Emotional anticipation of future vocational transitions: A person-centered approach

Most future educational and career transitions represent major life events that individuals anticipate to a considerable extent, possibly with multiple emotions at the same time. However, few studies have examined the emotions that individuals experience when they anticipate a future educational or career transition, imagine how it will occur, the consequences it will have for them, and visualize their coping efforts. The aims of the present dissertation are fourfold. First, we explore individuals’ combinations of multiple future-oriented emotions at the prospect of three major educational and career transitions: (a) the transition from high school to higher education, (b) the transition from higher education to the job market, and (c) the transition from unemployment to employment. Due to the rather exploratory nature of our first research question, our second objective pertains to the replication of these combinations and the investigation of similarities between several groups of individuals based on (a) gender, (b) institutional context, and (c) the temporal distance before the transition. Third, we examine several antecedents of individuals’ combinations of future-oriented emotions. These antecedents ranged from career-related constructs such as career decidedness and career adaptability to affective mechanisms such as cognitive appraisals, trait affect, and emotion regulation. Finally, we examine the behavioral effects of future-oriented emotions in terms of anticipated vocational planning and effort. Overall, the present dissertation brings several implications in highlighting the combinations of future-oriented emotions that individuals experience when anticipating important vocational transitions, a research strand that is scarce both in vocational and emotion research. From a practical point of view, the evidence of several combinations—and the differences and similarities among several groups or contexts—carries practical implications for designing and implementing career-related interventions. Finally, examining antecedents and outcomes of future-oriented emotions combinations underlines the importance of taking emotional anticipation processes into account when individuals prepare for and cope with major educational and career transitions.

Dual Career Development Perspective: Factors Affecting Quality of Post-sport Career Transition of Employed Olympic Athletes

Although Olympic athletes are celebrated for their sports achievements, they often face serious difficulties in their post-sport career employment. Factors of development that are affecting the quality of post-sport career transition of Olympic athletes are important to acknowledge in the dual career (DC) development perspective. Due to the side lining of academic activities, athletes are often not well prepared for the labor market. If they do not gain sufficient financial background in their careers, it can lead to a lack of proper economic inclusion of athletes in their post-sport career employment and further impact their lives. Career transitions of athletes have been the subject of research in different aspects of DC support (e.g., athletic, psychological, psychosocial, academic/vocational, financial), but most research is linked to the student-athlete DC perspective. Therefore, the aim of our research was to examine the impact of factors directly contributing to the quality of the post-sport career transition in Slovenian elite and Olympic athletes and the social class position and employment of these athletes after the termination of their sports career. From DC support practice, we learned that although athletes often have a proper level of education, their post-sport career transitions were not successful. To fill this gap, 168 elite athletes (Mage = 33.34, SD = 13.1) from Slovenia were asked to complete online questionnaires. The results showed a significant contribution of education and DC support-related finances (e.g., employment of athletes in public administration) to the quality of post-sport career transition. Regarding developing a national DC model and based on empirical research, this study identifies the social class position and employment status of former elite athletes from Slovenia. It also identifies opportunities for further research on the quality of the post-sport career transitions and perspectives on DC support. Understanding how different factors contribute to the integrated development of individual athletes to reach their potential in sports, education, and their post-sport career employment is important for theorists, DC practitioners, and stakeholders working with DC athletes. To develop a sufficient mechanism, DC support providers should consider supporting education along with the financial support of athletes during their sports careers and recognizing study-training ecosystems, based on good practices to successfully transition to their post-sport careers. These findings can also be useful for athletes and their athletic triangle support network (e.g., coaches and parents) as a support in the decision-making.

Emotional anticipation of future vocational transitions: A person-centered approach

Most future educational and career transitions represent major life events that individuals anticipate to a considerable extent, possibly with multiple emotions at the same time. However, few studies have examined the emotions that individuals experience when they anticipate a future educational or career transition, imagine how it will occur, the consequences it will have for them, and visualize their coping efforts. The aims of the present dissertation are fourfold. First, we explore individuals’ combinations of multiple future-oriented emotions at the prospect of three major educational and career transitions: (a) the transition from high school to higher education, (b) the transition from higher education to the job market, and (c) the transition from unemployment to employment. Due to the rather exploratory nature of our first research question, our second objective pertains to the replication of these combinations and the investigation of similarities between several groups of individuals based on (a) gender, (b) institutional context, and (c) the temporal distance before the transition. Third, we examine several antecedents of individuals’ combinations of future-oriented emotions. These antecedents ranged from career-related constructs such as career decidedness and career adaptability to affective mechanisms such as cognitive appraisals, trait affect, and emotion regulation. Finally, we examine the behavioral effects of future-oriented emotions in terms of anticipated vocational planning and effort. Overall, the present dissertation brings several implications in highlighting the combinations of future-oriented emotions that individuals experience when anticipating important vocational transitions, a research strand that is scarce both in vocational and emotion research. From a practical point of view, the evidence of several combinations—and the differences and similarities among several groups or contexts—carries practical implications for designing and implementing career-related interventions. Finally, examining antecedents and outcomes of future-oriented emotions combinations underlines the importance of taking emotional anticipation processes into account when individuals prepare for and cope with major educational and career transitions.

Staged entrepreneurship: the formation of hybrid and spawning entrepreneurial intentions

Most individuals find their way into entrepreneurship through combinations of self-employment and paid employment. However, prior research on entrepreneurial intentions has overlooked intended career transitions. Drawing on social cognitive career theory, we argue that, against the background of personal and environmental factors, individuals form career intentions that involve the combination of and transition between paid employment and self-employment. Such staged entrepreneurial intentions include the delay of entrepreneurial entry by intermediate stages of paid employment (i.e., spawning entrepreneurial intentions) or immediate entrepreneurial entry in parallel combination with paid employment at established organizations (i.e., hybrid entrepreneurial intentions). We test these theoretical ideas based on a survey involving 1003 individuals prior to career entry. The results indicate that individuals proactively align their envisioned career stages according to expected socio-cognitive enablers and barriers (i.e., their entrepreneurial self-efficacy, personal attitudes to entrepreneurship, subjective norms, and socioeconomic status). Notably, we find that individuals with lower levels of perceived social support for an entrepreneurial career more likely intend to combine their existing entrepreneurial activities with a conventional career at an established organization. Furthermore, individuals from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds as well as women are more likely to delay entrepreneurial entry by starting their professional careers in paid employment. The study’s primary contribution is the introduction of a novel perspective on entrepreneurial intentions based on individuals’ intended career transitions.

Managing career transitions into post-secondary Learning Designer Jobs: An Australasian perspective

This semi-structured qualitative study maps out the diversity of career paths of Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) learning designers (LDs) and summarises their career advice for those aspiring to be LDs. It identifies that, among the 92 participants, there were many different pathways into the profession both from an academic and from professional backgrounds. It identified that the most common entry points into the postsecondary LD profession come through previously working: as a primary and secondary teacher; in higher education student services, as an English as a Second Language (ESL) professional, a sessional academic seeking job stability; in private industry, such as in film and television and in the area of training and development. Most career transitions into LD were serendipitous, or a natural progression rather than a deliberate and planned process. The study further identified a paucity of LD and associated professions career information in ANZ public domain, which held some back from entering a Learning Design career earlier. This paper concludes with some recommended strategies to address this, to the extent that it is hoped that this paper will aid aspiring LDs in planning their career transitions more effectively.

Career Transitions

The issue of transitioning from work in theological libraries to public university libraries is explored using the method of autoethnography. Key differences between public, private, and for-profit schools are highlighted and linked to how each type is driven variously by a mission, mandate, or method. Since the ease by which job seekers may adjust when moving between each type may be affected by factors beyond personal preferences for benefits, this paper surveys literature related to fit and retention in the academy; religious privilege; religion and legal doctrine; and faith in the context of secular employment. Finally, the terms theological librarian, religious librarian, and religion librarian are defined relative to the different roles librarians undertake in private versus public institutions. A rubric for evaluating a move to a new employment setting is included as an appendix.

Inside Jobs: Salary Setting for Immigrants Crossing Establishment, Organizational, and National Boundaries

Using novel US Department of Labor administrative records, the authors test theoretical mechanisms to account for variation in immigrant workers’ starting salaries following key career transitions. Specifically, they examine differences in the base starting salaries and discretionary starting salary increases above these base starting salaries for 1) same-establishment hires, relative to 2) US-based establishment transfers, 3) international establishment transfers, 4) US-based external hires, and 5) international external hires. In support of the “insider premium” account, findings show that same-establishment hires tend to work in jobs with greater requirements, and thus higher base starting salaries. In partial support of the “outsider premium” account, findings show that US-based external hires receive larger starting salary increases than do same-establishment hires, conditional on the jobs they enter. This said, international external hires receive smaller starting salary increases than do same-establishment hires. Findings reveal distinct mechanisms, acting separately or in tandem, during salary-setting processes.