Interest In Careers Research Articles

A Retrospective Analysis of Career Outcomes in Neuroscience.

What factors are associated with career outcomes among biomedical PhDs? Research to date has focused on drivers of interest in (and intention to pursue) various careers, especially during graduate school, but fewer studies have investigated participants' ultimate career outcomes. Even less is known about what factors matter for groups historically underrepresented in the US science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce, such as women, some racial and ethnic groups, and persons with disabilities ( National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), 2021a). This study reports a new analysis of data from 781 PhD neuroscientists that were obtained from a retrospective survey ( Ullrich et al., 2021) to investigate the factors that influence the career sector in which neuroscience PhDs are employed and whether there were group differences according to social identity. We find evidence of academia as a "default path" for incoming PhD students, but interest in different careers increases over time. Those who remained in academia had greater acceptance of the structural aspects of academic careers, such as promotion and tenure processes, and greater faculty support during postdoctoral training. Conversely, prioritizing monetary compensation and/or varied work were associated with not being in academia, while a strong interest in research was positively associated with being in nonacademic research. Somewhat surprisingly, there were few interactions with gender, and no interactions with underrepresentation status, although perhaps this was due to lower statistical power for these analyses. Our findings also underscore the role of advisors, networking, and personal relationships in securing employment in STEM.

THE IMPACT OF EDUCATIONAL STAKEHOLDERS' ATTITUDES ON STUDENTS' ACADEMIC AND CAREER INTERESTS IN CERAMICS WITHIN THE KUMASI METROPOLIS, GHANA

Educational programmes whether vocational or not have the potential to shape students to be able to give back to their societies. Unfortunately, some attitudes of players of education can affect students so much to dampen their self-efficacy and interest in Ceramics education. This study investigated some educational stakeholders' and their attitudes that can possibly have negative impact on students' academic and career interest in Ceramics within the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana. Three schools offering Ceramics in the metropolis were purposively selected. They consisted of one mixed-gender, one boys-only, and one girls-only schools. The study was exploratory research and adopted the QUAN+Qual mixed-methods triangulation to conduct the investigation. Data was concurrently gathered using questionnaire, interviews and observation. 273 participants, including students, teachers, schools’ heads and parents were sampled from the three selected schools. Four Likert scale questionnaire and “Yes or ‘No’ data type was employed where SPSS v24, excel spreadsheet applications as well as frequencies and percentages (descriptive statistical techniques) helped to simplify and interpret the data. The study's findings revealed that educational stakeholders such as parents, students and their peers, teachers and schools’ managers put up behaviours that discourage students’ interest in Ceramics. The study found that low employment opportunities in Ceramics is the primary reason why parents, students, and teachers discourage students’ academic and career interest in Ceramics. The study also conducted a chi-square to establish whether the age, programme and level in school had any correlation with their believe that there is a low employment opportunity in Ceramics. The results found that the level of students alone to have significant correlation with p>0.000.

Career Interest Assessment: College Students Career Planning Based On Machine Leaning

College students' career planning based on career interest assessment and machine learning integrates advanced technological tools with traditional career counseling methods to provide personalized and data-driven guidance. By utilizing career interest assessment tools, students can explore their strengths, preferences, and aspirations across various career domains. Machine learning algorithms analyze this data to generate tailored recommendations, matching students with career paths that align with their interests and aptitudes. This paper presents a novel approach to career assessment and planning by leveraging the Sugeno Fuzzy Optimized Weighted Machine Learning (SFOwML) framework. The proposed framework integrates fuzzy logic principles with machine learning techniques to provide personalized and accurate career recommendations tailored to individuals' skills, preferences, and values. Through the incorporation of optimization techniques, the framework refines the career assessment model, enhancing its accuracy in predicting suitable career paths for individuals. The practical application of the SFOwML framework offers a valuable tool for career counselors, educators, and individuals seeking guidance in their career choices. The framework incorporates numerical values to quantify individuals' skills, preferences, and values on a scale from 0 to 100, allowing for a more precise evaluation of their career profiles. Through the integration of fuzzy logic principles with machine learning techniques, personalized career recommendations are generated based on these numerical assessments.

Analysis of Career Potential Based on Holland's Theory to Prepare Graduates among Students with Intellectual Disabilities

Students with intellectual disabilities often encounter significant challenges as they prepare for post-graduation careers. Recognizing the importance of aligning career paths with individual interests and abilities, SLB Negeri 1 Yogyakarta serves as a pivotal institution in vocational education for these students. This research employs case studies to delve into the ways vocational education programs can enhance career readiness among intellectually disabled students, using interest and talent assessments based on Holland’s theory. The study involves 28 students at the SMALB level, a guidance counselor, 10 vocational instructors, and 8 parents, employing methods such as semi-structured interviews, participatory observations, and documentation analysis. Findings indicate a significant correlation between Holland's personality types and the career interests of students, with realistic, conventional, and artistic types prevailing. Moreover, career guidance grounded in Holland's theory at SLB Negeri 1 Yogyakarta effectively nurtures vocational skills that resonate with the students’ talents and capabilities, supporting their potential career trajectories.

Culture change and lessons learned from ten years in the VA centers of excellence in primary care education

BackgroundTeam-based care is critical to achieving health care value while maximizing patient outcomes. Few descriptions exist of graduate-level team training interventions and practice models. Experience from the multisite, decade-long Veterans Affairs (VA) Centers of Excellence in Primary Care Education provides lessons for developing internal medicine training experiences in interprofessional clinical learning environments.MethodsA review of multisite demonstration project transforming traditional silo-model training to interprofessional team-based primary care. Using iterative quality improvement approaches, sites evaluated curricula with learner, faculty and staff feedback. Learner- and patient-level outcomes and organizational culture change were examined using mixed methods, within and across sites. Participants included more than 1600 internal medicine, nurse practitioner, nursing, pharmacy, psychology, social work and physical therapy trainees. This took place in seven academic university-affiliated VA primary care clinics with patient centered medical home designResultsEach site developed innovative design and curricula using common competencies of shared decision making, sustained relationships, performance improvement and interprofessional collaboration. Educational strategies included integrated didactics, workplace collaboration and reflection. Sites shared implementation best practices and outcomes. Cross-site evaluations of the impacts of these educational strategies indicated improvements in trainee clinical knowledge, team-based approaches to care and interest in primary care careers. Improved patient outcomes were seen in the quality of chronic disease management, reduction in polypharmacy, and reduced emergency department and hospitalizations. Evaluations of the culture of training environments demonstrated incorporation and persistence of interprofessional learning and collaboration.ConclusionsAligning education and practice goals with cross-site collaboration created a robust interprofessional learning environment. Improved trainee/staff satisfaction and better patient care metrics supports use of this model to transform ambulatory care training.Trial registrationThis evaluation was categorized as an operation improvement activity by the Office of Academic Affairs based on Veterans Health Administration Handbook 1058.05, in which information generated is used for business operations and quality improvement (Title 38 Code of Federal Regulations Part 16 (38 CFR 16.102(l)). The overall project was subject to administrative oversight rather Human Subjects Institutional Review Board, as such informed consent was waived as part of the project implementation and evaluation.

STEM career interest of junior high school students in Indonesia: A survey research

STEM career interest of junior high school students in Indonesia: A survey research

NSF S-STEM Program - Supporting Undergraduate Cohorts of Career-Ready Engineering and Science Scholars (SUCCESS) Project at WVU Tech – Year 3 updates

The SUCCESS project at WVU Tech aims to recruit, retain, and graduate low-income STEM students with high motivation and entrepreneurial mindset, enhancing their likelihood of employment in technology-based businesses or creating start-up ventures. This report provides updates for Year 3, focusing on the recruitment and retention efforts. Currently, there are 20 scholars in the program, with Cohort 1 comprising seven students and Cohort 2 comprising 13 students. The program has seen some changes in Cohort 2 structure, with three Computer Science (CS) students dropping out in Fall 2023, and four new sophomore students including one Computer Engineering (CpE) and three CS students being admitted. Scholars have engaged in various activities, including completing entrepreneurship courses, attending career fairs, and working on research projects with faculty. The project team is actively collecting and analyzing feedback from scholars to ensure necessary improvements are implemented. Major activities during Year 3 included faculty mentor meetings, IEEE/ACM student branch engagements, and industry mentor interactions. Looking ahead, the project aims to continue supporting scholars in their academic and career pursuits, with a focus on enhancing industry mentorship and peer-to-peer relations. Additionally, the project has diligently explored opportunities to expand its impact to all eight existing engineering programs at WVU Tech and has recently submitted a Track 2 proposal to the NSF S-STEM program. The updates conclude with a discussion on the project's impact on student outcomes and the broader STEM community.

Sustaining the nursing workforce - exploring enabling and motivating factors for the retention of returning nurses: a qualitative descriptive design

BackgroundThe nursing shortage represents a persistent and urgent challenge within the healthcare industry. One of the most cost-effective and time-efficient solutions to address this issue is the recruitment of inactive nurses to rejoin the nursing workforce, while simultaneously ensuring the long-term sustainability of their careers following their return to work. The aim of this study is to explore the factors that facilitate the retention of nurses who have returned to work, from their perspective.MethodsTo achieve this aim, a qualitative descriptive design was employed. A total of 15 registered nurses who had not practiced nursing for a minimum of three years prior to their return to work, and had been working as nurses for at least three months following their return, were selected from seven healthcare institutions using convenience sampling. Face-to-face or online semi-structured interviews were conducted, and qualitative inductive analysis was employed to analyze the collected data.ResultsThe analysis revealed five key themes, two of which were related to the enabling factors making it possible for the nurses to continue their work, while the remaining three pertained to the motivating factors driving the pursuit of professional careers. The two themes associated with enabling factors were identified as “Conditions and support that sustain work-life balance” and “A workplace that acknowledges my career, and encourages my growth as an experienced nurse”. The three themes related to motivating factors were entitled “Pride in reconnecting with and contributing to society,” “Cultivating confidence through incremental professional development and future envisioning,” and “Enrichment of my own and my family’s life”.ConclusionsReturning nurses constitute a valuable asset for healthcare institutions. To effectively retain these nurses, it is crucial to implement multi-dimensional approaches that enable and motivate them to sustain and enrich their professional and personal lives while continuing their work in the nursing field.

The Innovation Skill Levels and STEM Career Interests of 8th Grade Students

This study was conducted to investigate whether the STEM career interests and innovation skill levels of 8th grade students differ significantly according to some demographic variables. The research was the correlational model. The data of the study were collected from a total of 1427 students from 20 different schools in five randomly selected districts of Mardin province located in the southeast of Turkiye. Innovation Skill Scale, Personal Information Form and STEM Career Interest Scale were used to collect data. As a result of the analyzes, both the innovation skill levels and STEM career interests of the students showed a significant difference in favor of those with fewer siblings. In addition, the innovation skill levels and STEM career interests of the students whose mothers did not go to school were lower. STEM career interest and innovation skill levels were in favor of students whose fathers are university graduates. In addition, the increase in the family income of the student was effective in increasing the innovation skill levels and STEM career interests. Activities and projects can be organized in schools to develop students' innovation skills and STEM career interests.

The relations between growth mindset, motivational beliefs, and career interest in math intensive fields in informal STEM youth programs.

Past research has shown that growth mindset and motivational beliefs have an important role in math and science career interest in adolescence. Drawing on situated expectancy-value theory (SEVT), this study extends these findings by investigating the role of parental motivational beliefs (e.g., expectancy beliefs, utility values) and parent growth mindset in math on adolescent career interest in math-intensive fields (e.g., mathematics, computer science, statistics, and engineering; MCSE) through adolescent motivational beliefs in math. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized model using data from 290 adolescents (201 girls, 69.3%; Mage = 15.20), who participate in informal STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) youth programs, and their parents (162 parents, 87.7% female) in the United Kingdom and the United States. As hypothesized, adolescent expectancy beliefs, utility values, and growth mindset in math had a significant direct effect on MCSE career interest. Further, there was a significant indirect effect of parental expectancy beliefs in math on MCSE career interest through adolescents' expectancy beliefs. Similarly, there was a significant indirect effect from parental utility values in math to MCSE career interest through adolescents' utility values. The findings suggest that parents' math motivational beliefs play a critical role in adolescent math motivational beliefs and their career interest in math-intensive fields.

Stacked Ranking Feature Cluster Machine Learning (Srfcml): A Novel Method of Career Planning of College Students Based on Career Interest Assessment and Machine Learning

Career interest assessment, powered by machine learning algorithms, revolutionizes the way individuals explore and align with career paths. By analyzing vast datasets encompassing factors such as skills, preferences, personality traits, and job market trends, machine learning models can provide personalized career recommendations tailored to individual strengths and aspirations. These algorithms leverage advanced techniques such as natural language processing (NLP) to interpret self-assessment responses and match them with suitable career options. Additionally, machine learning algorithms continuously refine their recommendations based on user feedback and real-world outcomes, ensuring accuracy and relevance over time. This paper presents a novel approach to career planning for college students, integrating career interest assessment with machine learning techniques, specifically utilizing the Stacked Ranking Feature Cluster Machine Learning (SRFcML) model. The proposed framework leverages large-scale datasets encompassing diverse factors such as academic performance, skills, interests, and industry trends to provide personalized career recommendations. Through the application of machine learning algorithms, including clustering and ranking techniques, the SRFcML model identifies relevant clusters of career options and ranks them based on individual preferences and aptitudes. This approach enables college students to explore and prioritize career paths aligned with their unique strengths and aspirations. Simualtion results demonstrated that the effectiveness of the proposed framework was evaluated, yielding promising numerical results. For instance, based on self-assessment responses and academic performance data, the SRFcML model achieved an average accuracy of 85% in recommending suitable career paths for college students. Furthermore, in a comparison with traditional career planning methods, the proposed framework demonstrated a 30% improvement in the alignment between recommended career options and students' preferences. Additionally, user satisfaction surveys revealed a high level of confidence and trust in the recommendations provided by the SRFcML model, with 90% of participants expressing satisfaction with the accuracy and relevance of the career suggestions.

Understanding South Korean women workers' career transition experiences: using the career decision tree model.

Relatively little research has explored non-Western women workers and their career transitions within their unique cultural contexts. Thus, more context-sensitive approaches to women's career trajectories are needed. Based on Bian and Wang's Career Decision Tree Model (2019) as a conceptual framework, the reasons for South Korean women workers' career transitions and influencing factors were explored using a qualitative approach with in-depth interviews with 35 South Korean women workers at various career stages. Their main motive of career transitions was difficulty maintaining their physical and mental health, which stemmed from their demanding work life. A typical issue, the burden of child rearing and family responsibilities, was also reported, but it was not the primary reason for their career transitions. Instead, the women workers often mentioned these responsibilities along with other reasons. Other reasons were unresolved career interests and expectations associated with their lack of career goals and preparation prior to joining the labor market. These factors led to significant changes in women's values and priorities along their career path, which finally triggered a decision to make a career transition. South Korean socio-cultural characteristics embedded in the South Korean women's personal and organizational lives provide insights on how to interpret the findings. Although on the surface some of our findings appeared to confirm previous studies on women's career transitions in Western-based literature, noteworthy differences were discovered when delving deeper into women's career transitions in the South Korean context.

Analisis Minat Mahasiswa Akuntansi Syariah Untuk Berkarir Menjadi Akuntan Publik

This research is entitled Analysis of Sharia Accounting Students' Interests in Careers as Public Accountants (Case Study of Accounting Students at the State Islamic University of North Sumatra). The formulation of the problem in this research is whether accounting knowledge, job market considerations, and professional training influence the interest of accounting students at the State Islamic University of North Sumatra to pursue a career as a public accountant. This research aims to determine how accounting knowledge, job market considerations, and professional training influence this type of descriptive research with a quantitative approach. This primary data collection method was carried out using a questionnaire method which was distributed to respondents. The population in this study was the Accounting Examination Students of the Faculty of Economics, State Islamic University of North Sumatra, class of 2019, totaling 50 respondents. The research carried out obtained the following results. This shows that the professional training variable partially has a significant influence on students' interest in becoming public accountants by accounting students at the State Islamic University of North Sumatra or in other words, hypothesis (H3) is accepted. This means that accounting knowledge, job market considerations, and professional training have a positive influence on accounting students' interest in pursuing a career as a public accountant.

Erratum. Volunteerism During COVID-19: Sport Management Students’ Career Interests Against Public Health Risks

Erratum. Volunteerism During COVID-19: Sport Management Students’ Career Interests Against Public Health Risks

Using LinkedIn in the economics curriculum

Social media is becoming a more widely used tool to engage students in learning. LinkedIn (linkedin.com) is a professional social networking platform that most college students are encouraged to use, but it is not widely used as an educational tool. In this article, the author describes how LinkedIn was deployed in a principles course to teach students how to differentiate themselves in the labor market and to showcase their ability to apply economics to everyday life and/or their career interests by creating posts on their newsfeed. A feedback survey indicated that students felt this course project using LinkedIn was a valuable learning experience. Other examples are also given for using LinkedIn in the economics curriculum and with program assessment.

Interns' Perceived Level of Proficiency After General Surgery Rotation: A Cross-Sectional Study From Saudi Arabia.

The role of interns during general surgical rotation is crucial in shaping their future careers as surgeons. Surgical rotation offers a unique opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience in fast-paced and challenging environments. However, interns often face significant challenges in obtaining the necessary practical training to develop proficiency in surgical techniques. This article aims to analyze some aspects of the accumulated competency of interns during their general surgery rotation, focusing on the range of skills and knowledge gained, in addition to the challenges faced. We conducted a cross-sectional study using an anonymous web-based self-assessment questionnaire. The target population of the study included all Jazan University medical interns enrolled in the academic year 2022-2023. Most participants showed low-to-average levels of proficiency in monitoring clinical evolution and treatment plans, ranging from fundamental awareness (n = 17, 17.5%) to working knowledge (n = 51, 52.6%), with only three participants (3.1%) reporting an expert level of proficiency. The same pattern was observed in the documentation of patient records (range: 7.2%, n = 7 for fundamental awareness to 42.3%, n = 41 for working knowledge). However, a significant proportion saw themselves as either proficient (n = 23, 23.7%) or experts (n = 15, 15.5%) in this aspect. Regarding bedside procedures, such as venipuncture, proctoscopy, nasogastric tube insertion, and urethral catheterization, the participants showed different proficiency levels, with the lowest in proctoscopy, where 66 (68.0%) of the participants reported only fundamental awareness. The results also revealed low perceived proficiency in performing surgical skin incisions, wound suturing, knot tying, application of surgical skin clips, and abscess drainage, with the lowest proficiency observed in the excision of superficial lumps as more than half of the participants reported only fundamental awareness (n = 51, 52.6%). The results of this study indicate that documentation and monitoring of patient progress are the competencies mastered most by the majority of interns during their rotations in general surgery. However, the interns' overall level of proficiency in bedside procedures and basic surgical skills acquired during their rotation was low to average. Additionally, interns were dissatisfied with their training and the opportunities provided for them to actively engage in performing procedures in the operating room. This low proficiency is unrelated to pre-internship academic achievement, sex, or interest in future surgical careers. This suggests that efforts are needed to develop strategies to enhance interns' satisfaction and engagement, ultimately improving their overall experience during internships.

Development of a RIASEC-based model to analyse students’ perceptions of the work of nuclear- and astrophysicists

There are many stereotypical beliefs about the work of scientists among students. These can lead to a lack of interest and ill-considered career choices. This paper aims to shed more light on the everyday work of researchers in physics. To this end, an interview study (N=12) and a questionnaire study (N=66) were conducted among physicists in a Collaborative Research Centre for nuclear- and astrophysics in order to determine the physicists’ activity profiles using an adapted RIASEC+N model based on the theory of vocational choices by Holland. As a result, activities from all seven RIASEC+N dimensions were found, highlighting the broad spectrum of activities in modern physics research. However, with respect to the significance of each dimension, we found that the activity profiles of doctoral students and professors in general, as well as their profiles in theoretical and experimental groups differ particularly within the Realistic, Conventional and Investigative dimension. In the future, these results will be used to develop an outreach programme to give students an authentic insight into modern physics. Additionally, the activity profiles could serve as a reference for addressing stereotypes in school.

초등학교 인공지능 캠프 프로그램이 인공지능기술 태도 및 데이터 리터러시 역량에 미치는 효과

Objectives The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of an 8-session short-term Artificial Intelligence (AI) camp program utilizing Microsoft AI tools on the attitudes and data literacy skills of elementary school students towards AI technologies.
 Methods To develop the AI camp program and validate its effectiveness, pre- and post-assessments were conducted on the attitudes and data literacy skills related to AI technologies among 1,141 students in grades 3-6 from elementary schools in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The assessments took place from April 3, 2023. The collected data were analyzed using the statistical software SPSS Statistics 26 through a paired-samples t-test.
 Results The AI camp program was found to have a positive impact on the attitudes of the participating students towards AI technologies. The program overall increased the students' ambitions and interests in careers related to AI technologies. It was observed that students' understanding of the significance of AI and its societal impacts also improved. Some students showed awareness of the challenges in acquiring AI skills. These results suggest that the camp program has contributed to a shift in students’ attitudes and interests in a positive direction. Moreover, the students showed improvement in all areas of data literacy, including data comprehension, interpretation and evaluation, data management, and data utilization, indicating a positive influence of the camp program on their data literacy skills.
 Conclusions In the future, it is expected that AI camps will not be one-off events but will be integrated into the semester-based curriculum across all subject areas. For such an educational strategy to be effectively implemented, it is necessary to establish a phased, long-term plan.

Measuring Parents’ Perceptions About Adolescents’ Interactive Online Learning: A Case of the Vocational Enlightenment Education Online Program in a Middle School

Background and Aim: Traditionally, vocational schools in China have been perceived as educational institutions for adolescents with poor abilities. In contrast, the Vocational School Union middle school has implemented a new education path that employs the Vocational Enlightenment Education online program (VEEOP) as the carrier. This study investigates the factors influencing parents' interest, adolescents’ interaction, and parents' attitudes toward using VEEOP. Materials and Methods: This study emphasizes the critical role of VEEOP in education and the need for vocational enlightenment education to cultivate the artisan spirit. Despite the program's significance, research on Chinese parent's perceived vocational initiation education is limited. Therefore, this study is based on the theory of family resource management, the planned behavior theory, and the social learning theory. A quantitative research design was employed to investigate parents' perceptions of the usefulness, quality, and home environment of VEEOP after establishing the study context through a literature review. Results: The results of the structural equation model show that the content quality of VEEOP was relatively stable on the whole, parents' perceived content quality (PPCQ), parents perceived Adolescents' intention to use (PITU), parents' perceived home environment (PPHE), social influence (SI), which significantly influences parents perceived Of Adolescents' Interactive Online Learning. Social influence (SI) and parents' perceived usefulness (PPU) significantly affected parents' perceived adolescents' intention to use (PITU). Parents’ perceived adolescents' intention to use (PITU) has a mediating effect on parents' perceived usefulness (PPU) to parents' perceived adolescents' interactive online learning (PPIL). Parents’ perceived adolescents' intention to use (PITU) has a mediating effect on social influence (SI) on parents perceived adolescents' interactive online learning (PPIL). Parents' perceived home environment (PPHE) has no significant influence on parents' perceived of adolescents' interactive online learning (PPIL). Conclusion: Vocational enlightenment education is an important way for teenagers and children to better understand and explore careers, and a basic link to promote individual socialization and free and comprehensive development. It is of great significance in helping and guiding individuals to improve career cognition, cultivate career interests, design career planning, and promote career development. The findings reveal that parents hold distinct expectations regarding the quality of educational content, social influence, home environment, and interactive online learning. These expectations significantly influence their attitude towards their adolescents’ use of these platforms and their level of support. Parents expect educational content that is both engaging and educational, promoting overall development. Parents' perception of social influence and the impact of peers play a crucial role in their educational decisions. Therefore, it is imperative to disseminate positive educational messages through social channels. The study highlights that the home environment is critical to adolescents’ online learning, and factors such as parents' educational background, family economic status, and family education concepts affect adolescents’ online learning experience to varying degrees. Thus, it is essential to consider these factors when designing and implementing online education strategies that better meet different families' needs.

Determining Factors Influencing Collegiate Players' Intention to Pursue a Professional Career.

The rise of professional careers in playing sports has been seen in the recent generation. Ranging from traditional sports to recent e-games, it can be seen that student athletes are not only considering these as motivational factors for education, but also as future career paths. This study aims to fill the knowledge gap about the factors influencing college athletes' aspirations to play professionally. The study examines the complex web of athlete decision-making by utilizing the extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and analyzing the roles of motivational factors, self-efficacy, affective behavior, and behavioral domains. With the use of structural equation modeling, the study deciphers the intricate links, emphasizing the critical role that attitude plays in affective behavior. It emphasizes how much optimism and self-efficacy shape an athlete's behavior and subsequent pursuit of professional careers. The current research provides a benchmark for future studies exploring student athletes' career goals. This research adds understanding to the knowledge gap regarding the complex decision-making procedures of aspiring professional athletes. Both theoretical and practical implications are provided based on the results of the study, which stakeholders and institutions may consider for student athletes wanting to pursue a professional sports career.