Career Path Decisions and Sustainable Options

Abstract

Career planning has become more important than standalone job decisions in the current environment, where individuals have a wider range of choices of occupations and jobs than ever before. This paper reviews the theoretical developments in career guidance theory and recommends a holistic approach towards ‘Career Path Guidance’, incorporating psychological, sociological and developmental perspectives. An approach that considers several future steps in a career cannot be without challenges. The contextual and environmental situations along with individual characteristics are subject to change along a career path. Additionally, different stages in a career path are another variable that needs consideration to achieve a sustainable future. It has, therefore, been proposed that the career course be mapped by considering external factors, internal improvements and path-related dynamism. A multidimensional understanding of career guidance and the amount, complexity and sensitivity of the data involved mean that this approach may be better executed using computer-assisted systems that can source and logically analyze a large amount of information from several sources to produce coherent, sustainable and practical career path decisions.