The purpose of this chapter is to examine the doctoral adventure of academicians working in Turkish higher education institutions within the framework of boundaryless career theory. Qualitative method was used to collect in-depth information. A two-stage process was followed in determining the participants of the study. Firstly, academicians who have completed their doctoral studies abroad will differentiate in social and human capital care, the ones who completed their doctorate in Turkey. Secondly, as the foundation of the independent identity of academicians, which is the most fundamental basis of boundaryless career theory, may change according to the institutionalization level of the universities. Participants were selected from a university with high-level institutionalization and a university with low-level institutionalization. The topics that stand out in the research can be listed as enjoyable aspects and difficulties of being an academician, competence of academics, relationship between advisor and academic career, meaning of the doctorate thesis, academic resistance.
TopIntroduction
Completing doctorate degree education is considered as a good career option despite the difficulties involved. Because higher education provides a number of benefits to both individual and society (The Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, 1973, p. 71). Highly educated people’s being less likely unemployed and living less likely in poverty constitute the potential to affect individuals' lives the most among the incomes (Baum & Payea, 2005; Baum, Ma & Payea, 2013). Basically, the individual benefit of education is the increase in productivity provided by the additional education that the individual receives and the use of this increase to generate higher income (Türkmen, 2009, p. 23). For this reason, individuals demand education to get more benefits. This demand gradually increases towards the higher educational levels as individuals try to increase their benefits (Özkan, 2014). On the way on becaomin and academician, doctorate degree education may be considered as a precondition for a good career due to factors such as the value given by the society to academic titles such as professor, associate professor, the lifelong increase in income with these titles along with the desire of the individual to improve her/him and to specialize in one subject.
Even though there are different career theories in the literature, intelligent career theory (DeFillipi & Arthur, 1994) has stood out in recent years. This new career understanding puts forth primarily that the career actor signs the psychological contract not with the institution but with himself/herself. Hence, it emphasizes the necessity for the career actor to keep himself/herself at an “employable” position. In order to accomplish this, the actors accumulate career capital by consciously investing in their careers by means of “three ways of knowing” while also fulfilling their duties. Intelligent career theory indicates that individuals accumulate capital consciously by means of the three ways of knowing (Inkson & Arthur, 2001, p. 51): knowing why, knowing how, knowing whom.
The knowing why competency is related to self-knowledge including knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses required for the career that the actor wishes to attain, self-identification or career identity, adapting to changing conditions, career planning and interests (Arthur, Inkson & Pringle 1999; Cappellen & Janssens, 2008; DeFillippi & Arthur, 1994; Parker & Arthur, 2004). The most important factor with regard to the knowing why competency is that the actor should be able to put forth his/her independent identity instead of identifying his/her identity through organizational reference (Parker, Khapova & Arthur, 2009).
The knowing how competency reflects the response of the actor to the question of how do we do a job. It provides the actor with an ability to grasp the career-related skills and job-related knowledge needed for competent performance in one’s work. Smart responses to the questions of which trainings can I take, how can I increase my professional experience indicate high levels of this competence.
While the knowing-whom competency covers inter-firm and intra-firm networks of relations and the contacts within these networks that the actor has established as well as the professional and social contacts that are beneficial for his/her career. This competency of the actor may contribute to accessing knowledge, realizing new career opportunities, support references and networking (Parker & Arthur, 2004).
In this study, it was aimed to carrying out a study on the doctorate degree process of academics working at Turkish higher education institutions and their impressions from before, during and after. Comparing the postgraduate processes of faculties at Turkish Universities, who are relatively young compared to the West, in terms of before, during and after the process is considered important to examine how their careers are shaped, and to go to the basics of their career planning. In order to understand these fundamentals, comparisons are analysed in three dimensions: universities with low levels of domestic institutionalization, universities with high levels of domestic institutionalization, and those doing postgraduate studies in abroad graduate universities.