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Solving the administrative (vs) technical career path dilemma / by Richard Donald Thompson.

by Thompson, Richard Donald.

Engineers -- Vocational guidance.

Engineering -- Management

91 leaves : ill. ; 29 cm.

Introduction -- Assessing your present job, career, and self -- Appraising your character and self-image -- Finding your "life line" and "career line" -- Relating personality to career choice -- Determining your interests -- Establishing your skills and abilities -- Resolving your needs -- Conclusion: Deciding your ideal career path.

Appendices: A. Career satisfaction test (for Chapter 2) -- B. Self-impression test (for Chapter 3) -- C. Life line and career line graphs (for Chapter 4) -- D. Activities test (for Chapter 6) -- E. The occupations finder (for Chapter 6) -- F. Making a skills profile (for Chapter 7) -- G. Analyze your achievements (for Chapter 7) -- H. Evaluation of career needs (for Chapter 8) -- I. Guide to career information materials -- Addendum.

Today’s men and women should not think about a "job"; rather, their concern should center about the concept of a "career." The work career emphasizes concern for a long-range commitment to a profession which will provide self-satisfaction as well as filling the material needs of life. To this end individuals must take the responsibility to direct their own career.

To be happy and productive people must choose the career path that is best for them. Get to know yourself, then choose the profession that fits you; do not take a job then try to adapt to it. This essay presents a special way of reorganizing and interpreting information about careers for easier comprehension and practical application. It is aimed toward those who are not happy with their present position and who want to change their situation. Corrective actions for this will be indicated by the use of tests to help determine whether the problem lies with themselves, their job, or their career. On the other hand, this paper deals only with the choice between technical or administrative oriented career paths for engineers and administrators up to middle managers. It is not intended to select the field of endeavor, but it is intended to help discover who you are so the correct path of the above two choices will be taken. This career choice dilemma usually develops after ten years of work experience when the person is between 30 and 39 years of age. These are the years of development during which a person’s education and experience are merged.

If you are a practicing engineer, you probably have not done much hard thinking about your career You may believe that your career progress will essentially take care of itself or you may want to consult an expert in career planning, but never get around to doing it. The bad news about your position is that, if you don’t change it, your career will likely be set back considerably.

To appreciate the value of career planning, ask yourself how many jobs you have had. Five? Ten? Did those job changes happen to you, or did you deicide what you wanted and go after it? You will probably change jobs as many times in the future as you did in the past. The important thing is to plan the changes. The more prepared you are, and the more specific your desires are, the more likely you are to get what you want.

The basic goal of career planning is to help you reach your fullest potential in the shortest time, whether you intend to stay in your technical specialty or branch out into management. To accomplish this, a series of exercises is offered that are designed to uncover and assess your powers and limitation. This paper will help to clarify career aspirations, determine you skills and set realistic career goals.

Effective career matching suggests that a person first understand the structure of the occupational world, what is required to enter, survive, and advance in it, and how it impacts each person. Second, a person must develop an accurate, objective self-understanding including abilities, ambitions, interests, motivations, and needs, and relate these personal attributes to the characteristics essential to success in various occupations. Then, through the use of logical decision-making procedures, appropriate career choices and plans can be made and implemented.

You have an obligation to yourself to find out what is right for you. The field you are working in should challenge your abilities and spark your imagination. A job which doesn’t engage your strengths or which is more demanding of your weak points than your strong points is not likely to keep you interested for long and is a road block to career path development.

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