Module 5 Career Strategies

Module 5: Discussion - Career Strategies
Hello Everyone,
Prompt #1: Follow the instructions for the “Career and Life Orientation Index” in your
textbook. What was your average score – and what category (from “highly
organizational” to “highly protean” did you fall into? Based on what you have read about
the organizational versus protean career models (review Chapter 1/Our Career and Work-
Life Model/page 11), do you feel that the instrument accurately captured your
orientation? Why or why not? Please provide an example or two from your own life.
My average score on the Career and Life Orientation Index was 3.82, placing me in the
Moderately Protean category. I do not feel this accurately captured my orientation because I
enjoy entrepreneurial pursuits. If I were to lose my current job I would not jump into a position
that did not fit my values just to earn a check. I would use all my resources carefully until such
time I am able to find a job that interests me or create another business venture to earn a living.
I have learned from past retail positions that the small paycheck is not enough to get me to
spend all of my time working a position that does not make me feel fulfilled. In high school, I had
a car payment and a job that paid more than enough to cover those expenses but I didn’t stay
with the company for more than a few months because it was not aligned with the career facets
I value most.
“Today individuals must define his or her own view of success. We call this self-directed
career model the Protean Career” (Harrington & Hall, 2007, pg. 11). I view success as being
able to earn a living on your own schedule while working on something that interests you.“It is
still possible to build your career around a functional specialty, such as finance or marketing
because larger organizations tend to have a hierarchy of positions within these functions”
(Harrington & Douglas, 2007, pg. 102). As a commercial investment broker, I feel I can use my
functional specialty in finance and real estate to build a successful book of business regardless
of the brokerage. I have built my specialty and expertise around a topic/industry that interests
me, so I am confident in my abilities that I can be highly protean when the time comes.
Prompt #2: As you review the hypothesized career and life facets, (self-
direction/organizational orientation/values expression/whole-life balance/family
focus/community involvement), comment on your scores/priorities there. Which of these
are most important to you? Which are least important to you? What implications does
this have on your career choices? (Make some connections to your self-assessments).
My career and life facets were prioritized as follows (Highest to Lowest): 1. Self
Direction, 2. Value Expression, 3. Organizational Orientation, 4. Whole Life Balance Focus, 5.
Family Focus, 6. Community Involvement. I do not think this assessment accurately prioritized
my career and life facets. Although I would agree that Self-Direction is the most important to me,
I would rank the whole life balance focus above organizational orientation. I would say I am not
necessarily attached to the company I work at, although I do respect and protect the company’s
values. I feel that I can move on from this company if that time ever does come, but if I were
unable to have an adequate work-life balance, I could see myself searching for a new
brokerage. I feel I am highly protean since I have always been confident in my ability to find
ways to make money through entrepreneurial ventures.
My Career Anchor assessment also reiterated this aspect of my personality since my

primary career anchor was Entrepreneurial Creativity and my secondary career anchor was
Autonomy/Independence. For example, in middle school, I made over a thousand dollars selling
duct tape wallets that I would make after school. I would allow people to put in next-day orders,
allowing them to pick a design and a size for the wallets they wanted. The value that was of the
least important to me was community involvement. I have been required to volunteer in the past
and did not have great experiences. Community involvement is something I tend to do
informally by helping people I come across in need and showing respect to everyone I interact
with. I do not feel that I would be happy in a career that forces me to be involved because I feel
most fulfilled when I do nice things without anyone asking me to.
Prompt #3: Follow the instructions for the “Ideal Organization Exercise” in your
textbook. Use each of the headings provided and briefly “sketch out” your
conceptualization of the ideal organization. In responding to each heading, you can write
a brief paragraph or “bullet” responses.
My “ideal organization”...
Products and Services:
● Would be in Commercial Real Estate Investments

● Would serve retired individuals and Mom & Pop investors looking to buy or sell real
estate holdings
● Would provide professional representation for investors and would always look out for
their best interests
Structure:
● Would be Self-Employed
● Would have separate divisions for each specialty and product type
● The organization would operate in a national market
● Would be for-profit and publicly traded
● The organization’s vision would be to build wealth through honest and transparent
practices
● The environment would be competitive, yet friendly
Management Style:
● I prefer to have a great deal of autonomy and independence in my daily activities

● Management would hold me accountable for any mistakes I make and assist me when I
have questions
● The organization relies on personal relationships and negotiation with informal ways of
operating
Job Scope:
● I would work on educating clients about real estate investing and keep our transactions
organized while maintaining consistent marketing campaigns.
● I would have a high level of responsibility with little oversight of my tasks
● I will be training and supervising new assistants
Values:
● The organization would offer resources to aid in our business activities and provide
support when issues arise.
● The organization would help develop the community and put real estate to its highest
and best use so that it can positively impact the lives of the community.
● Transparency, Honesty, and Credibility are values the organization would emphasize
● By having a competitive environment where all information is readily available to
everyone to level the playing field
Evaluation Methods:
● I will be evaluated on a daily/weekly basis to ensure I learn from past mistakes

● Face to Face discussion would be used for feedback and evaluation.
● Evaluations would be performed by my supervisor
Reward Systems:
● Members would be rewarded based on performance

● Compensation is earned when deals are closed and commission is earned while
benefits are offered from the company for those that consistently perform well.
● It would offer higher commission percentages the longer you stay with the company
- Stephen Patton
References:
1. Harrington, B, & Hall, D. T. (2007). Career management & work/life integration: Using
self-assessment to navigate contemporary careers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications, Inc.

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Module 5: Discussion - Career Strategies

My Career Anchor assessment also reiterated this aspect of my personality since my

Products and Services:

● Would be in Commercial Real Estate Investments

● I prefer to have a great deal of autonomy and independence in my daily activities

● I will be evaluated on a daily/weekly basis to ensure I learn from past mistakes

● Members would be rewarded based on performance

self-assessment to navigate contemporary careers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

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