A Qualitative Study on Career Education Based on Convergent Thinking of Career Education Experts

This study aims to explore the essence of career education and the role of convergent thinking by conducting in-depth interviews with experts who participated in the“Visiting Career Convergence Mentoring Program”. The findings reveal three key insights. First, the experts redefined career education not as mere information delivery or occupational guidance, but as an ontological journey for students to explore their identity and meaning in life. Second, the experts’ own career development processes involved the practical application of convergent thinking, whereby diverse life experiences were creatively synthesized to construct unique career identities. Third, the experts implemented integrative teaching practices that blended emotional, artistic, scientific, and linguistic elements, enabling students to engage in experiential and reflective learning. These included emotion-based narratives, reinterpreting everyday objects, and project-based learning that linked emotional insight with theoretical and technical understanding. The study highlights that career education must evolve into a learner-centered and identity-driven process, with convergent thinking serving as a core competency for students to navigate an uncertain and dynamic future. The findings provide theoretical and practical foundations for the qualitative transformation of career education toward creative self-design.