Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person’s “course or progress through life (or a distinct portion of life)”. It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work (and sometimes also formal education).

A career is the sequence and variety of occupations (paid and unpaid) which one undertakes throughout a lifetime. More broadly, ‘career ‘ includes life roles, leisure activities, learning and work. (http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/career.(retrived 3rd February, 2012).

Super (1980), opines that “career is the sequence of occupations jobs and positions held during the course of life”.

From the above definitions, career can be said to be the sum total of paid and unpaid work, learning and life roles you undertake throughout your life.

Career is the totality of an individual’s learning and experiences that builds him up for the world of work. It is therefore important that students and young people are exposed to this concept so that they are able to build on it.

Ginzberg et al (1972), asserts “the adolescence period in the life of an individual has been identified as a period of career exploration, decision making and tentative choice”. Therefore this is the stage the individual needs career guidance and counseling most. Most often when students, are asked about their future profession they mention them with ease. “I want to be a teacher, doctor, nurse, police, and accountant and so on”. However, many are unable to follow through to achieve their desired careers for lack of the needed information, education, financial problem, ill-health and many others. The need for career choice is of great importance in the following ways:

Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions one will ever make. While in the past most people’s career prospects were limited by economic or social factors, today one can choose almost any career path. While looking at job growth and salary data is important, superficial factors such as prestige and income do not provide for career satisfaction in the long-term.  The most important factors in choosing a career have to do with who you are as an individual.  Carefully consider the following factors when deciding on a career path:

An appraisal of yourself is the first step towards discovering the specialty that suits you. These tools will help you understand your interests, skills and influences and how these can be useful when considering your future career. The following are the steps in assisting to assess your personality:

a.Value

Value is something that is highly regarded and held to deserve importance or worth. In knowing value one may ask; what is important to me? Think in broad terms at first. What do you value in your personal life? Is it money, prestige, big houses, big cars, expensive cloth or be accredited with a discovery? 

b. Interests

Interest is a quality of something exciting, curious or holding ones attention. In determining interest one can ask; what are the things am I passionate about in life? What do you enjoy doing most? Is it something that holds your attention? If you could have any job you wanted what would that be? What would that look like? What areas are you curious in exploring? What subjects do you enjoy most, is it Mathematics, English, Science or others. Again, are you the type that enjoy cooking, then you can build a career along that line. Are you the one exploring with machines?  Do you take delight in sports and games then you can build a career in that line.

c. Skills

Skills are the ability to do something well. Individual should however note these important factors about skills. First, people may not realize they have certain skills unless they get an opportunity to develop them. Second, if you have relatively low skills in a given area you can still develop the skills and abilities needed to perform successfully in that area. For instance people with low mechanical skills can learn to skillfully perform mechanical task. However they may have more difficulty in learning mechanical skill and concepts than they would if they have more skills. For instance one may be good in drawing therefore his/her skills are in drawing. In assessing yourself in terms of skills, you may consider the following; what are you good at? Where are your expertise, abilities, and talents? What tools are you interested in exploring? Example: computer, cooking utensils and laboratory equipment. Also, think about skills you may have gained through: past jobs, group work, hobbies, school, social activities, etc.

d. Lifestyle

The lifestyle is the way in which one lives. Individual’s lifestyle may be determined by asking; what kind of lifestyle do you want to have? Where do I want to live? How do I want to live? What kind of house and car would you like to own? What size of family do you envision having? How will you support this kind of lifestyle?

e. Realities

Realities are the state of things as they actually exist. Upon knowing your values, interest, skills, and lifestyles the next important consideration is realities. For instance if it is the force work that you want the realities are that are you tall and physically fit for the work?

Career exploration is the process of examining, inquiring into and discussing in details an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person’s life usually with opportunities for progress. Career exploration is about knowing where to look and what to look for. After obtaining information about yourself, you can begin exploring major options and potential career options.

a. The use of career path guide

Career path guide is your personalized guide to exploring many of the most popular career options and discovering the pathways that lead to those options. Whether you are currently a Senior High School, College or University Student and an adult learner considering a new path, you will have an opportunity to learn about:

b. Use people as a resource.

Another important way of acquiring career information is to obtain and review information from experts. Such experts include career counselors, professors, co-workers, friends, neighbors, relatives, and even employers. They may be able to tell you about different job opportunities, skills needed to perform the job, or simply provide additional resources.

c. Online resources

More so, in exploring career there is the need to use various online services in other words the mass media. These include community, national and international radio and television as well as internet, newspapers, magazines, comic books, cinema, company brochures, public libraries or other situations where a large number of people can be reached with information without personal contact.

d. Job Shadow, Volunteer and Informational Interviews

Job shadowing is a career exploration activity that offers an opportunity to spend time with a professional currently working in a person’s career field of interest. Job shadowing offers a chance to see what it’s actually like working in a specific job. Not only do job shadowers get to observe the day-to-day activities of someone in the current workforce, they also get a chance to have their questions answered. A couple of ways to get important information and get familiar with a particular type of major/work that you are considering is to do some shadowing to get a firsthand experience.

Volunteer work : To volunteer means simply, to be motivated and give one’s time or energies to work towards a project or cause that you are interested in. Voluntary work falls mainly in three broad categories: (a) long term, paid positions; (b) short, medium and long term, unpaid positions; and (c) short term expeditionary conservation projects where volunteers are self-funding, which are described in further detail below. In the particular area and or position you are interested in will allow you to not only network but to get an in depth look at the job of choice.

Informational Interviews: Informational Interviews are extremely helpful in a number of things. Practicing your skills, creating a career network, discovering employment opportunities, and gaining insight as to what individuals who are currently in the field of interest like, dislike, recommend, say related to the corporate culture, and describe nature of job to be.

e. Knowledge of the job market

This explains the availability of careers, the requisite qualification and skills needed for a regular employment. It further explains the skills that are in high demand by employers. For instance, as Ghana has found oil the demand for personnel with knowledge in oil exploration are in high demand. Information and Communication Technology (I.C.T) aspects are also in high demand since the world is gradually turning into a global village. With this individuals must consider the available job opportunity on the market before determining the career path to embark upon.

Decision making is a conclusion or resolution reached after consideration of producing something. Once you have developed a good understanding of yourself and your career options, you are in a great place to start making decisions. The following will assist in making career decision:

a. Analyze your goal.

Goal is the aim, desired result or the destination of a journey. In analyzing the goal you have to consider what will come out of your decision, knowing this can help you better define your goals in life.

b.  Analyze & Identify roadblocks and obstacles

In making career decision it is prudent to analyze and identify roadblocks and obstacles that may be keeping you from obtaining your goal. Such obstacles may include health, finance, and educational qualification among others.

i. Generate possible solutions.

Brainstorm and be creative as you look at your options and the possibilities of your options.

ii. Explore each solution. Create a “what if” plan for each solution you are considering. Consider all the potential consequences both positive and negative of each solution.

iii. Implement one of your solutions. The solutions are implemented in a hieratical manner to determine the one which best suits you.

iv. Evaluation. Take time to reflect on your action steps and evaluate both successes and failures.

Upon self-assessment, exploring the career, determining the job market, a decision is made for which a plan is implemented. Therefore plan implementation is a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something in performing an obligation or a task.

Career maintenance is the process of supporting, keeping and sustaining a career. These processes include how regular and punctual you are to your job, your commitment exhibiting a high sense of hard working, being obedience to rules and regulations of the job or career, ability to meet deadlines and many more.