Whole-Life Career Design - A Framework to Promote Meaningful, Sustainable Careers

Whole-Life Career Design presents an integrative framework for promoting meaningful and sustainable careers in an increasingly dynamic, uncertain world of work. The framework adopts a whole-life perspective in two senses: (a) it is lifespan-oriented and applicable across career stages, and (b) it explicitly links careers to other life roles and goals at the work–nonwork interface. Building on life design and career construction approaches, the framework adds a practice-oriented architecture that translates narrative meaning and values clarification into sustained self-management, resource building, and adaptive goal pursuit. Conceptually, it is organized around four core pillars: values-based career direction (values as an “inner compass” for meaning and decisions), resource-oriented career management (building, maintaining, and deploying internal and external resources), active career design (proactive and adaptive action regulation), and an explicit whole-life perspective (alignment of career goals and behaviors with nonwork goals and constraints). Practically, the framework operationalizes career design through four iterative action domains: setting goals, exploring resources and barriers, action planning and implementation, and monitoring and adjusting. Applications are outlined for individual counseling, career education and workshops, and organizational career development and leadership practices, with the overarching aim of strengthening career self-management competencies that support long-term health, happiness, and productivity.