Decision-making of Early Career Academics: The Possibilities for the Objective Knowledge Growth Framework

Abstract

Early career academics (ECAs), those who are within the first five years of completing their Ph.D. studies, go through an intense transition process as they deal with career shifts, increasing workload, and job insecurity. As they navigate this new role, they must approach career decision-making effectively and efficiently. This paper aims to review the Objective Knowledge Growth Framework (OKGF) and argue its viability for career decision-making of early career academics. Furthermore, this paper demonstrates the cyclic process of the OKGF and how it facilitates decision-making. This paper will interest those in their early academic years searching for a straightforward and systematic self-implementing approach to career decision-making.