Career Development Skills, Outcomes, and Hope Among College Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was twofold. First, the utility of the Integrative Contextual Model of Career Development (ICM) to describe the career development behavior of college students was examined. Second, relationships among educational and career development skills (career exploration, person–environment fit, goal setting, social/prosocial/work readiness, self-regulated learning, and the utilization of emotional and instrumental support), educational and career development outcomes (self-efficacy, positive self-attributions, vocational identity, magnitude of vocational interests, and proactivity), and two components of hope (agency and pathways) among college students were explored. Results indicated that ICM is a useful model for college students and that the interrelated skills predicted the interrelated outcomes. The agency aspect of hope predicted both skills and outcomes; and skills or outcomes predicted agency. Pathways were not predictive of nor predicted by skills or outcomes. Suggestions about how these skills can be developed in college students are offered.