Background

Choosing a career is a crucial step that can have a significant impact on students’ professional lives. Unfortunately, career decision-making can be challenging: approximately 20% of CEGEP students have a fairly well-defined career plan, 50% are still defining their career goals, and 30% report having no clear idea of what they are doing at CEGEP. In fact, uncertainty about their career path is reportedly the main reason why students do not pursue postsecondary education. Among those who do pursue postsecondary education, another challenge arises: one-third change their program of study along the way. This can result in additional costs and increase the risk of dropping out.

We are therefore faced with the challenge of adolescents and young adults struggling to develop a concrete career plan and commit to an educational program that will enable them to achieve their goals. In light of these concerning findings, it is important to better understand the motivational processes underlying career decision-making, as well as the factors that contribute to students’ decisions to commit to a career path and adapt successfully to it.