Voluntary and Involuntary Career Transitions: A Narrative Study

Abstract

The paper presents the exploration of voluntary and involuntary career transition experience of mature age persons aiming to find out how these transitions are embedded in personís life story in terms of prior events and future plans of life and what is the difference in emotional attitude toward these two types of transitions. Using the approach of constructivist qualitative inquiry, the narrative interviews were conducted to examine the participantsí lived experience asking them to tell the story of their career transitions as they are embedded in their lives. The study was performed in Latgale region of Latvia with seven mature age persons (two male and five female), characterized by at least 20 years work experience, tertiary education and experience of significant career transition during the last seven years (change of country, employer, job title, industry, or leaving or re-entering the workforce). The data analysis integrated the thematic narrative analysis and M. Crossleyís approach to narrative analysis. Following themes illustrated the life events prior to career transitions: 1) childhood experience: nature, chores, responsibility; 2) importance of education; 3) support from family, 4) choosing career, 5) lucky chance, and 6) triggers of career transition. The research findings were in tune with the main theoretical elaborations on career transition. Resilience as the self-related adaptive factor and family unit as supportive mechanism were discovered for both types of career transition. Involuntary career transitions were shaped only by the environmental limitations or external causes, while the voluntary transitions were mostly driven by personal agency. In future all participants stressed the need to serve the society, family and to establish better work-life balance. As expected, emotional attitude to ward involuntary career transitions was negative (disappointment, disorientation, fatalism, resentment), while attitude toward voluntary career transitions was mostly positive (faith in God, optimism, satisfaction, pride). The narrative approach can be successfully implemented by career counsellors to understand career scenarious and individualsí overall experiences. More extensive research would be recommended in future focusing on causes, triggers and coping strategies for career transitions.