This study examined the relationships between work volition, career adaptability, future expectations about work and education, and life satisfaction, with decent work as a mediator, based on the Psychology of Working Theory. Study 1 validated the Work Volition Scale-Student Version with 545 Turkish vocational high school students. Study 2, conducted with 557 students, found that all relationships among predictor, mediator, and outcome variables were significant, except for the direct link between work volition and life satisfaction. Mediation analysis showed that future decent work perceptions partially mediated the relationship between work volition and future expectations about work and education, as well as between career adaptability and these expectations and life satisfaction. Additionally, future decent work perceptions fully mediated the link between work volition and life satisfaction. These findings highlight the importance of psychological factors in shaping vocational students’ perceptions of future decent work, particularly in socio-economically disadvantaged regions of Türkiye. The study underscores the role of future decent work perceptions in linking psychological factors to decent work outcomes. Enhancing students’ work volition and career adaptability can strengthen their perceptions of securing decent work, improve their future expectations, and ultimately facilitate a smoother transition from school to work. © The Author(s) 2025
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