Unleashing Career Potential: Unveiling the Inner Drive of Young Australian University Students

29/06/2023

Dr Sujin Kim is a Lecturer in the Graduate Certificate of Career Development program at James Cook University, dedicated to providing valuable guidance to students and professionals in their career journeys. She is passionate about helping individuals navigate their career paths, develop essential skills, and achieve their professional goals.

Career values play a significant role in shaping our career paths and choices. They are shaped by various personal and external factors (e.g. gender, socioeconomic status). Research tells us they begin to form during childhood and continue to develop throughout our lives.

We learn these values from our parents, friends, and other significant individuals in our lives. Additionally, education, media, and cultural norms also contribute to our understanding of career values. For instance, parents serve as role models by displaying their own work values and reinforcing or discouraging certain values in their children.

My doctoral research at Griffith University, under the guidance of Professor Michelle Hood, Professor Peter Creed, and Dr Debra Bath, focused on the investigation of career values. This research significantly influences my work as a Lecturer of Graduate Certificate Career Development.

It is essential to understand the career values, which are personal assessments of what we need in our jobs and what motivates our career-related goals, decisions, and actions. These values are held by individuals and are particularly important for young people who are in the early stages of their career development and getting ready to enter the workforce. 

In today's dynamic workforce, young individuals embrace various new career values, including autonomy and independence. However, it remains uncertain how these values coexist with more traditional aspirations like job security and long-term employment. To shed light on this intriguing aspect, I embarked on a qualitative research journey, conducting interviews to explore the diverse range and manifestation of career values among young people.

My doctoral study specifically focused on young adults between the ages of 17 and 25 who were enrolled in professional programs at an Australian university. By delving into the career values of these aspiring professionals, we sought to provide valuable insights for career practitioners who play a crucial role in guiding and supporting young individuals on their career paths.

Here's what young Australians shared with me during my research about what they want and what motivates them in their careers.

Find a company that fits my values

A significant majority of young Australians (79.2%) expressed a strong desire to discover an employing organisation that matches their skills, personal qualities, and values. Many emphasised that if a company were to ask them to do something that contradicted their values or conscience, they would choose to "leave", "take action", or "explore other job opportunities". They prioritised finding organisations where they could be authentic and true to their own values.  

Prefer a freer way of doing things

Young people have shown a strong yearning for jobs that offer freedom and independence. The respondents (79.2%) expressed a preference for having the freedom to approach tasks in their own way while still being aware of their limitations. They preferred having general guidelines to follow but disliked being overly supervised. They valued employers who had trust in their abilities and allowed them to take on tasks independently, rather than engaging in excessive micromanagement.

Find a career that I’m happy with and makes me happy

There appears to be a clear shift towards valuing personal contentment in one's role, and it will be crucial to consider this in future career development and recruitment efforts. A substantial majority of the respondents (66.7%) highlighted the importance of personal satisfaction in defining their career success. Their comments frequently expressed a desire for happiness, contentment, comfort, enjoyment, and fulfilment in their careers. They also displayed a strong aspiration to build a meaningful and rewarding career path that would bring them a sense of purpose and satisfaction.

Balance other things … family … my own time … kids

After experiencing the pandemic, we have all come to recognise the value of our time and the importance of health. The disruption caused by the pandemic has also led us to realise that things can be done differently, and there is no one perfect career narrative. The importance of work-life balance (62.5%) was evident in our study as young Australians emphasised the desire for "more life than work" in achieving the ideal balance. They placed value on establishing clear boundaries between their work, relationships (such as family and friends), and hobbies, ensuring that work did not consume their entire lives. While acknowledging the significance of their careers, they emphasised the importance of “not bringing work home” to maintain a healthy balance.

Have a stable job

In the past few years, there have been numerous economic concerns and uncertainties surrounding income and the ability to sustain businesses. The global economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may have prompted individuals to place a higher value on job security. Job security emerged as a prominent career value among the majority of young Australians (75.0%). The students commented their desire for a stable job to cover expenses, pay mortgages, and support their future family plans.

Achieving financial security was a driving force behind their aspirations, with some participants emphasising the importance of working full-time rather than opting for casual or flexible positions. They believed that job stability could bring a sense of comfort, relaxation, reassurance, and a feeling of safety. One male participant even changed his career paths to enhance his chances of attaining job security, aiming to “be secure, and not to be worrying all the time financially”. 

What should this mean for our practice?

While it is crucial to remember that everyone reacts differently, the research contributes to our understanding that there have been attitudinal shifts. It's important for recruiters and human resource managers to understand that while young adults desire freedom, autonomy, and alignment with their values in their ideal workplace, they also prioritise job security and opportunities for growth, especially in the early stages of their careers.

In particular, it is noteworthy that participants repeatedly expressed their unwillingness to compromise their own values for the sake of a company's values during interviews. Therefore, it is evident that exploring and respecting the values that early career entrants desire and prefer is a potential way to prevent "quite quitting". Creating a company culture and environment that aligns with their values can help retain these individuals and foster a sense of commitment and loyalty.

Furthermore, when recruiting young individuals, organisations should ensure that they provide clear and accurate job descriptions, as well as effectively communicate the company's values and mission. This way, young people can make informed decisions about the work being offered and determine if it aligns well with their needs.

This benefits both the individuals, who can choose employment that suits them, and the organisations, as they avoid hiring employees with conflicting expectations. The key lesson for young people is to be clear about their values, research what employers are offering, and strive to find a match between their most important values and the conditions provided by prospective employers.

Career practitioners can play a valuable role in helping young individuals comprehend the fundamental aspects that hold significance in their careers. It is crucial for career practitioners to emphasise that relying solely on job security and structured advancement within a single organisation may not be practical or advantageous in today's dynamic job market.

Sortheix et al. (2015) found that placing excessive emphasis on security values at a young age could increase the likelihood of unemployment later on. To address this, career practitioners can guide people in gaining a realistic understanding of various career paths and aligning their values with the evolving demands of the labour market.

Encouraging anyone to participate in career fairs, workshops, and online courses can facilitate the development of realistic expectations about the nature of work and its requirements as they complete their formal education.

References:

Kim, S., Hood, M., Creed, P. A., & Bath, D. (2023). The underlying career values of young adults' protean and traditional career orientations. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-023-09593-z

Sortheix, F. M., Chow, A., & Salmela-Aro, K. (2015). Work values and the transition to work life: A longitudinal study. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 89(18), 162–171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2015.06.001