The challenge of retaining beginning teachers, particularly in shortage areas such as special education, math, and science, has long been the focus of both research and special induction programs at universities and in school districts. The difficulty of retaining mid-career teachers, however, has received little attention in comparison. Such…

This article reviews the theoretical notion of midcareer as it is described in career development literature. Three patterns of use of the term "midcareer" are identified, and these differ in the time that authors either nominate or assume constitutes midcareer. These timeframes are: (1) a period some time "after" career commencement; (2) a…

A growing body of work in relational theory and career decision making explores how relational processes, not just people's relationships but more broadly their connections to self, others, and society, inform career development and counseling. This article presents the results of a qualitative research study of midlife women in career transition…

This study addressed career transitions in view of new environments along with the mobility of individuals across cultural territories. It paid attention to various adjustments individuals can make in their career in relation to their new environment and analysed those adjustment modes in relation to Nicholson's theory of work role transitions.…

We present findings from in-depth interviews with mid-career faculty who describe themselves as "thriving." As we ground ourselves in the theoretical contexts of Erikson's stage of "generativity vs. stagnation" and Dweck's construct of "growth mindsets," we discuss themes that run through their personal narratives and delineate key elements of the…

Traditionally, expertise theories have focused on skills acquisition with little regard for the domain or contextual factors affecting expertise development and retention. Because the development, retention, and recruiting of individuals with expertise is critical to organizational success, it is essential that HRD professionals understand the…

Learning is an act of hope. Although adults enter learning experiences from many frames of emotion and cognitive beliefs, each views this experience as the purposeful choice for a new and different future, a future of hope and possibilities. For adult learners, the pursuit of higher education is a choice and a life-changing engagement. Given the…

The decision to leave a successful career and great earning potential to start over as a novice with new surroundings and expectations is not made without consideration of a wide array of variables. Making the transition to higher education was not an easy one and the transition itself has presented various other challenges and joys that I have…

The mid-career time-frame in student affairs is often defined by title, position, and responsibility. It is also the most under-researched and misunderstood time-frame in student affairs (Benke & Disque, 1990; Carpenter, Guido-DiBrito, & Kelly, 1987; Evans, 1988). Missing in the mid-career definition and research is an examination and…

Reviews adult life-cycle research, particularly the stages outlined in Levinson's "Seasons of a Man's Life," as a framework for anticipating transitional life plateaus and identifying obstacles to career development. (SK)

University graduate-level programs are striving to address needs for community college leaders. One way they are doing this is by strengthening their graduate programs with relevant community college courses. Increasingly, however, community college presidents are being invited to join universities in professorial roles. These new graduate faculty…

This document consists of the fifth, sixth, and seventh sections of a book of readings on issues related to adult career development. The two chapters in the fifth section deal with training programs for adult career counselors. "The New Career Development Professional: A Training Model" (Florence Lewis and Janice Chiappone) examines changes that…

The authors describe what they call a new breed of worker, the quester, who makes significant career changes easily and often with much success. They discuss the theory behind "questing" and place questers in contemporary society. Implications of this new breed are explored. (CH)

Conditions in the U.S. have created a situation where some middle aged white males are experiencing a stalled career; they perceive they have plateaued in career progression while at the same time women and minority peers continue advancing. Based on phenomenological research methods, individuals who have experienced the non-event work transition…

Investigated the midcareer crisis and examined sex differences distinguishing midcareer changers (N=134). The results revealed that individuals who changed careers scored significantly higher on identity achievement and affiliation, and there was a significant positive correlation between identity achievement and self-concept. No sex differences…