PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore issues pertaining to monolingual ideology in the United States and the challenges in terms of career identity and development for multilingual individuals.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper provides a discussion of the relevant literature pertaining to linguistic diversity, language ideologies, career identity and career development, and offers a critical conceptual framework for understanding career development in linguistically diverse, multilingual contexts.FindingsBased on a critical review of literature, this paper proposes a conceptual framework which can be used to address linguistic issues that may otherwise encourage discrimination and inequity in the workplace.Originality/valueThis paper addresses the gap in career development literature by proposing a critical conceptual framework that integrates language as an important element of one’s career identity.