Six Stages of Career Development

Stacking the Odds In Your Own Favor (Success!)

Let's face it! The "magic bullet" when applying for your dream job, or next higher position in the medical assisting field is not how many jobs you have had in the past. The magic bullet, when facing your competition in this job market is your education, and credentials! Sounds so simple, but sadly, there still are countless medical assistants out there struggling to even land the simplest jobs, while being completely unaware of the importance of having the right certifications.

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Some believe that it is experience alone that opens doors, however on todays highly competitive job market the key, which opens doors that otherwise would remain CLOSED is reliable documentation of your training, reputation, and qualifications! If you have those, you can make up for almost any hindrances that may prevent you from landing your next job, or higher position.

REMEMBER: Success starts with YOU. Make sure you take advantage of our offer for the free career and certification information kit below.

How Do I Become a Successful Medical Assistant? To succeed you have to understand: Success starts with YOU! Perhaps you have not been told about the importance of your credentials, or simply not realized, or overlooked it. Start below!!! Get all information you need.
	Don't put off your certification any longer! Get all info FREE. Takes only a few seconds!!!

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Re: Tech schools or Community Colleges?
I am currently attending a highly respected MA program here (ACCSCT, CAAHEP) in Southeast Michigan...  I do believe it has everything to do with the quality of education you are receiving... it all boils down to the quality of education you are receiving.

By Michelle L. Casto, M.Ed. (Whole Life Coach, Speaker, and Author)
 
Career experts say that people will change careers (we're not talking jobs!) 5-7 times in a lifetime. This being true, career management is an important life skill to develop and cultivate. There are six stages of modern career development: Assessment, Investigation, Preparation, Commitment, Retention, and Transition.

Learning the characteristics of each stage will empower you to navigate through each stage easily and with more confidence. In the Assessment Stage, you are getting ready for your life’s work. This stage is characterized by unawareness, in that you are not sure what your values, strengths, and weaknesses are. You start to feel like you want to know more about yourself and make a conscious effort to get in touch with who you really are.

Key Characteristics

•   Taking assessment instruments
•   Working with a career counselor or career coach

In the Investigation Stage, you are researching what work exists in the world. This stage is characterized by feelings of confusion, in that you are not sure what career options exist for you. You may feel overwhelmed with all of the different jobs and opportunities that exist as you begin the process of researching the modern world of work. But if you approach this stage with a positive frame of mind, you will find that you will learn about many possibilities you may have never considered.

  Key characteristics:

•   Researching the world of work
•   Conducting informational interviews with people in your chosen field

In the Preparation Stage, you are still getting ready to do your life’s work. This stage is characterized by feelings of excitement, as you think of how wonderful it will be to perform meaningful work. However, there is still much work to be done, and in order to be successful, you have to be prepared.

  Key characteristics:

•   Gaining knowledge and experience
•   Setting goals and adopting a success-oriented mind-set

In the Commitment Stage, you will feel confident, in that you have figured out what you are meant to do. Sometimes people have known all along what they were meant to do, but were not able to commit to the process of making it happen, for whatever reason. At this stage, more than ever, you must focus your energy and keep your eye on the target.

  Key characteristics:

•   Conducting a job search
•   Negotiating and accepting a job offer

In the Retention Stage, you will feel comfortable in your career field, as you will now have figured out how things work in your industry. You will want to remain committed to your career by continually updating your skill set and staying current with industry standards.

  Key characteristics:

•   Providing first-class customer service skills
•   Building a professional network

The Transition Stage is characterized by feelings of discomfort, in that you are unsure of what you will be doing next (and/or if you will be happy). In this stage, you will learn to make conscious changes in your career direction.

  Key characteristics:

•   Making career changes
•   Developing resiliency

No matter what career stage you find yourself in now, you can be sure that you will enter and re-enter through these six stages many times though out your lifetime.

***This article is adapted from the book, Get Smart! About Modern Career Development: A Personal Guide to Creating Your Life’s Work by Michelle L. Casto, M.Ed.

About the Author
Michelle L. Casto is a whole life coach, speaker, and author of the Get Smart! LearningBook Series, which teaches the importance of self-awareness, active reflection, and following your intuition. Her coaching practice is BrightLight Coaching, she helps people come up with bright ideas for their life and empowers them to freely shine their bright light to the world. Visit virtually for free articles and resources: www.getsmartseries.com   and www.brightlightcoach.com .