The purpose of this exploratory ethnographic research project was to investigate the career development experiences of Latinas employed in counseling and faculty positions in higher education. The research reveals strong images of an inhospitable and nonsupportive place to work and suggests that Latina women are inhibited from achieving the same levels of success as men or other women in higher education. Implications for career development practitioners are provided.
Career is a term that has many meanings in our society. Most people equate career with "vocation," suggesting that career refers exclusively to long-term remunerated work experiences (Hernandez, 1992). Super (1976) described career as the multiplicity of roles an individual plays and career choice as the implementation of one's self-concept in an occupational role. Super's description of career encompasses the multiple roles that are played out through time and the life space in which indwiduals live (Super, Savickas, & Super, 1996). Career development is thus unique to each indwidual and is based in the interaction of self, personality, genetic traits, and environmental variables. Culture and gender are two particularly important variables influencing career development. In this exploratory study, we sought to understand the career development experiences of Latinas working in counsehg and entry-level faculty positions in higher education.