The contemporary dynamics of the labor market differ significantly from those dominant several decades ago. This tendency involves the provision of jobs, employee retention, and their movement from one career field or organization to another. For instance, before the 1990s, it was common for individuals to have very few workplaces throughout their lifetime. Today, by the age of 30, people often tend to have had several working experiences at different organizations. This phenomenon mainly occurs because the responsibility for career development that used to be practiced by organizations has been moved to their employees.
Edgar Schein (1996) developed the career anchor theory that was expected to determine what motivations stand behind the choices of career fields; the motivators were grouped into 8 anchors. Today, this theory is almost inapplicable because most careers are very complicated and can be characterized by more than one anchor. Also, an individual may have several anchors at a time, and that would not make their choice of a career easier or determine their loyalty to a certain sphere.
Analyzing myself, I could name several dominant anchors; they are, managerial, security, lifestyle, and service. As a result, I am characterized by a multitude of theoretically suitable career fields. In my opinion, the anchors determine a sphere of action of an individual but not a specific career field. In that way, life-long learning will facilitate my movement from one anchor to another throughout my lifetime.
Reference
Schein, E. H. (1996). Career anchors revisited: Implications for career development in the 21st century. The Academy of Management Executive, 10(4), 80-88.