Career Challenges Research Articles

Who Says Female Civil Engineers Cannot be happy and Stay in a Gendered Profession?

We have limited knowledge of the factors involved in retaining women construction engineers in their organization and profession. This study aims to understand the career challenges and satisfactio...

How being in learning mode may enable a sustainable career across the lifespan

A sustainable career is one in which individuals enjoy at least a moderate degree of productivity, health, and happiness across their lifespan. To elucidate what people might need to learn to enhance their career sustainability, we depict a wide range of typical career- and home-realm challenges. Being in learning mode is proposed as a self-regulatory meta-competency that shapes self-directed learning regarding how to tackle sustainable career challenges. People are in learning mode when they hold a growth mindset as they cycle through relevant approach, action, and reflection experiential learning processes. Given the relative stability yet plasticity of mindsets, we offer a dual-process model of mindsets that highlights how people may be nudged in and out of learning mode, both momentarily and over longer time frames. We outline implications for sustainable careers and mindsets theory and research, as well as practical implications for organizations, management education, vocational counseling and peer coaching, and those striving to forge a more sustainable career.

How and when environmental regulation induces middle managers’ proactive behavior

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how middle managers respond to the career challenges caused by environmental regulation. In particular, this paper examines whether environmental regulation strength is positively related to middle managers’ openness toward change, and whether middle managers’ openness toward change is positively related to proactive behavior. Furthermore, the moderating role of top managers’ bottom-line mentality in these two relationships is examined.Design/methodology/approachCross-sectional survey research (n=155) was conducted. During a training program, data were collected from 155 middle managers from a listed company that manufactures primary products. With these data the authors examined the main relationship and also explored the moderating effect of top managers’ bottom-line mentality.FindingsAnalysis of the findings indicates that perceived environmental regulation strength influences middle managers’ openness toward change and consequently their proactive behavior. In addition, top managers’ bottom-line mentality moderates both the link between environmental regulation strength and openness toward change and the link between openness toward change and proactive behavior.Originality/valueThe findings of this study reveal how environmental regulation induces middle managers’ proactive behavior, and the influence of top managers’ mentality on how middle managers respond to environmental regulation both cognitively and behaviorally.

A life design-related career development intervention for working adults in the manufacturing, engineering and related sectors

This study examined the potential usefulness of a life design-related career development intervention to enhance the career adaptability of working adults in a business sector most likely to be disrupted by technology and robotics. Participants were employed at a manufacturing workshop in a South African correctional centre. A mixed-methods intervention study design was implemented. The participants completed a number of career-based assessments during the intervention. The results indicated that the participants were well prepared to face the career challenges presented by Industry 4.0 and that the intervention shows promise in improving career adaptability in working adults. More longitudinal research with diverse participants is needed.

Reflections on Being a Successful Academic Researcher

Research is central to the life of the career academic. However, the framework in which academic research is conducted is not generally well understood and neither is it often articulated or discussed. The literature tends to rather focus on issues in relation to specific research methodologies and the evaluation thereof. Additionally, previous research argues that it is common for university academics to have little or no formal preparation for their role as teachers. This paper posits that the same applies to that of the academic’s role as a researcher. It cannot be assumed that the mere obtaining of a Doctoral degree, prepares the novice academic for a research career. Early career academics are expected to acquire an understanding of how to survive as a researcher through a process more related to osmosis than to the principles of academic discourse. This paper commences with an overview of the origins of the academic career and the doctoral degree. Thereafter, it introspects the requirements to be a successful academic researcher. Aspects of the academic researcher’s agency in relation to personal values, characteristics, integrity, research uptake skills, as well as the benefits and challenges of a research career are explored. By unpacking the salient elements of what is required to be a successful academic researcher, this paper provides a basis for those who are considering a career in academe to make an assessment if such a pursuit is feasible. In addition, the paper provides a yardstick by which early or even mid‑career academic researchers may judge their progress towards being a successful researcher, thereby identifying areas for improvement.

Clinical Data Analysis: A Challenging Career Option to Clinical Pharmacy Students

Clinical Data Analysis: A Challenging Career Option to Clinical Pharmacy Students

Career challenges at Media Inc.

Learning outcomes The learning objectives to be drawn from the case are as follows: to explore the violation of the psychological contract; to understand the notion of the boundaryless career; to assess the advantages and disadvantages of leaving an employer; to explore the factors to be considered when contemplating a career move; and to identify career management strategies in the digital age. Case overview/synopsis Management practices at Media Inc. have resulted in a growing sense of dissatisfaction for Palesa Khume who had been hired to head up the management team of a new glossy women’s magazine, Mirror Me. This project was exciting and exhilarating for Khume. The shifting of agreed-upon objectives causes increased stress to Media Inc. employees and comes to a head with the reneging of the agreed-upon year-end bonus to Khume. She is now faced with the decision whether she should stay or leave the organisation. Complexity academic level Postgraduate Business students, especially MBA students. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 6: Human Resource Management

‘Neither male or female, just Falete’: Resistance and queerness on Spanish TV screens

Spanish copla singer Falete is best known for his frequent presence on TV shows, which receive record ratings, and also for the jokes made regarding his appearance. Confronted with normative questions regarding gender and sexuality, Falete’s successful TV career challenges not only binary conceptions of gender but also how we think about TV spectatorship. We argue that liminal spaces, such as the one that Falete inhabits on TV, are useful for unveiling how audiences develop plural and complex forms of identifying with TV stars. Watching Falete on TV, therefore, challenges theories of gender that reify processes of identity formation and identification. In this article, we highlight Falete’s engagement with queer strategies of resistance, such as humour, reappropriation and hypervisibility to resist society’s impulse to name and fix normative identities, but also to gain the audience’s attention and sympathy.

Gender perspective on career challenges experienced by African scientists

Empirical knowledge of the career challenges that confront African scientists, and women scientists in particular, holds an important key to achieving future success in the science systems of the continent. In this article, we address a lack of evidence generally on the careers of scientists in Africa, by providing the first continent-wide description of the challenges they face, and how these challenges differ between women and men. Our analysis of questionnaire-survey data on approximately 5000 African scientists from 30 countries shows that women are not more challenged than men by a variety of career-related issues, with the exception of balancing work and family, which the majority of women, regardless of age and region, experience. Contrary to expectations, women are not only less likely than men to report a lack of funding as having impacted negatively on their careers, but have been more successful at raising research funding in the health sciences, social sciences and humanities. These results, as well as those from a comparison of women according to age and region, are linked to existing scholarship, which leads us to recommend priorities for future interventions aimed at effectively ensuring the equal and productive participation of women in the science systems of Africa. These priorities are addressing women’s work–family role conflict; job security among younger women scientists; and women in North African and Western African countries.
 Significance:
 
 This study is the first to describe, on a multinational scale, the career challenges that confront African scientists, and women scientists in particular.
 Contrary to expectations, we found that African women scientists do not report experiencing career challenges to a larger extent than men do, and have been more successful at raising research funding in three of the six major scientific fields.
 However, the findings highlight the significance of the challenge that balancing work and family poses to the majority of African women scientists.

TREINADORES DE BASQUETEBOL: OS DESAFIOS DA PRÁTICA NO AMBIENTE DE FORMAÇÃO ESPORTIVA

O treinador possui papel central na formação de jovens no esporte. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar os desafios de prática enfrentados por treinadores no basquetebol. Participaram 11 treinadores de Santa Catarina - Brasil. Foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas e analisadas por meio da análise temática. Os treinadores descreveram três temas gerais subdivididos em sete categorias: Desafios para Gerir a Prática – falta de recursos financeiros, gestão do esporte, falta de tempo; Desafios da Carreira – futuro da profissão de treinador, oportunidades de trabalho; Desafios com os Atletas – motivação dos jovens da nova geração, formação cidadã. A falta de recursos e uma gestão profissionalizada do esporte dificultam o trabalho de treinadores que precisam se preocupar com a documentação dos atletas, prestação de contas, entre outras funções ao invés de focar nos treinamentos, o que parece gerar um impacto na qualidade da formação em longo prazo dos atletas. Outro grande desafio apontado pelos treinadores foi a dificuldade sobre a carreira como treinador de formação, sem ter um futuro claro e garantias de oportunidades para se tornar treinador de equipes profissionais. Por fim, os treinadores comentam sobre as barreiras para motivar os novos atletas para a prática e aliar a preparação esportiva com a formação cidadã, sendo o esporte uma importante ferramenta para o desenvolvimento positivo dos jovens da nova geração. Assim, os treinadores parecem ter os recursos mínimos disponíveis e precisam assumir diversos papéis para manter a qualidade de formação de jovens no esporte, o que parece gerar instabilidade, insegurança e incerteza na profissão. The coach has a central role in training young people in sports. The aim of this study was to understand the practice challenges faced by basketball coaches. Eleven coaches from Santa Catarina - Brazil participated. Semi-structured interviews were carried out and analyzed through thematic analysis. The coaches described three general themes subdivided into seven categories: Challenges for Managing Practice - lack of financial resources, sports management, lack of time; Career Challenges - future of the coaching profession, job opportunities; Challenges with Athletes - motivation of young people of the new generation, citizen training. The lack of resources and a professional management of the sport make it difficult for coaches who need to worry about the documentation of athletes, accountability, among other functions instead of focusing on training, which seems to have an impact on the quality of training in sports of athletes. Another major challenge pointed out by the coaches was the difficulty over the coaching career, without having a clear future and guarantees of opportunities to become coach of professional teams. Finally, coaches’ comment on the barriers to motivate new athletes to practice and combine sports preparation with citizen training, and sport is an important tool for the positive development of young people of the new generation. Thus, coaches seem to have the minimum resources available and need to take on several roles to maintain the quality of youth training in the sport, which seems to generate instability, insecurity and incertitude in the profession.

Humanities PhD Graduates: Desperately Seeking Careers?

National and international statistics show that across disciplines there are many more PhD graduates than academic positions. In fact, more than half of graduates find their careers outside the academy—though the kinds of positions they accept, their work satisfaction, and the relevance of their PhDs is much less clear. As regards scholarly studies on post-PhD careers, most have examined social scientists and scientists with little attention to humanities doctoral graduates. This study addresses this gap by exploring the career experiences of Canadian PhD humanities graduates through descriptive statistics and narrative analysis. Specifically, it highlights the PhD experiences and post-graduation career trajectories of 212 Canadian humanists from 24 universities who graduated between 2004 and 2014. The study offers insight into humanities career challenges, including during the PhD, the range of non-academic careers that humanists find, as well as their work satisfaction and the perceived relevance of the PhD.National and international statistics show that across disciplines there are many more PhD graduates than academic positions. In fact, more than half of graduates find their careers outside the academy—though the kinds of positions they accept, their work satisfaction, and the relevance of their PhDs is much less clear. As regards scholarly studies on post-PhD careers, most have examined social scientists and scientists with little attention to humanities doctoral graduates. This study addresses this gap by exploring the career experiences of Canadian PhD humanities graduates through descriptive statistics and narrative analysis. Specifically, it highlights the PhD experiences and post-graduation career trajectories of 212 Canadian humanists from 24 universities who graduated between 2004 and 2014. The study offers insight into humanities career challenges, including during the PhD, the range of non-academic careers that humanists find, as well as their work satisfaction and the perceived relevance of the PhD.

Incorporating Career Exploration Into an Introductory Organizational Behavior Course

Although undergraduate students value preparing themselves for careers that have personal meaning, relatively little curricular attention has been paid to facilitating this goal. In this article, we present a targeted review of the literature on career exploration as a basis for an approach to integrate it into the core undergraduate organizational behavior course offered at most business schools. The approach consists of four components, each consisting of activities that provide opportunities for career exploration. The goal of this approach is to develop a higher level of career adaptability in students, improving their ability to manage career changes and challenges.

Facets of Career Development in a New Immigrant Destination: Exploring the Associations Among School Climate, Belief in Self, School Engagement, and Academic Achievement

With contemporary career challenges facing Latino/a youth, particularly those from immigrant communities, counselors and career development professionals may find it challenging to provide effective career services for this unique population. Students from one middle school and one high school located in a new immigrant destination were surveyed to test the hypothesis that belief in self and school engagement (i.e., behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement) played a serial mediating role in the association between school safety and academic achievement (i.e., grade point average). Moderation of the mediation model by ethnicity was also examined. Results from the sample ( N = 877) indicated that school safety was associated with higher levels of belief in self, which in turn was associated with higher levels of school engagement. Only behavioral engagement, however, was associated with greater academic achievement. Associations did not differ by ethnicity. Career implications on the importance of behavioral engagement among teachers, counselors, career development professionals, and administrators to support the academic achievement of marginalized youth are provided.

Psychometric Properties of the Intrapreneurial Self-Capital Scale in Malaysian University Students

The Intrapreneurial Self-Capital Scale (ISCS) is a 28-item measure intended to measure individual resources used to manage career and life challenges. The Intrapreneurial Self-Capital (ISC) is a higher order construct composed of seven specific constructs: core self-evaluation, hardiness, resilience, creative self-efficacy, decisiveness, goal mastery, and vigilance. In the new research area of the psychology of sustainability and sustainable development, ISC constitutes a promising core of resources to face the challenges of the 21st century. The aim of the current study was to determine the factor structure and psychometric properties (i.e., reliability and concurrent validity) of a Malaysian version of ISCS among university students. The self-report questionnaire was administered to 1491 university students in Sabah, Malaysia. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to assess the latent structure of the Malaysian ISCS. The final indices of Goodness of Fit showed satisfactory fit to the data. The Cronbach’s alpha of the Malaysian ISCS is 0.81. The Malaysian ISCS correlates with Career Adaptability r = 0.31 (p < 0.01) and with Life Project Reflexivity r = 0.44 (p < 0.01), thus showing an adequate concurrent validity evidence. The Malaysian ISCS provides a promising research area in psychology (both positive and sustainability). Malaysian parents, teachers and counselors can also use this tool for their development and intervention efforts.

“A woman CEO? You’d better think twice!”

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how multinational corporations’ (MNCs’) women leaders in South Korea (Korea) have overcome career challenges in the process of becoming CEOs. The two guiding questions for this study included: what career challenges have MNCs’ women leaders in Korea faced to become CEOs? How have they overcome their career challenges?Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a basic qualitative research design, the goal of which is to understand how people make sense of their lives and experiences. Qualitative data were collected by semi-structured interviews with 15 women CEOs at MNCs in Korea to capture their lived experiences (challenges and strategies) in their careers. The authors used NVivo 11, a qualitative data analysis software, to analyze the interview data.FindingsFrom data analysis, the authors identified five themes including: becoming a CEO, key success factors, MNC culture, career challenges and career development strategies. The authors found that in the process of becoming CEOs, 15 women leaders faced career challenges that are largely generated by traditional culture, work stress and work–life balance. The authors also found that the women leaders became CEOs through diverse on-the-job experiences (e.g. marketing and sales) and positions (e.g. managers, senior managers and regional directors) with organizational support (e.g. supervisor support).Research limitations/implicationsGiven research on organizational support for leadership, human resource practices and working conditions, this study’s findings have qualitatively confirmed the importance of organizational support for women CEOs’ career success. For theory building in women in leadership, the authors suggest that researchers investigate the complex process of becoming women CEOs, including their early experiences in their career in tandem with family background, organizational climate and national culture.Practical implicationsThe study findings on women CEOs’ career strategies can be used as a reference for women in the leadership pipeline who aspire to take leadership positions in organizations. A lack of role models or mentors for women leaders is one of the reasons why women give up on their career. Learning career strategies (e.g. global development programs, mentoring and networks) that women CEOs have employed to overcome their career challenges can help women in the leadership pipeline from their early career on.Originality/valueThe authors found that both internal and external factors combined were instrumental in the women CEOs’ career success. What stood out from this study was that the women’s desirable personality attributes might not have materialized without the MNC culture that has been supportive for these women. The women CEOs shared their company’s values and philosophy that is based on gender equality, received supervisor support that is crucial for their career success, experienced diverse jobs and positions along the way and were recognized for their work ethic. Given research on women leaders conducted largely in western contexts, this qualitative study on the lived experiences of women CEOs in MNCs contributes to emerging non-western research by capturing the importance of culture that is uniquely Korean.

Every Woman Has a Story to Tell: Experiential Reflections on Leadership in Higher Education

This study explores and shares key professional development advice related to career paths, challenges faced, and lessons learned from senior women leaders at a public, urban, research university. Interviews were conducted as part the NASPA Alice Manicur Symposium, a national student affairs leadership development program for women. Findings identified two themes at the personal and institutional levels. Sub-themes included strategies for career advancement in higher education, such as accepting opportunities, being visible, understanding the business of higher education, and obtaining a terminal degree. Aspiring women should be ready to navigate institutional challenges, often outside of their control, such as bureaucracy and politics, budgetary constraints, forces impacting student affairs, and institutional change. Participants shared perspectives on addressing institutional change including assessing needs and affect, exploring perceptions of change, gaining buy-in, and leveraging the change. Because emerging women leaders in higher education are often overwhelmed and confused in the realm of career assessment, findings from this study address the problem. The needle can move for women in higher education leadership positions if women identify themselves as aspiring leaders, create time for career assessment reflection, and take action to implement strategies for advancement endorsed by successful senior women.

Balancing Performing and Teaching Roles: The Voice of Classical Singers.

How do classical singers combine performing and teaching, two highly challenging and consuming careers? The life of a performer combines reward with intense challenging commitment. Furthermore, for the classical vocalist whose body is the instrument, maintaining good health is a priority. Teachers of singing have demanding roles, with the responsibility of guiding their students' vocal technique, in addition to providing inspiration, emotional support and career guidance. Moreover, their work can be taxing on their voices. There is research pertaining to musicians who balance teaching and performing, however the literature reviewed did not present a study which focused solely on classical singers who also teach, whose operatic engagements can be lengthy and travel-orientated. This gap in the literature provided an opportunity to contribute further to the field and examine the relationship between successfully balancing a performance and teaching career for classical vocalists. My aim was to explore: (1) how classical vocalists with extensive performance schedules maintain a commitment to their teaching studio; and (2) how teachers of singing who manage large private studios, and/or teach at high-level music institutions, balance performance careers with their responsibilities to their students. A phenomenological approach was selected for my exploratory study, using a qualitative method to devise an interview guide and analyze data. The procedure used for selecting the sample group was to invite participants representing a range of professional involvement in both teaching and performing. Diversity with regards to gender, base location and experience was also considered. Participants mainly responded via e-mail interviews. They were invited to discuss the following themes: balancing performing obligations with commitments to students, benefits of performing on pedagogy, and maintaining vocal health. Overall, participants felt that their performance experience was essential to their work in the teaching studio, with performing seen as a source of learning to be transmitted to students. On the other hand, for some, teaching was also seen as a source of learning, enhancing performances. Although demanding, the benefits of maintaining and enjoying both a teaching role and an active performing life were affirmed by participants. Attempting to balance both roles becomes a constant quest.

Multitasking of Teachers in the Contemporary Settings: Boon or Bane?

The purpose of this undertaking was to describe the multitasking of teachers in the workplace. Employing phenomenological approach with 15 teachers, in-depth interviews and focus group discussion were conducted which revealed that multitasking of teachers in the workplace is prevalent. Three major themes of multitasking of teachers as experienced emerged, such as self-sacrifice, personal and career challenge and personal growth and development. Multitasking of teachers in the workplace affected all facets of the teachers’ lives, their time management, prioritizing task and multitasking being the emergent themes as consequences of teachers multitasking in the workplace. The participants of the study had different approaches in coping with the experience, through strengths and perseverance, industry, faith in oneself and faith in God. Based on the results of the study, it came out that most of the teachers doing multitasking in the workplace enjoyed and continued the work flow that comes from switching one tasks to another and considered it as the most productive way when stimulated with a variety of task. In view of the above, school heads hold a unique position in our society and have a special obligation to foster cognitive and non-cognitive activities which inspire the multitasking teachers to continue to refuel their experiences to become more productive and successful in their fields of endeavours, and to widen their insights on how to conquer the task and responsibilities assigned to them as they go along the journey of their professional careers.

Recruiting the graduate voice: informing higher education initiatives to underpin an emerging, veterinary paraprofession in Australia

ABSTRACTIn Australia, the inception of veterinary technology, as a higher education discipline underpinning an emerging, mid-tier paraveterinary field, reflected global trends for more highly educated veterinary paraprofessionals to meet changing societal demands. In this study, veterinary technology graduates were surveyed about their experiences in the workforce and reflections on their education. Seeking feedback on how well a new programme has prepared graduates for the workforce is a useful quality assurance tool. Clinical veterinary practice was the primary employment sector with the majority of respondents in full-time employment. Career advancement, professional recognition and salaries were identified as key career challenges. The important roles of the veterinary and veterinary nursing professions, the university, government and graduates in the development of this mid-tier, veterinary paraprofession were elucidated. Graduates’ feedback on criteria that underpinned ‘work-readiness’ revealed seven key domains: communication skills, research skills, knowledge, critical thinking/problem-solving, employability, practical skills and professionalism. Veterinary nursing skills, work placement, practice management and production animal health were flagged as areas for curricular improvement. This study illuminated facilitators and barriers critical to establishing a mid-tier veterinary paraprofession, bridging the divide between the vocational and higher education sectors in Australia.Abbreviations: AUD: Australian dollar; AVA: Australian Veterinary Association; AVBC: Australasian Veterinary Boards Council; AVMA: American Veterinary Medical Association; BVNA: British Veterinary Nursing Association; CSU: Charles Sturt University; DAF: Department of Agriculture and Fisheries; FWC: Fair Work Commission; GCA: Graduate Careers Australia; HE: Higher Education; NHMRC: National Health and Medical Research Council; QLD: Queensland; RCVS: Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons; UK: United Kingdom; UQ: University of Queensland; VN: Veterinary nursing; VNCA: Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia; VSB: Veterinary Surgeons Board; VT: Veterinary technology; WIL: Work-integrated learning.

Does Traditional Stereotyping of Career as Male Affect College Women’s, but Not College Men’s, Career Decision Self-Efficacy and Ultimately Their Career Adaptability?

In South Korea, strong beliefs about traditional gender roles in accordance with Confucian and patriarchic atmosphere still strongly influence daily life and the career development process. Cultural and contextual factors impact the development of gender role socialization, which influences an individual’s career decision self-efficacy (CDSE) and adaptability to manage the challenging career decision-making process. In our study, we recruited 291 South Korean undergraduate students (138 women, 153 men) and investigated how an implicit gender-career stereotyping impacts career adaptability via CDSE and whether there is a gender difference on the direct and indirect effects of implicit gender-career stereotyping on career adaptability. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) was implemented to measure implicit gender-career stereotyping. By testing a moderated mediation model, we found a mediated effect of CDSE in the link between implicit gender-career stereotyping and career adaptability in the female students. Moreover, the direct relationship between implicit gender-career stereotyping and CDSE was significant only for female students. Given the findings, practitioners and educators who work with South Korean women need to explore the degree of clients’ traditional gender role stereotyping and provide tailored interventions to increase their level of career adaptability by minimizing the negative impacts of gender role stereotyping and by increasing CDSE.