How youth do work that matters: A model of career-oriented purpose for U.S. and Taiwanese adolescents

Most U.S. youth report that pursuing a purposeful career is very or extremely important to them, yet fewer than half achieve this aim. In Taiwan, purpose has been proposed as an antidote to student stress and burnout. To understand how youth in both contexts develop career-oriented purposes, we conducted a longitudinal, cross-cultural study of career-oriented purpose exemplars (N = 30), interviewed annually over three years, yielding 90 interviews. Findings revealed an iterative, recursive process involving identity exploration, research and engagement, reflection and evaluation, and articulation. Despite participants’ strong desire to pursue careers that enabled personally meaningful contributions, traditional career development resources rarely supported this aim. Instead, participants found support through volunteer, work, and internship experiences and through parents and other mentors who modeled purposeful careers. Findings highlight the need for career development resources that intentionally help young people explore, develop, and pursue career-oriented purposes.