Career Exploration Activities
Career exploration activities are necessary because they help a person understand much about his/her interests and expectations. The provided case study shows that Joe has conducted a few career exploration activities to gather information about himself and his job environment. For instance, Joe has had some hands-on experience. He has worked as a sales executive and recently became the Vice President of Infotek, a software development firm.
He is presently spending more time on his work, something he does not like. He is against paperwork and administration. He has also conducted some job shadowing to understand how other jobs and employers operate. However, most of Joe’s career exploration activities are limited to his personal expectations and experiences. This is the reason he is not sure about his values and abilities (Burtnett, 2010).
That being the case, Joe should have done more to collect relevant information about himself and his environment. The first thing is embracing the idea of job shadowing. Joe should take several days to monitor and watch what other people in various jobs do (Burtnett, 2010). As well, he can perform interviews with friends and other people to learn about their jobs and values. He can find useful ideas and information from such interviews.
The other important activity is getting some “hands-on experience”. Joe can volunteer or get involved in various career activities in order to learn much about different jobs and working environments.
Joe’s Understanding of Himself and his Environment
From the above discussion, it is notable that Joe is simply speculative. He believes his current job is not enjoyable. He considers his earlier position as a sales representative as the best. This means that he has little understanding of himself and his environment. He can gain new ideas and understanding in order to widen his abilities, interests, and lead a better lifestyle (Burtnett, 2010). He, therefore, needs to consider new career exploration activities to collect better information.
Is Joe Successful in his career?
At the age of 39, Joe has become the Vice President of Infotek. This is a clear indication that he is successful in his career (Burtnett, 2010). Joe has managed to work effectively thus capturing the attention of his seniors. Joe should therefore gather new information in order to work competently, embrace his new position, and work hard to become the Chief Executive Officer of the company.
Conducting a Wider Career Exploration
I strongly think Joe can have more positive career outcomes if he conducted a wider career exploration. From this case study, it is notable that Joe is interested in people and clients. That being the case, Joe can conduct a wider exploration in order to come up with new ways to communicate with clients and employees. He will also understand the importance of “work-life balance” and eventually appreciate his current position (Burtnett, 2010). A wider exploration will make it easier for Joe to appreciate his job and mentor others. Instead, Joe will focus on promotion and not an early retirement (Burtnett, 2010).
My Advice to Joe
My advice to Joe is that he is currently in the right career. A job should change his perception about the job and perform a wider career exploration. The approach will help him identify some ways of making the career appreciable and meaningful (Burtnett, 2010). He should also interact with employees and clients at the company. He can also work closely with the Research and Development (R&D) team to ensure the company produces the best software. With new information and perception, Joe will definitely be successful in his current career and eventually make the company profitable.
Reference List
Burtnett, F. (2010). Bound-for-Career Guidebook: A Student Guide to Career Exploration, Decision-making, and the Job Search. London: Rowman & Littlefield Education.