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7.2 The Career Development Process

In multiple surveys, when people are asked how they found their current careers, they often
report that they “fell into” (Ryan, 2007, para. 2) them. While some career choices may be due
to luck or being at the right place at the right time, if many of these people looked back on
their lives, they would likely discover clues along the way to the type of work they might like
or be best suited to do. Many times, though, people do not recognize these clues or appreci-
ate the fact that some talents or traits they possess can be extremely useful and desirable in
specific career fields. As a result, many may struggle for years in a career they do not enjoy
or that is not a good fit for them. Each job provides an opportunity to learn new skills and
abilities that you can take on to other roles (for example, how to provide customer services
or how to work effectively on a team). You may not love the job you are in, but you are, no
doubt, gaining valuable transferable skills—skills that will be useful in another workplace
or situation.

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