is related to career development ... log in or subscribe to read full text