Career Aspirations of Young Adults and the Role of General Self-Efficacy in Shaping Career Related Decisions

Abstract

Young adults' career aspirations are of crucial importance to determining their educational and career paths. General self-efficacy is one of the psychological factors that has been identified as a key determinant of confidence, resilience, and decision-making skills in career development. Few studies, however, have investigated the link between general self-efficacy and career goals of young adults in various educational and occupational settings. A descriptive and correlational research design was used in this study to analyze the relationship between general self-efficacy and career aspirations of young adults aged 18-30. A structured questionnaire, consisting of a General Self-Efficacy Scale and a Career Aspirations Scale was used to gather data from 100 respondents. The participants were selected using the convenience sampling technique. Data collected were analyzed descriptively, through Chi-square, correlation, and simple linear regression. The results indicated that 50% of the respondents had moderate self-efficacy, 30% had high self-efficacy, and 20% had low self-efficacy. With regard to career aspirations, 43% were shown to have moderate aspirations, whilst 37% were shown to have high aspirations. The result of Chi-square analysis showed that career aspiration was significantly associated with self-efficacy (????²= 18.72, ????????= 4, p = 0.001). A correlation analysis also revealed that the variables were significantly and positively correlated (???? =0.620; ???? <0.001). In sum, the data indicate that youth who are high in self-efficacy are more likely to have clear career plans and more certain in making career choices and persistent in career pursuit. The results underscore the need for improving self-efficacy by providing education, mentoring, career guidance, and skill development programs to help young adults make informed career decisions and achieve long-term career success.