The Predictive Role of Happiness, Social Support, and Future Time Orientation in Career Adaptability

In the 21st century, young adult people who are prepared for the world of work are expected to be individuals who have the responsibility to manage their careers and have career adaptability skills. In this regard, it seems useful to understand the factors that may affect career adaptability. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the happiness, social support, and future time orientation can predict career adaptability of young adults. The participants consisted of 525 students (389 female and 136 male) who were enrolled at different faculties of a university in Ankara, Turkey. The instruments that were used in the study were the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale, Oxford Happiness Questionnaire–Short Form, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Attitudes Toward the Future Scale, and a Personal Information Form prepared by the researchers. The results showed that happiness, perceived social support, positive attitude toward the future, and planned attitude toward the future were significantly positively related to career adaptability. These results indicated that individuals with a high level of happiness and positive and planned attitudes toward the future, and those who receive positive social support from their social contacts such as parents, friends, and significant others, are more career adaptive. The results were discussed in the context of the relevant literature.