Career Wellbeing Series - Why it's important for your personal growth and professional development

Part One of Our Career Wellbeing Series explore what career wellbeing is and is not, as well as introducing some of the perspective shifts that we as individuals and organisations need if we are serious about shifting the narrative around career wellbeing. 

Defining Career Wellbeing

Career wellbeing extends beyond the notion of simply being content or satisfied with your job or career. It speaks to a more holistic approach, one that considers the deeply interconnected nature of our personal, and professionals’ lives. It does not attempt to separate one from the other, because let’s face it, you career is part of your overall identity, therefore one cannot be separate from the other.

Career wellbeing is part of your overall wellbeing so your

Career Wellbeing is NOT...

• A Job title – job titles are labels.
• A paycheck - yes money is important but there is only so much you can buy.
• Having to neglect your physical and psychological health to progress in your career

Career Wellbeing is

• Earning a fair salary for the value you contribute.
• Feeling engaged and deriving meaning from your work 80% of the time.
• Having the time and energy to enjoy a full life outside of work.
• Having the ability to shift work patterns to match the season of your life.
• Knowing that you are respected and valued by your colleagues.
• Feel that you can show up at work without having to ‘mask’ who you are.

Your career wellbeing is part of your overall wellbeing, a foundational pillar, and mistaking what is for what you think it is, can lead to a pattern of behaviours and thoughts that leave you feeling overwhelmed, lacking engagement and feeling dissatisfied in both your personal and professional life. 

Using the above as a guide and with the the lens of critical research in work, organisational and career psychology, The Career Wellbeing Series will help you think about career wellbeing in a complete way – one that affords you as individual, your team, and your business, the opportunity to thrive, flourish and progress in life and at work, not one or the other.

Part of this series involves questioning the prevailing societal narratives and power structures that influence our understanding of career wellbeing. This shift in perspective supports us to dig deeper into the impact of systemic (silent) factors (workplace myths if you will) that that shape our individual experiences of the world of work, our careers and our personal self.

As part of the Career Wellbeing Series, we will examine how systemic factors, most of which lie outside of our control and consciousness, serve to shape our individual experiences in the world of work. We will also consider how cultural norms, societal expectations, and historical influences have impacted our career wellbeing.

It is important to consider these underlying factors, as they support us to gain a more considered insight into their impact on our career journeys and with knowledge comes understanding. This understanding in turn supports us as we, collectively and as individuals, challenge and reshape them.

If you have more than a passing interest in career wellbeing, yours or others, before we kick off the series grab yourself an notebook you like, and a pen you enjoy to write with. As you read the articles you can jot notes, or work on some of the prompts that are suggested to think a little deeper.

For those of you who are long time friends of A Career to Love you will be familiar with A Permission Mindset and Pause for 60 – some techniques we will use. If not, don’t worry, these sort explainers will get you up to speed.

Looking forward to working with you on, and learning more about Career Wellbeing…

Join our community (we only send emails when we have something important to share) and you will receive each of the articles along with bonus information on Career Wellbeing. 

Remember, to design your own version of success, because if you don't someone else will and you might not like their version of success!! 

Photo Credit: Sonja Smith Photography