Demographic Factors Influencing Lecturers’ Protean Career Orientation in North-Central Universities, Nigeria

The elements of a basic protean career orientation are basic elements of human needs for growth and meaningful occupational productivity. However, a significant percentage of lecturers in Nigerian universities find it difficult in practicing their value driven-career attitude and self-directed behavior. Thus, this descriptive study sought to assess the demographic factors that influence lecturers’ dimensions of protean career orientation: value driven-career attitude and self-directed behavior in North-central Universities, Nigeria. Four hundred lecturers were purposely selected from Kogi State University, Anyigba, Benue State University Makurdi and Federal University of Lafia, Nigeria as respondents using self-structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study found age and gender (70.2%) as influencing lecturers' value-driven career attitude while educational level and gender influences their self-directed attitude. The study discovered further that job and career satisfaction, organizational commitment, task performance, self-management behavior and career productivity were the influence protean career orientation had on lecturers work outcome in North-central universities, Nigeria (97.2%). However, 70.2% of lecturers in the study settings could not practice their protean career orientation effectively. Poor motivation, lack of adequate infrastructural facilities, teaching of large classes, poor staff development and strike actions were the barriers identified (68.4%). The study recommends among others that the Nigerian universities should provide organizational support that actively engages employees in the management of their own career as well as formal training and education on value-driven and self-directed attitudes so as to encourage positive values among lecturers.