What is meant by the term "career development"? How is it measured and what does it

predict? What are some criticisms regarding theories of career development?

What will be an ideal response?

Super has developed the most popular theory of career development. In his approach,
the worker goes through various stages of career development, marked by initial
exploration and then establishment. He further theorized that the older worker goes
through a stage of career maintenance, and eventual deceleration. Central to his theory
is the premise of career maturity, and that, the happiness of the older worker is often
tied to "re-inventing oneself" or acquiring a new skill. Career development is difficult to
assess, although Super has developed a questionnaire that attempts to place adults in
different stages of his theory.  Career development is thought to be an important
variable, in that, it predicts job performance, or  one's productivity, leadership skills,
and citizenship behavior towards co-workers. Of course, people work in very different
careers and occupations, and some experts voice concerns about Super's theory and
wonder if the route to career development is the same, or as orderly, for today's diverse
work force.