dr. brad harrington, ©2008 career management & work-life integration course overview and...

Dr. Brad Harrington, ©2008

Career Management & Work-Life Integration

Course Overview and Student Feedback


Why this is important

[It] can be just as, if not more devastating than the mid-life crisis. It may be the single most concentrated period during which individuals relentlessly question their future. It is what we call the quarterlife crisis… [it] occurs precisely because there is none of the predictable stability that once existed. After 20 years in a school setting, goals were clear and ways to achieve them mapped out distinctly. But after graduation, the pathways blur… what once was a solid line has now disintegrated into millions of different options.

Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenge of Life in

Your Twenties Robbins and Wilner


Career Management Program Protean Career Concepts Career best managed & success

best assessed by individual Sees career in work / life context Requires commitment to rigorous

self-assessment process Two critical meta-competencies:

Identity: clear self-concept Adaptability: Ability to adapt to changing

professional and personal circumstances


Traditional vs. Protean CareerIssue Traditional Career Protean Career

Who’s in charge? Organization Person

Core values Advancement Freedom and growth Work-life integration

Degree of mobility Lower High

Key attitudes Commitment to organization

Commitment to profession Work satisfaction Work to live not live to work

Success criteria Position level / title Salary

Psychological success Meaningful work


Identity: Who am I, what am I good at? Autobiography (reviewing the past) Peak Experiences (high points) Identities Exercise (sub-identities) Strong Interest Inventory (interests) Career Values Card Sort (values) Lifestyle Representation (lifestyle) Interview with Others (skills) 10 Years Out (personal vision) Synthesize Self-Assessment


Adaptability: Managing career over time Finding & pursuing the right opportunities Making good career choices Advancement vs. Alternative Career Paths Organizational Career Development Systems Couples & Family Issues Flexible Work Arrangements Careers over the Lifespan Developing and implementing

a career plan


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Instructor Rating


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Student comments on course This course should be part of the MBA core-curriculum Most useful & interesting course I’ve taken in this program Amazing course which should be part of the management

practices offering Great class, probably one of the better electives offered Honestly the only course I didn’t want to end – we could

have used even longer to really develop this topic I really loved this course and felt I got so much out of it I would highly recommend this class to anyone who is

considering marriage and children while pursuing a career Very enjoyable, an excellent experience


Student comments on professor (2008) Brad is a great speaker, he keeps the class engaged

and he knows his subject very well. Prof. Harrington is a great lecturer. He did a great job

explaining the material and keeping the class engaged. Excellent professor. Great industry experience and

academic knowledge. Exceptionally good at engaging the class in discussion.

Great experiential teaching - great job of demonstrating how to apply theory. Made theories practical.

Prof. Harrington brings a blend of real world & academic experience that he intertwines into class. His personality and class structure make the time go by quickly


Student comments on professor (2008) I was told I would be doing myself a disservice

graduating from BC’s MBA program without taking Prof. Harrington - would love to take another course with him.

Professor Harrington was the best professor I have had at BC. I did not realize when I signed up for the class, but quickly realized that almost 90% of the students had signed up for the course because of the instructor.

Harrington was a referred professor and not at all disappointing. His enthusiasm for the subject while being in touch with reality of corporate life is a unique mix at Boston College. He is an asset to the Carroll School g Management and the MBA program


Follow-up study

Two years after the initial course offering was completed a follow-up study was done to see what lasting impact, if any, the class had on the students who had taken it


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Comments from former students Wonderful to have experience apart from standard

curriculum, focused on life, job, family It’s a great way to look at all aspects of life and think

about how a career fits in We learned great tools – this course really helps you

learn about yourself Hope the class is continuing its success One of the most rewarding courses in

the program This should be a required course

dr. brad harrington, ©2008 career management & work-life integration course overview and...

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