Career development of Office Administration certificate holders and graduates of 1967-1969

The problem of this study was to determine the (l) career patterns that had been developed, (2) factors that had influenced the development of those career patterns, and (3) evaluation of training received by Office Administration certificate holders and graduates of the University of Tennessee ten years after their training had been completed. Questionnaires were completed by 55 (75.3 percent) of the 73 persons included in the survey population.

Major findings and conclusions of the study were:

1. The majority of the certificate holders and graduates had been employed in jobs for which they were trained.

2. The majority of the certificate holders and graduates expected to be in the labor force a minimum of ten to more than 20 additional years.

3. The career patterns of the participants in the study could be classified into five of the seven career pattern groups defined by Donald E. Super and into the four career pattern groups defined by Eli Ginzberg.

4. Positive factors in the career development of the participants were: 1 level of skills and knowledge acquired, training received on the job, the need for income provided by the job, and personal goals relating to career development.