Career types

A range of career forms now co-exist.

• Linear career - the conventional notion of upward progression through an organisation. Now, with flatter organisations, promotions may be less available so you may have to move out to move up
• Professional career (Dalton et al) - career development is seen as series of stages (e.g. dependent apprentice, expert colleague, mentor/manager, figurehead). Again, movement between organisations may be necessary to gain experience for growth into the next professional stage
• Entrepreneurial career (Rosabeth Moss Kanter) - career growth through creation of new income and capacity. Not only a feature of the private sector, this is as relevant to public sector organisations (including research) competing for funding
• Portfolio (attributed to Charles Handy) - here the career is viewed as a project portfolio, each activity overlapping or running in parallel and using a slightly different mix of skills. Consultants typically grow their careers in this way
• Crazy paving or patchwork (attributed to Robin Linnecar) - a career made up of a variety of different roles or even different occupations for which a pattern may only be apparent with hindsight. In periods of rapid change, this pattern is about adaptability and survival. It can create a rich career history
• Steady-state - a career where work is enjoyed, development is related to keeping up to date to sustain employability and making an ongoing contribution, but desire for promotion is not significant.

A career can encompass several of these patterns. For example, higher education careers are based in bureaucratic organisations with linear career structures and progression is through stages identifiable with the professional career model. Growing a research group involves bidding competitively for funding providing entrepreneurial career growth and experienced academics often carry out consultancy for a number of clients or develop spin-out activities giving portfolio career growth.