Protean career processes in young adults: Relationships with perceived future employability, educational performance, and commitment

Abstract

Protean career processes of vocational identity awareness, career adaptability, and career agency have been hypothesized to mediate the relationships between protean career orientation and career-related outcomes. To date, the role of these process mechanisms has not been assessed directly in young adults, and little attention has been paid to educational outcomes, which are important career-related goals for young people on the way to their desired career. To address this gap, we tested this indirect-effects model in a sample of young adult undergraduates (N = 396; M<inf>age</inf> = 20.19, SD = 2.99; 72.2% women) and included career-related goals (perceived future employability, educational performance, and commitment) as outcomes. Identity awareness and career adaptability partially explained the relationship between protean career orientation and perceived future employability and completely explained the relationships with educational performance and commitment. Contrary to protean career theory, there were no significant indirect paths via career agency to any of the outcomes. © The Author(s) 2023.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Career adaptability vocational identity Career agency Educational performance Future employability Protean career processes University commitment

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations

Griffith Health, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Griffith Health, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Funding & Acknowledgements

No funding information

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Protean career processes in young adults: Relationships with perceived future employability, educational performance, and commitment

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