Thinking about your career in the future? Understand the difference and the significance of Job Satisfaction and Career Development in this blog.
Imagine being fresh out of college, ambitious, driven, and ready to take on every opportunity with tremendous confidence. Your first job is an experience that gives you a sense of the real world, irrespective of the field you opt for. It gives you a fair understanding of standard corporate processes, hierarchy, and how an organisation or a group of people work in collaboration.
While some of us have fruitful experiences that steer us in the right direction, right from the start of our career, most of us switch to various jobs or companies during the next few decades. We develop a relatively clear sense of what job satisfaction means and how it’s different from career development through this process.
Let’s be honest; we work so we can earn and afford a particular lifestyle. Money is a vital factor, and people would appreciate a few extra pennies in the pocket. But the question is, will a job that pays you very well but doesn’t offer much else – the key to long-term happiness or personal growth?
The answer is debatable because it entails numerous factors that can contribute to a shift in preference, but this is some serious food for thought. It is imperative to analyse and assess yourself from time to time and ask yourself these crucial questions.
Happiness is subjective; for some, it may mean having a roof above their heads with food on your table. For some, it may mean affording the finer things in life, like a vacation. But, at what point does job satisfaction take a back seat to accommodate for a mammoth salary? This is where the aspect of career development comes in.
Career development is the process of choosing a career path, honing your skills, and growing along with your career. It’s a lifelong learning process, imbibing and making individual decisions that bring you closer to your ideal job or lifestyle. It requires successfully navigating your occupational choices to train for jobs that suit your personality, skills, and interests. Career development also depends on the organisation’s decision to transfer their employees from one level of difficulty or challenge to a higher one that will enrich self-development and organisational effectiveness.
There are several ways one can seek career guidance. It could be through career counselling and Career Services or pursuing what you truly want to do as an individual and finding your path.
Job satisfaction is often a short-term, momentary feeling you derive from your daily interaction with work. It requires the individual to channel his/her physical and mental capacity for long hours, and this honestly can get taxing. Three significant factors come into play here:
Individual determinants – Several factors determine the general levels of job satisfaction, such as self-esteem, self-efficacy, and a positive outlook. An investigation in the relationship between personality and job satisfaction focuses on a five-factor model that addresses five traits: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness.
Situational – Different work set-ups, work culture, and surroundings play a huge role in determining the individual’s motivation or demotivation levels. Improving factors like employee autonomy, feedback, and skill variety increase the levels of job satisfaction. Your job environment determines your output; it should ideally provide a motivating, healthy, and nurturing culture.
Fit – The fit determinant assesses the individual based on demographics, personalities, values, and characteristics. In general, a person who fits with the job role and the organisation should experience higher job satisfaction levels.
Traditional career guidance initially emerged from the needs of modern industrialisation that focused on measuring individual traits and identifying the occupations that would match them. A part of this process was to measure job satisfaction through a positive evaluation of the individual’s attitude towards their jobs. It also depended on their ability to recognise and follow their interests.
In between all this, there is a sweet spot that we all have. It’s the kind of work we want to perform, the professionals we want to become, the kind of work we want to create. Many of us seek more satisfying and meaningful work lives for the long run.
Because there is no moral right or wrong, it is not wrong to choose job satisfaction or career growth above each other as the goals and interests of individuals vary. One must find a balance between the professional and personal life, which allows them to channel their efforts, skill, creativity, and energy into something meaningful and productive. We hope you find what you’re striving for, good luck!
This post can be adapted into a static carousel post that covers the meaning, application, and highlights the difference between the two through simple vector icons on each slate.
