Problem setting. The development of society is constant. New technologies require the formation of skills that affect both professional and domestic activities of people. Employers seek to select employees who will be interested in their professional activities, which will contribute to the personal development of the individual and will have a positive impact on the work of the enterprise.
Recent research and publications analysis. In the works of sociologists, the process of self-development of the individual, which contributes to his promotion by professional ladder, is defined as a "career". The analysis of literature sources shows that over time, the interpretation of this concept changes somewhat, acquires new approaches, but its conceptual essence, however, is not definitively defined.
Paper objective. This article aims to define the conceptual meaning of the concepts of “career” and “career strategies” based on the definitions proposed by researchers from different eras.
Paper main body. The analysis allowed to identify two main conceptual approaches to the concept of “career”, according to which the conceptual essence of career is the individual’s desire for professional self-development, which is reflected in his professional activities, on the one hand, and on the other, life - this is a career, so the standard of living and success directly depend on the level of activity of the individual, his desire to develop.
Career strategy is a model of behavior that an individual chooses during professional growth. The literature offers many variations of this definition and classification of models of career strategies, but the most complete and generalized is the classification proposed by E. Shane and the conceptual essence of the concept of “career strategy” is reduced to a conscious choice of behavior by the individual both in the professional sphere and in life in general. Sociological research shows that the model of career strategy is a direct reflection of the behavior and lifestyle of the individual in his professional activities, which affects and determines the rate of career growth.
Conclusions of the research. Analysis of scientific publications and scientific works allows to characterize the term “career”, in a conceptual sense, in two perspectives, the first of which is formed on the basis of definitions proposed by the classics of sociology, and characterizes it as a process of professional growth. and from another point of view, which is defined by both foreign and domestic sociologists of the twentieth century, life is a career, it is a continuous movement in a certain direction of professional and personal growth. “Career strategy”, according to the generalized definitions, is a model of an individual's behavior during his movement up the career ladder, which determines the speed of the individual’s development, the ability to succeed in his career and personal life.
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