The future of careers-work professionalism: Fears and hopes

Abstract

Careers work professionalism is a personal commitment framed by an institutional policy. Without the institutional, the commitment is unsupported; without the commitment, the policy is futile. But no professionalism is given once-and-for-all. It is an attribution: meaning what different people say it means – at different times, in different settings, and from different perspectives. The meanings attributed to careers-work professionalism are all contestable. The article probes those dissonances, examining the issues they raise for our credibility, expertise, connectedness and independence. Their resolution has consequences for the public face of careers work, the partnerships we make, stakeholders we consult, research we undertake, developments we create, funding we negotiate and colleagues we attract. We have had too many temporary postponements of fear, we need a sustainable basis for hope.