Article Examining Longitudinal Relationships Between Dysfunctional Career Thoughts and Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy in School-to-Work Transition

This study examines the role of dysfunctional career thoughts between two-wave longitudinal data (Time 1 and Time 2) in career decision-making self-eff icacy during school-to-work transition periods. Career decision-making self-eff icacy was measured before (Time 1) and after college graduation (Time 2). The results indicated that the growth of dysfunctional career thoughts during school-to-work transition periods negatively mediated the two time points (Time 1 and Time 2) of career decision-making self-eff icacy. This study also examines the moderation effect of planned happenstance career skills, which refers the individuals ’ skills in generating learning experiences during unexpected events on the relationship between dysfunctional career thoughts and career decision-making self-eff icacy. College students ’ career decision self-eff icacy (Time 1) appeared to weaken individual’s career decision self-eff icacy after college graduation (Time 2) via dysfunctional career thoughts when students were less likely to have developed planned happenstance career skills in order to discover unexpected career opportunities during school-to-work transition periods. Keywords planned happenstance skills, career decision-making self-eff icacy, dysfunctional career thoughts, longitudinal analysis Among all career developmental transitions, getting a first job is one of the most important periods in the process of establishing adult career identity (Bluestein, 1997; Bynner, 1998; Grotevant, 1987; Savickas, 1985). Such a transitional period denotes the beginning of full-time employment an