Every year, millions of young people must decide what majors to take, what courses to attempt and, overall, what career choice to make. Some follow through with determination, and shine in their chosen career; others get bogged down, decide they can’t manage or don’t like the industry and drop out of either relevant study or the job itself. What is the success factor that makes the difference between career performance accomplishment and failure to stick it out?
Self-confidence Holds the Key to Successful Career Choice
While many might presume that ‘having the brains’ to be able to grasp the concepts and skills of the industry determines whether the student or new employee succeeds, psychologist Albert Bandera indicates that effective intellectual functioning requires far more to ensure career success.( Bandera, 117).
Indeed, his research indicates that those who even viewed success as dependent on innate ability, ‘plummeted’ when they experience the first problems (Bandera p.121). Success or failure, dropping out of a career choice comes down to that old faithful – self-confidence, or more precisely, self efficacy
What Is Self Efficacy?
In their research on undergraduate Hospitality students, Ning-Kuang Chaung and Mary Dellman-Jenkins determined that the retention of young professionals in the Hospitality industry was closely correlated with their Self-Efficacy. The researchers style this simply as “Can I do this?” but it does go beyond a simple self confidence.
The researchers followed Crites’ 1961 self efficacy career choice competencies which have long been deemed reliable in determining whether students will be indecisive about career choices, which in turn can undermine their chances (Creed, et .al. p.6).
The five criteria are:
- Self appraisal: can the person assess their own abilities, desires and goals?
- Vocational Information Gathering: Can the student efficiently gather relevant information about the industry so that they are fully aware of both the negatives and positives?
- Planning for the future: Has the student the ability to point themselves to the future and put necessary building blocks in place?
- Problem solving: Does the student have the ability and resources to deal with problems as they arise?
- Goal selection: Can the student determine what to aim for and follow through?
Chaung and Dellman-Jenkins argue that these criteria of self efficacy have a strong effect on career choice behaviour, either directly or via outcome expectations. Basically, if a student is ill-informed about the industry or starts with a sense that they are not suited or lack the ability, there is a very good chance that they will talk themselves into failure.
Self Efficacy can be developed, improved and modified as career accomplishments build confidence, or through learning and influence from others. Students and career counsellors, however, would be wise to address these criteria early and secure a better chance of a satisfying and long-term career choice.
Sources:
- Bandura, A., Perceived Self-Efficacy in Cognitive Development and Functioning, Educational Psychologist, 28 (2), 1993, pp. 117-148.
- Chaung, N and Dellman-Jenkins, M., Career Decision Making and intention: A Study of Hospitality Undergraduate Students, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, May 2010.
- Creed, Peter and Patton, Wendy and Prideaux, Lee-Ann (2006) Causal Relationship Between Career Indecision and Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy: A Longitudinal Cross-Lagged Analysis. Journal of Career Development 33(1) pp. 47-65
