Professional Development: Proposition of a Trans-occupational Model from a Qualitative Study

Abstract

Abstract Knowing the perceptions of people from different professions about their professional development is one of the current changes in the field of Labor Psychology. The objective of this study was to construct a Trans-occupational theoretical model of professional development based on the grounded theory. To this end, 25 interviews were conducted in depth with five professional categories, namely: lawyers, entrepreneurs, engineers, physicians and psychologists. Data collection instrument was an open script for interviews, which were then recorded and transcribed. Analysis of results was supported by the software Alceste. Results point to similarities and specificities in the career trajectories inter-professions, and we opted for the non-inclusion of entrepreneurs in the model due to their significant difference when compared to the other categories. As a conclusion, we proposed a trans-occupational model of professional development with five key elements: Work Context, Motivation, Training/Learning, Relational Elements and Lived Experiences. The model, although it requires research for validation, offers relevant contributions and reflections to professionals and researchers working in the area.