If Simone de Beauvoir could see the way we construct a career path, she would probably start by debunking the idea that there is only one route to success. She would  not be interested in perfect CVs or promotions as the only measurement of one’s worth. For her, life and, therefore, a career path is a project in constant construction that constitutes a commitment to freedom, responsibility and transcendency. We are not born with a developed identity, so neither do we have a ‘predestined’ career path, we create it as we go along, correcting – and above all, questioning – what we do at any given time.

What am I going to read in this article?

 

Simone de Beauvoir and work as a project for life

From Beauvoir’s perspective, framed within the current of existentialism, freedom is not a state but a constant act. Millions of choices are presented to us, each one with a different outcome, and it is our both our privilege and our burden to be able to choose and take responsibility for those choices. From this perspective, work is not just a source of income or a way of passing time away. It is, or can be, a way of unfolding our project for life, a form of materialising what we want to contribute to the world. This does not mean that the path is not strewn with stones or obstacles, simply that we should understand that even within possible complications there are decisions that we can take to improve the direction we take.

 

“We are not born with a developed identity, so neither do we have a ‘predestined’ career path, we create it as we go along, correcting, and above   all, questioning”.

 

One of the great contributions of the thinking of Simone de Beauvoir and the existentialists was to debunk the idea that identity is given to us in advance. For this philosophical current, being a person is a task, not a starting point. On the professional level, this involves ceasing to define ourselves through narrow labels and to start seeing ourselves as subjects in transformation. Professional development should not be like a rigid ladder, but an expanding map. In this sense, asking oneself “who do I want to be at work?” can be more revealing than “what do I want to be?”.

That question opens up unexpected elements and enables you to combine disciplines, reinvent yourself, take a break, and start all over again. This is where Simone de  Beauvoir’s thinking comes into its own, emphasising that professional development is an existential experience. Philosophy has traditionally sustained that the human being is not a fixed essence, but existence, a project, something transcendent, autonomy and freedom. This claim takes on radical importance when we talk about work because it is not just a case of climbing steps or fulfilling external expectations, it is about deciding where we want to go and why.

Being transcendental means leaving a mark on the world, and if this is applied to the world of work this can become something valuable, it can inspire others, improve a system or build a community. The post or job is not as important as the intention, because it is a case of contributing, from where we are, to a more beneficial situation for everyone. Knowing what we want to do in our professional development and the steps needed to get there are key factors in achieving self-realisation; it has nothing to do with a high salary or a position of power but to be where we want to be.

 

“Being transcendental involves leaving a mark on the world, and if applied to the world of work this can become something valuable, it can inspire others, improve a system or build a community”.

 

Women, freedom and a career: a necessary perspective

In her book The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir described the circumstances that put obstacles in the way of women’s lives, as they come across “stones on the path” at all stages of their lives due to the mere fact of belonging to the female gender. At this point, her thinking reminds us that a woman’s professional development is not restricted to “getting a senior post” but to freely choose how she wishes to experience her working life. Yes, material conditions are required, but cultural ones with different models too, together with safe spaces and shared responsibility. In the words of the writer Elvira Navarro, according to Beauvoir and the existentialists, “we only conquer our context if we are capable of going beyond our biological and social conditioning by affirming our freedom through the projects we decide to undertake”. This notion can be applied to all aspects of our lives: relationships, creation… and work.

So, asking oneself what Simone de Beauvoir would say about your professional development is not a mere intellectual curiosity, but an invitation to think about your career, not as a pre-established route but as something open to possibilities. Making aware choices, acting responsibly, redefining success and creating a professional identity that does not correspond to external moulds but to freedom in the deepest sense.