Sociology

Adaptability

Mediation

Work (physics)

Job satisfaction

Courage

Career development

Mathematics

Social science

Statistics

Psychiatry

Engineering

Political science

Psychosocial

Management

Psychology

Economics

Psychological intervention

Flourishing

Applied psychology

Path analysis (statistics)

Social psychology

Mechanical engineering

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

College students approaching a university degree can experience a critical period in their career development path that could affect their well-being. The main aim of this study was to examine the role of courage, career adaptability, and professional readiness as protective factors toward life satisfaction and flourishing during the university-to-work transition. These psychosocial resources could be useful to cope with the recent transformations of the labor market. The study involved 352 Italian university students (M = 100; F = 252), aged from 21 to 29 years (M = 23.57; SD = 2.37), attending the last year of their degree course. The results of the mediation analysis showed that courage plays a mediating role between career transition readiness and career adaptability, on one hand, with well-being indicators as outcomes. The results are discussed, providing some suggestions on practical implications for career interventions to support college students during the university-to-work transition.

Courage, Career Adaptability, and Readiness as Resources to Improve Well-Being during the University-to-Work Transition in Italy