Adult Learner Career Trajectories: Vocational Self-Concept Development in CalWORKs Community College Students

Given the size of the adult student population and the student affairs focus on career development in traditional age students, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore career development and the vocational self-concept (VSC) in 48 California community college welfare-to-work students. Findings suggest the importance of congruence between student roles and other life roles – as well as the importance of sustained relationships with community college staff, as this was closely associated with VSC development. These sustained relationships are most beneficial when they help participants develop resistance strategies against messages that could damage their self-concepts. Theoretically, our findings call for differentiation between work and career, and show how VSC develops in some adult students, a process heretofore missing from the career literature. Knowing how students have been socialized to think about themselves, understanding if they can participate in career decision-making, and what their responsibilities in out-of-college contexts are is key to helping students find congruence and/or cope with incongruence stemming from balancing multiple life roles.