Linkage Between Imposed Career Study, Career Planning, and Employability Perceptions Among Higher Education Students: An Empirical Investigation of Afghanistan

Delving into the health of the education system and unfolding the graduate labour market conditions, this study aims to address the limited empirical analysis of Kabul higher education students' approaches to career planning and perceptions of Afghanistan's labour market. This study has carried out an extensive theoretical and empirical analysis to help enhance the understanding of the impact imposed that can significantly impact students' sense of career planning and the labour market in the bigger picture. The study revealed evidence from a survey among university undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students, a total of two hundred students across various disciplines. The findings show that imposed educational streams negatively impact both students' career planning and the labour market. The study also demonstrates that students who reported positive perceptions of the labour market were the ones who had better control over their careers. There was also evidence that students who experienced less influence on their career choice positively perceived employability and the labour market. In contrast, students who reported negative perceptions of the labour market were seen to have the involvement of other factors while choosing their career field and could not plan their career correctly, resulting in their negative perception of the labour market. The study raises significant implications for higher education policy makers in identifying ways of improving students' transition to higher education and the realisation of the system's set to assist students in better planning their careers to better cope with today's challenging labour market. It is critical for a better understanding of the ramifications of current graduate employment trends. Achieving self-defined job success is crucial not only for individual well-being but also for institutions whose performance is increasingly assessed by their graduates' employment outcomes. The research offers unique insight into students' opinions of the current labor market and how that relates to their career planning strategies. It also underlines the importance of substantial higher education-led reforms that can lead to a more profitable labor market. This study's findings have important implications for appropriate career development practise and guidance in today's higher education settings.