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Career satisfaction is the main, and perhaps the only, preventive remedy for professional “burnout” and attrition. The concept of career satisfaction has been defined in many ways by many different researchers and practitioners. Early definitions of career satisfaction have been suggested by Vroom (1964), as well as Hackman and Oldham (1975); however, one of the most widely used definitions was proposed by Locke (1976), who described career satisfaction as “a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one's job or job experiences.” Three indispensable elements of career satisfaction are (i) passion and motivation, (ii) proficiency and skill, and (iii) opportunity and benefit (Figure 6.1). A person's attitude toward their job is usually a result of personal experience, which includes emotions and judgments. Within academia, career satisfaction can also be seen in the broader context, which includes determinants that affect an individual's professional experience and quality of working life. There is often a disparity between personal expectations of the job and the possibilities or opportunities presented by the job's environment.

Figure 6.1 Three elements of career satisfaction.

Career success is almost always divided into different domains: extrinsic success versus intrinsic success, objective success versus subjective success, or material elements of success versus psychological elements of success. Markers of extrinsic success can be a financial reward, a job promotion, a position of leadership, grants, and publications. Intrinsic success is measured by a more general satisfaction with career and life (Rubio et al. 2011). This chapter explores the factors influencing career satisfaction, especially among academics and physicians.