An Assessment of Career Development Quarterly

Career and planning research is not a one size fits all proposition. The skills and experience needed to grow in one field may have little applicability to another. As such, it is important for someone planning their career to take inventory of the field they are looking to enter into and determine what is specific to their goals.

This being said, a general resource on career research is not a bad place to start. While many skills are specialized, some are more universal in nature. Using the Wayne State University Libraries’ E-Journal research, an individual can access Career Development Quarterly. This is the journal of the National Career Development Association, an organization purportedly dedicated to advancing careers. The Quarterly provides access to abstracts from Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, The British Library Medical Information Service, Education Index, Higher Education Abstracts, Psychological Abstracts and others. It also has a series of webinars, advice on continuing education, and leadership development programs.

These are all tangential to the Quaterly itself, a fully functioning journal in its own right. The most recent issue has such articles as “A Framework for Promoting Women's Career Intentionality and Work-Life Integration” by Megan Tajilli. An excerpt from the abstract reads as follows: “Career counselors may not be discussing the strain of work-life integration with female college students, leading them to believe "having it all" is attainable. A framework blending the Kaleidoscope Career Model with the Systems Theory Framework to help women understand the environmental, societal, and personal influences on work-life integration is proposed as a solution.” This is not the same as something along the lines of “The 5 Skills Every Business is Looking for in New Employees.”

 

The articles in Career Development Quarterly are not always so obviously aimed at the goal of getting a promotion next year, or attaining the most employable degree. If this is what the searcher is looking for, the Quarterly is likely not the resource they are looking for. Also, if you do not have access through a University library or other resource, there is a subscription fee in order to gain access. This being said, they are still insightful articles that can help you navigate your career successfully. Not every article may be relevant to every individual, but they are written by respected individuals in their field and can contain valuable insight. Megan Tajilli, for instance, holds a master’s in education, is a nationally certified counselor and is a licensed professional counselor associate who writes for respected, peer reviewed journals.

 

Overall, while this resource may not be right for everyone, it is a quarterly publication that provides up to date articles by respected professionals. Whether it is worth the value to the individual is a question they should evaluate by browsing titles and authors.

 

Source

·         Career Development Quarterly. (1990-Present). Retrieved October 21, 2014.