The transformation of career concept from socialistic to capitalistic discourse

Abstract

Analysing the development of the concept of career as a scientific term in the context of industrialised countries, we can distinguish three conditional phases: 1) The first half of the twentieth century was dominated by the concept of the vocational guidance; 2) The second half of the twentieth century (until 1990) - career orientation and organisational career concept; 3) At the end of the twentieth century (since 1990) - individual career concept. Western researchers identify a number of career forms developing today - from linear (hierarchical) to multidirectional. Some authors have a critical view of scientific publications, which describe transformation of the old organisational career in to new individual. They postulate that the form of organisational career today is not the norm, but it is not completely extinct either. To say that the individual career concept has changed the organisational career concept, given the spread and adequacy of the critique of the new career concept in today’s context, would be an understatement. Therefore the aim of this chapter is to analyse the social policy-makers', academics' and researchers' current concept of career in former Eastern Bloc and former Soviet Union countries concentrating more but not exclusively on the case of Lithuania. In the time period, when Western world was experiencing career concept’s transformation from traditional organisational into new individual, Western block and former Soviet Union countries were experiencing also transformation from socialism to the capitalism, which has influenced different career understanding formation. Accordingly those two dimensions will be analysed in this chapter.