Objectives This study was conducted to draw implications that can be used to establish a systematic intervention plan to help the smooth career development of general high school students in Korea. Methods To this purpose, This study used data from the fifth year of the KCYPS 2018 to test how high school students' perceived parental positive nurturing attitude affect their career adaptability through mediating self-esteem and academic engagement by setting up a SEM. Results First, the paths through which parental positive nurturing attitude influenced high school students' self-esteem, academic engagement, and career adaptability, the paths through which self-esteem influenced academic engagement and career adaptability, and the respective paths through which academic engagement influenced career adaptability were all significant and static. Second, there were partial mediation effects of self-esteem and academic engagement on the relationship between high school students' perceived parental positive attitude and career adaptability, and a dual mediation effect in which parental positive nurturing attitude sequentially mediated self-esteem and academic engagement to affect career adaptability. Conclusions The operational and content factors to be considered when conducting career counseling and education in general high schools were suggested.