Reimagining the relationship between career transitions and well-being: an insight into graduate higher education journeys in the UK

Daria Luchinskaya; Charikleia Tzanakou

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-68229-2_2

Reimagining the relationship between career transitions and well-being: an insight into graduate higher education journeys in the UK

Daria Luchinskaya, Charikleia Tzanakou

Work, Employment And Organisation

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

Abstract

This chapter investigates how strength of career clarity throughout the university experience affects graduates’ wellbeing after graduation. We use the longitudinal Futuretrack survey, which followed entrants to full-time higher education (HE) in the UK in 2005/06 through their HE experiences and their early post-graduation outcomes. Our approach draws on career construction and subjective well-being frameworks informed by sociological research. We use regression analysis to explore relationships between career clarity about future occupations and job and life satisfaction outcomes. We find that students’ career ideas change over their HE journeys and that high career clarity at the outset is not always positively associated with career exploration activities later on in the HE journey. We also find that while career clarity can be a useful resource to improve students’ wellbeing after graduation, it may not always be able to mitigate the negative impact of structural barriers.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Young People's Career Development and Wellbeing
Subtitle of host publication	An Enquiry across National Education Systems Based on Longitudinal Data
Editors	Elizabeth Knight, Belgin Okay-Somerville
Place of Publication	Cham
Publisher	Springer
Chapter	2
Pages	17-38
Number of pages	21
ISBN (Electronic)	9783031682292
ISBN (Print)	9783031682285, 9783031682315
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-68229-2_2
Publication status	Published - 23 Oct 2024

Publication series

Name	International Study of City Youth Education
ISSN (Print)	2524-8537
ISSN (Electronic)	2524-8545

Funding

We would like to thank Professor Kate Purcell and the research team at the University of Warwick, Institute for Employment Research for access to Futuretrack data, the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) University of Warwick for funding initial research work for this project, and Oxford Brookes Business School for further funding enabling us to continue our collaboration.

Keywords

career plan
university experience
career clarity
graduate outcomes
graduate wellbeing

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-031-68229-2_2

Embargoed Document

Luchinskaya-Tzanakou-Springer-2024-Reimagining-the-relationship-between-career-transitions-and-well-being
Accepted author manuscript, 891 KB
Embargo ends: 23/10/25

European Conference on Educational Research
Luchinskaya, D. (Participant)
22 Aug 2023
Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in conference
Evidence based policy and higher education: progress, pitfalls and promise
Luchinskaya, D. (Participant) & Tzanakou, C. (Participant)
31 Oct 2022
Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in conference

Cite this

Luchinskaya, D., & Tzanakou, C. (2024). Reimagining the relationship between career transitions and well-being: an insight into graduate higher education journeys in the UK. In E. Knight, & B. Okay-Somerville (Eds.), Young People's Career Development and Wellbeing: An Enquiry across National Education Systems Based on Longitudinal Data (pp. 17-38). (International Study of City Youth Education). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-68229-2_2

Luchinskaya, Daria ; Tzanakou, Charikleia. / Reimagining the relationship between career transitions and well-being : an insight into graduate higher education journeys in the UK. Young People's Career Development and Wellbeing: An Enquiry across National Education Systems Based on Longitudinal Data. editor / Elizabeth Knight ; Belgin Okay-Somerville. Cham : Springer, 2024. pp. 17-38 (International Study of City Youth Education).

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Luchinskaya, D & Tzanakou, C 2024, Reimagining the relationship between career transitions and well-being: an insight into graduate higher education journeys in the UK. in E Knight & B Okay-Somerville (eds), Young People's Career Development and Wellbeing: An Enquiry across National Education Systems Based on Longitudinal Data. International Study of City Youth Education, Springer, Cham, pp. 17-38. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-68229-2_2

Reimagining the relationship between career transitions and well-being: an insight into graduate higher education journeys in the UK. / Luchinskaya, Daria; Tzanakou, Charikleia.
Young People's Career Development and Wellbeing: An Enquiry across National Education Systems Based on Longitudinal Data. ed. / Elizabeth Knight; Belgin Okay-Somerville. Cham: Springer, 2024. p. 17-38 (International Study of City Youth Education).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

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AB - This chapter investigates how strength of career clarity throughout the university experience affects graduates’ wellbeing after graduation. We use the longitudinal Futuretrack survey, which followed entrants to full-time higher education (HE) in the UK in 2005/06 through their HE experiences and their early post-graduation outcomes. Our approach draws on career construction and subjective well-being frameworks informed by sociological research. We use regression analysis to explore relationships between career clarity about future occupations and job and life satisfaction outcomes. We find that students’ career ideas change over their HE journeys and that high career clarity at the outset is not always positively associated with career exploration activities later on in the HE journey. We also find that while career clarity can be a useful resource to improve students’ wellbeing after graduation, it may not always be able to mitigate the negative impact of structural barriers.

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Luchinskaya D, Tzanakou C. Reimagining the relationship between career transitions and well-being: an insight into graduate higher education journeys in the UK. In Knight E, Okay-Somerville B, editors, Young People's Career Development and Wellbeing: An Enquiry across National Education Systems Based on Longitudinal Data. Cham: Springer. 2024. p. 17-38. (International Study of City Youth Education). doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-68229-2_2

Reimagining the relationship between career transitions and well-being: an insight into graduate higher education journeys in the UK

Abstract

Publication series

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

Embargoed Document

Fingerprint

Activities

European Conference on Educational Research

Evidence based policy and higher education: progress, pitfalls and promise

Cite this