TY - JOUR
T1 - Adolescent vocational interests predict early career success
T2 - Two 12-year longitudinal studies
AU - Hoff, Kevin A.
AU - Chu, Chu
AU - Einarsdóttir, Sif
AU - Briley, Daniel A.
AU - Hanna, Alexis
AU - Rounds, James
N1 - Funding Information:
This research uses the Icelandic Interest Inventory (Einarsdóttir & Rounds, 2007, 2013). Part of the funding from sales of the Icelandic Interest Inventory are used to support continued research on the measure. Sif Einarsdóttir is a copyright holder and recipient of royalties for the Icelandic Interest Inventory-Bendill. This research was also supported by funding from RANNÍS, the Icelandic Centre for Research, and the University of Iceland research fund. We are especially grateful to Liina Björg, Laas Sigurðardóttir, and Arna Pétursdóttir for their ongoing management of the data collection and dataset preparation for this study.
Funding Information:
This research uses the Icelandic Interest Inventory (Einarsdóttir & Rounds, 2007 , 2013 ). Part of the funding from sales of the Icelandic Interest Inventory are used to support continued research on the measure. Sif Einarsdóttir is a copyright holder and recipient of royalties for the Icelandic Interest Inventory‐Bendill. This research was also supported by funding from RANNÍS, the Icelandic Centre for Research, and the University of Iceland research fund. We are especially grateful to Liina Björg, Laas Sigurðardóttir, and Arna Pétursdóttir for their ongoing management of the data collection and dataset preparation for this study.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 International Association of Applied Psychology
PY - 2022/1
Y1 - 2022/1
N2 - Vocational interests are relatively stable individual differences that can change across the lifespan. However, little is known about the importance of interest changes, relative to stable interest levels, for predicting career outcomes. This study assessed the long-term predictive power of adolescent interest levels and interest growth for five career outcomes: degree attainment, occupational prestige, income, and career- and job-satisfaction. The study used two 12-year longitudinal samples (N1 = 485; N2 = 1290) with vocational interests measured across multiple waves from late adolescence to young adulthood. Results from both samples converged on three key findings. First, adolescents who showed better interest fit with their eventual vocation were more satisfied with their jobs over a decade later. Second, adolescent interests predicted objective career outcomes (i.e. degree attainment, occupational prestige, and income), revealing that early interests shaped educational and career choices. Third, interest changes were typically not associated with career outcomes, indicating that adolescent interest levels played a larger role. Together, these findings highlight the critical importance of childhood and adolescent interest development for guiding career trajectories and outcomes. We discuss implications for interest development theories, educational policies, and applied interventions.
AB - Vocational interests are relatively stable individual differences that can change across the lifespan. However, little is known about the importance of interest changes, relative to stable interest levels, for predicting career outcomes. This study assessed the long-term predictive power of adolescent interest levels and interest growth for five career outcomes: degree attainment, occupational prestige, income, and career- and job-satisfaction. The study used two 12-year longitudinal samples (N1 = 485; N2 = 1290) with vocational interests measured across multiple waves from late adolescence to young adulthood. Results from both samples converged on three key findings. First, adolescents who showed better interest fit with their eventual vocation were more satisfied with their jobs over a decade later. Second, adolescent interests predicted objective career outcomes (i.e. degree attainment, occupational prestige, and income), revealing that early interests shaped educational and career choices. Third, interest changes were typically not associated with career outcomes, indicating that adolescent interest levels played a larger role. Together, these findings highlight the critical importance of childhood and adolescent interest development for guiding career trajectories and outcomes. We discuss implications for interest development theories, educational policies, and applied interventions.
KW - career success
KW - individual differences
KW - interest development
KW - person–environment fit
KW - vocational interests
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U2 - 10.1111/apps.12311
DO - 10.1111/apps.12311
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85102474544
SN - 0269-994X
VL - 71
SP - 49
EP - 75
JO - Applied Psychology
JF - Applied Psychology
IS - 1
ER -