National Career Day: Wellness Checklist
Dr. Regina Gavin Williams
Ashley L. Witherspoon
November 17th is National Career Development Day and November is National Career Development Month. National Career Development Month signals a time for students and employees to focus on their future career choices. Regarding this, here are a few things to consider:
Careers change throughout the life span. Know that the career you begin with does not have to be the one you end with. You have the opportunity to transfer your skills to various positions and maximize your career opportunities as needed.
This is a time for professionals to hone in on their skills and work towards advancing their skills as necessary.
Parents/guardians can help their child explore a variety of career options in order to conceptualize where they see themselves as future professionals in the workforce.
In addition to preparing for the logistical steps required to move forward, many individuals are also considering their own psychological wellness as it relates to their career choice. Within the last year, the workforce has experienced a considerable shift. According to The Harvard Gazette, “We are observing high levels of burnout and stress, even among workers who still appear to be high functioning". As you continue to explore your career path, create your own Professional Wellness Checklist, starting with these 3 questions:
Are their organizational values equivalent to my personal values (i.e. integrity, compassion, excellence)?
Is your workplace psychologically safe? For example, are you able to make mistakes, ask questions, or receive feedback without criticism?
Does your organization support a culture of wellness through system-wide enhancements rather than individual interventions?
Check out these additional tools for career exploration:
College Foundation of North Carolina: cfnc.org
NC Careers: nccareers.org
O*NET Online: onetonline.org
National Career Development Association: ncda.org