Career decision-making of talented engineering graduates in Hong Kong

Abstract

ABSTRACT This small-scale exploratory qualitative study examined the career decision-making process of six talented engineering university graduates in Hong Kong. The aim was to investigate major influential factors and barriers that impact their career aspirations and their persistence in remaining in that career. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each graduate to provide data that could be analyzed. The main focus was on the significance of social and cognitive variables, self-efficacy, interests and outcome expectations for the graduates’ motivation and career decision-making process. The findings suggest that primary motivating factors for participants’ career aspirations and career persistence strongly aligned with constructs from Social Cognitive Career Theory and Job Embeddedness Theory. Career interests were motivated by self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and interests, while “job embeddedness” promoted career persistence through fit and link to organizations and industry. Based on participants’ responses, the study produced an insider’s perspective on the career decision-making process of talented young engineers in Hong Kong.