Autoethnography: a person-centered approach to unraveling modern career mobility

Purpose This original research introduces autoethnography as an essential method for understanding contemporary career mobility. It offers a personal perspective that is missing from the protean career literature, despite its person-centered nature. It demonstrates how distinct advantages of autoethnography in self-reflection and narration can facilitate mindful navigation of career transitions. In a world where career paths and work environments are rapidly changing, a deliberate and reflective approach can distinguish between mere job changes and profound career transformations. By addressing this gap in academic literature, the research enhances the discourse on integrating boundaryless and protean career theories, enriching our understanding of career trajectories. Design/methodology/approach Utilizing the self as a case study, the author deploys analytic autoethnography to reflect on two life episodes where professional transformation was contemplated and career paths reformed. Findings This study demonstrates the interdependence between personal and profession life and offers an original analytical framework for investigation. The MEANING framework proposed in this study encompasses Motivation, Experience, Aspirations, Needs, Identity, Narrative and Goals. It contributes an innovative autoethnographic perspective on the protean theory, broadening its understanding. Research limitations/implications The study enriches vocational theory with a unique autoethnographic view, while offering individuals a meaningful framework for self-investigation as they contemplate career choices in life. Further research is essential to solidify the proposed framework. Practical implications This original study may assist practitioners and individuals seeking to understand personal career journeys within a modern, complex and dynamic workforce. Originality/value This original research makes two key contributions: first, it offers an innovative autoethnographic lens for understanding the boundaryless, protean career, and second, it introduces a new analytic approach for navigating modern career transitions - the MEANING Framework.