Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
TRB2 Uluslararası Eğitim Bilimleri Kongresi , Van, Türkiye, 24 - 26 Haziran 2022, ss.7
CAREER IN THE DIGITAL ERA
Keywords: Career, Digital Era, Digital Platforms, Digital Measurement Tools, Electronic Portfolio
The digital revolution of the 21st century has removed the physical borders and brought humanity to a new stage. In this phase, which enables communication from one end of the world to the other, people, next to their physical identity, have become part of the virtual world as well. This transformation first started with the transfer of personal relationships to the virtual environment and then moved to formal areas such as education and business. The latest pandemic has accelerated this transition and brought individuals to the point of living with technology by breaking their prejudices against technology and the virtual world. As in other fields, the career field has started to develop and change with this digitalization. With this change, the transition from physical working environments to flexible working anywhere has begun, and the phenomenon of having a job has expanded and diversified towards remote and project-based “freelancer” jobs. It can be said that digitalization in business environments as well as the uncertainty, diversity and freedom brought by the 21st century have increased the needs of individuals for career counseling and guidance.
Career counseling in the 21st century is expanding and evolving into digital fields. In this sense, comprehensive career-related databases enable students, graduates and employees to access the information they need on their own. For example, the US-based ONET database offers its users a wide range of constantly updated professional information. It provides information in a wide variety of areas such as which interests, abilities and values a profession address, what training it requires, and how the work environment is. In this context, İŞKUR, and the UNIVERİ databases developed by the Presidential Human Resources Office in Turkey provide information about professions, especially to students who are at the stage of the selection process. For individuals who need Career Counseling, online counseling applications are becoming widespread. In this context, the Talent Gate (Yetenek Kapısı) platform provides university students with the opportunity to reach career counselors in career centers, either face-to-face or online. On the other hand, artificial intelligence applications and programs that support individuals in making career decisions have started to be used, especially abroad. With these applications, users can be guided to different areas by artificial intelligence algorithms by answering questions, choosing between options and filling out measurement tools.
Digital applications that individuals can use in making career decisions have started to increase. However, digitalization is not limited to this area. University education alone is no longer sufficient for new graduates wishing to find a job. With the increase in distance education and course options, many opportunities have emerged to enrich the resumes of students and graduates. With the spread of e-portfolios in which they can exhibit their work since their student life, the perception of the classical CV has begun to change. In addition, the visibility of professional identities in the virtual environment has brought a new dimension to entrepreneurship and self-presentation skills. In today's digital world, individuals can establish their own businesses using virtual environments and find customers by selling their digital identities. Social media accounts show how today's career understanding is changing in this context.
As a result, the traditional career understanding has started to lose its validity especially in the post-pandemic world. This situation, on one hand, requires individuals to acquire new skills, on the other hand, it offers the opportunity to progress in their own way in an ocean of unlimited possibilities. During the process of society's adaptation to this new world, it is important for career counselors to adapt themselves to this world and become leaders of the society and facilitate the change process.