Exploring the Career Decision-Making Process During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Opportunities and Challenges for Young People

Thirty students (16 female, 14 male) in the 12th grade were recruited through snowball convenient sampling, whereby participants in the initial interviews were asked to suggest other potential participants. The average age of participants was 17. With respect to their places of residence, the participants were scattered among all seven major regions of Kosovo: Prishtina, Peja, Prizren, Gjakova, Mitrovia, Gjilan, and Ferizaj. Due to the circumstances created by quarantine, establishing contact and the interviews were conducted virtually using Google Meet. Participants completed a consent form prior to the interviews. We estimated the sample size required to detect significant results to be 28, using G*Power, with the following specifications: α = .05, power = 0.80, effect size (d = 0.5) and a one-tailed test (Faul et al., 2009).

Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. All interviews were conducted by graduate-level psychology students studying School and Counselling Psychology, as well as their professors teaching Development, Education, and Career Guidance. The interview protocol was comprised of seven themes or categories to be explored: (1) The decision making process about career that the participants went through, (2) Current activities/initiatives that participants are involved and engaged in about career, (3) The role of family members in their decision for career, (4) The role of school in career decision making, (5) The role of peers in the decision for a career, (6) Challenges faced in deciding about career, and (7). Needs and suggestions from participants about activities and initiatives necessary to facilitate effective career planning and decision making process among young people. Depending on how the interview flowed, additional/more detailed probing questions followed to obtain necessary and detailed information for all the respective themes or newly presented ones. On average, the duration of each interview was estimated to be approximately 55 minutes. The interviews were conducted during late April and early May and were audio recorded and later transcribed by the authors in Albanian. A detailed research plan, including both theoretical and practical aspects, was conducted in collaboration with career professionals during the winter semester, 2020 to 2021.

Data processing was conducted using the thematic analysis method, which is commonly used when analysing a set of text, such as interview transcripts. This method is frequently used in qualitative research and is regarded as a suitable means of identifying, organising, and finding meaning in the gathered data (Braun & Clarke, 2012).

Independently, but within the same time frame, the authors of this study initially explored and analysed the data, and later identified the codes and themes emerging from the conducted interviews. The results of the individual analyses were then compared, resulting in a 90% match, and the authors finally proceeded to the final report of this study.

The limitation of physical mobility and contact as a result of COVID-19, according to the participants of this study, greatly impacted their psychological, social, and professional well-being. The lack of information, the uncertainty of one’s health, the inability to meet others physically or attend classes in the traditional manner made them feel unsafe, anxious, and stressed. Psychological well-being, as well as the inability to meet one another physically, made the participants feel isolated. According to them, despite covering their basic academic needs, distance learning was not a suitable format and did not provide any support with respect to career guidance and decision-making, as shown in the following:

“This situation has been annoying for me. . . I could not adapt at all. I feel tired both physically and mentally” (A. H., Male, 17).

“This situation has completely disrupted the life rhythm of all of us. I feel less energetic during the day, and I am really scared” (B. A., Female, 18).

“I am stressed all the time. . . I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I can’t do anything besides feeling stressed” (B. N., Female, 17).

“Everything has changed. . . friendships, school, everything. School is not the same, we are only superficially doing classes online because there is no time to go into detail” (V. L., Male, 18).

“We need to talk to each other more and we need to talk to our teachers about the things that worry us. . . we don’t have time or the opportunity” (A. A., Female, 17).

According to the findings of this study, the COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected the participants’ career decision-making process. Their concerns about their health and the health of other family members, the educational process, and other dimensions impacted by the situation complicated the process of career planning. Nonetheless, the participants who had already chosen what to study noted three facilitating factors: a passion and personal interest for a specific field, information and guidance from family members, and/or economic perspectives such as employability for a certain career/job stability.

Most of the participants reported that passion and/or personal interest for a certain academic field was among the facilitating and determining factors for them during their process of career decision-making. This can be observed from the following:

“I want to study computer science because I enjoy hands-on work, and as a child, I always wanted to create new things. . . with a computer you can create anything” (A. B., Male, 17).

“I’ve always liked psychology—how the brain functions, why people change—I’ve always been interested in this field so I am going to pursue it” (E. A., Male, 18).

“Marketing has always been my favourite. . . advertisements, fashion, and similar stuff. I want to become a marketing manager and sales for other countries” (B. F., Female, 18).

Beside passion and personal interests as determining factors for decision-making, many of the participants mentioned the role of different family members in this process. One’s family, according to participants, is the main support unit that provides them with information, guides them, and supports them in other ways during this process. For many of the participants, their family members served as a model when choosing and deciding their careers. This can be observed in the following:

“My father, sister and brother are all doctors. . . doctors of different fields, and they’ve all studied in Prishtina. I, undoubtedly, will become a doctor” (V. L., Male, 18).

“My mother and grandmother are teachers. I have seen the work they do with children. . . I really enjoy it. . . I will become a teacher too” (B. N., Female, 17).

“I’ve taken inspiration from my uncle, who is a really good dentist. I’ve always liked the work he does because I see it as a very humane profession, and it is very profitable” (F. M., Female, 18).

“Since I was a child, I wanted to become a doctor, to help people who need help, sick people. . .” (L. K., Female, 17).

The economic aspect of a career or job opportunity/stability was also mentioned as one of the main factors that determined the choice of career. The participants highly praised professions that ensured job attainment after completion of their studies. For some, this was considered the main reason for choosing a certain field of study. The following demonstrates this very clearly:

“Currently, the most profitable profession is that of a nurse, not just in Kosovo. I will become a nurse” (A. A., Female, 17).

“I have decided I want to study computer science because that means I will have a job waiting for me, it’s guaranteed both in Kosovo and outside of Kosovo, with a very generous salary” (D. M., Male, 18).

The main social institution that had an impact on the process of career decision-making for participants was undoubtedly their families. Family members, particularly parents, were the main providers of information and guidance with respect to fields of study and different disciplines. Despite being overloaded due to current COVID-19-related issues, their support was always available. This can be observed clearly in the following excerpt:

I’ve been very confused. . . I didn’t have much information about what I was to study. My parents, especially my dad, have invested a lot of time explaining all the study fields to me. Finally, with his assistance, I was the one who made the choice (V. L., Male, 18).

In addition, the participants’ perceived their family as the leading source of support for all aspects. Many of them proudly shared the support that a family member had given to them during the process of career decision-making, as follows:

“My family supports me morally and financially in my career choices; they are the main reason why I am driven to realise my dream” (F. M., Female, 18).

“My parents support me emotionally. . . I can always talk to them for any issue of problem I have” (A. D., Female, 17).

“My parents always help me. . .they’ve supported me in this as well. They told me that I should pursue whatever I liked” (S. G., Female, 19).

“My parents have supported me financially and morally. Thanks to their support, I’ve been able to attend some private courses so I can better prepare for my studies” (L. B., Male, 18).

Discussions, requests, questions, or propositions from parents and other family members directly or indirectly affected the choices that the participants make regarding their career. The parent–child dynamic, especially the support observed from participants, was an important element in the process of career decision-making. This can be illustrated by the following:

“I believe that family has an important role in career decision making. . . In my case, my parents have greatly affected my career choices” (E. L., Female, 17).

“Many of the questions I had about my career have been answered by my parents and other family members” (B. N., Female, 17).

“When I made the career choice and informed my parents, they were very happy and supportive” (A. B., Male, 17).

“At the beginning of this process, I talked a lot to my parents because they were against my choices and plans. . . they had something else in mind for me. . . but after all these conversations, finally, they are supporting me in a career of my choice” (A. A., Female, 17).

“At the beginning, my parents were hesitant because studying what I wanted meant me traveling a lot, but as the time passed, they’ve gradually accepted and told me to ‘pursue whatever you want to study, and we will support you’” (D. Z., Female, 18).

Schools, as important social institutions, were not perceived as a source of support from the participants regarding career guidance and decision-making. The lack of information, activities, and services that would facilitate decision-making were often mentioned by the participants as prototypes of their schools, as follows:

“The school hasn’t offered me anything that would help me decide about my studies. . . no one has ever talked to me about my career” (A. S., Female, 18).

“Our school, which is considered one of the best schools in the country, does not provide any support for its students with respect to career orientation” (A. A., Female, 17).

“For the field I am interested in, the school neither helps nor prepares me” (B. F., Female, 18).

“We don’t have anyone we could talk to about careers at school. . . all we talk to our teachers about is related to the educational process” (A. B., Male, 17).

In addition to their dissatisfaction with the support provided by their schools, the participants reported that they also lacked support from their teachers regarding career orientation. According to them, not many teachers had shown an interest or were willing to help them during the process of career orientation and decision-making. Teachers were only perceived as sources of academic-related information, not as sources of support for career orientation, as shown in the following:

“No one knows how to guide us and help us navigate: the professors, friends. . . nobody. We rarely talk to our teachers about this” (E. A., Male, 18).

“As students in our final year of high school, nobody has bothered to provide an extra class. . . to offer us information for specific fields—economics, computer science, and so on” (S. G., Female, 19).

“Our school environment doesn’t nurture discussion—our relationship with the teachers is formal, therefore, we cannot discuss such things. For example, I want to study medicine, but I cannot sit and talk to the chemistry teacher about this and that” (A. D., Female, 17).

“I have many teachers, yet none of them have ever offered to do a lecture about career orientation” (V. L., Male, 18).

Similar to teachers, peers were also not seen as a major source of support during the process of career orientation and decision-making. Peers lacked information and were very confused about their careers, which made reciprocal help very unlikely, if not impossible. Participants’ doubts and insecurities only increased when they were met with the uncertainties of others. This dynamic among the participants and their peers is illustrated in the following:

“I have many friends who do not have the slightest idea about what they’re going to study, or what profession they will have in the future. They are undecisive and confused about their own choices, so they cannot help me” (B. N., Female, 17).

“I’ve tried talking to my friends about careers a couple of times, but whenever we talked, everyone was so unsure, so the conversations would quickly die” (D. M., Male, 18).

“When I’ve talked to my peers, it only made me doubt my choices more. . . they were also unsure about their professions” (E. M., Female, 18).

“Me and a couple of my friends have discussed studying nursing together, but as time passes, we have doubts. We don’t know. We are uncapable of helping one another” (S. G., Female, 19).

The need for a structured, well planned, and official career orientation programme for youth is necessary, according to the participants. Furthermore, they identified two types of needs regarding career orientation and decision-making: first, the need for information and guidance. According to them, teachers and psychologists should inform them as well as facilitate and guide them in the process of career decision-making. Second, the need for practical work and exercise. According to the participants, schools, as education institutions, should offer opportunities for internships and exercises in different fields. The participants stated the following:

“They need to organise information sessions and additional courses for 12th-graders” (V. G-J., Female, 17).

“Each 12th-grader should attend career workshops and explore which field is best suited to them” (D. M., Male, 18).

“12th-graders should engage in practical work as an elective course to try” (V. L., Male, 18).

“Exercise and practical work should be compulsory in school” (B. N., Female, 17).

“Communication with field professionals should be enabled” (A. H., Male, 17).

“School psychologists, along with teachers, should give us more information regarding career orientation” (A. A., Female, 17).

“Teachers, in their weekly meetings, should offer courses on career orientation” (A. B., Male, 17).

Although the current study followed strictly and systematically qualitative research guidelines and standards in data collection, analysis and reporting, there are couple of limitations that the authors would like to point out. First and foremost, the study was designed and conducted in the midst of COVID-19 with strict anti-pandemic measure of isolation and quarantine, thus, meeting in-person with responders for interviews was not possible. Thus, the interviews were conducted virtually. The lack of opportunity to conduct interviews in-person may have contributed to not noticing some of the non-verbal cues and communications that the responders could have expressed, although in all virtual interviews video camera and audio was on all the time.

In addition, due to the above-mentioned anti-COVID measurements in the country at the time of data collection, it was not possible to reach as much young people from rural areas, although the sample included young people from all seven regions of the country.

The findings of this study can serve as a foundation for future studies that aspire to explore the process of career decision-making in times of a pandemic and similar contexts, where every day routines change, thus affecting all aspects of life. Studies using a combined methodology would be beneficial to better understand the relationship between different factors and the effects of COVID-19 on the process of career planning and decision-making in youth. The inclusion of psychological distress as a variable may be a valuable addition for future mental health prevention or intervention programmes, with the primary goal of facilitating career decision-making among youth.

In addition to theoretical implications, the findings of this study can serve as a basis for designing support programmes for youth, parents, schools, and peers. Based on this study’s findings, youth have emphasised the importance and role of the family in the process of career decision-making. However, they also expressed the need for more support from their schools and peers.

With schools closed both in Kosovo and around the world due to COVID-19, the education system has shifted to online learning. Despite schools having adapted to these changes and attempting to reach their main objectives, youth have lacked support regarding career selection. As the restrictive measures become less severe and schools partially return to the traditional format, programmes that are supported by schools are essential for young people’s well-being and development.

Using the findings of this study, the professionals have designed several supportive activities for youth, school psychologists, teachers, and parents. Career professionals have organised webinars and compiled a guidebook with practical instructions regarding the process of career decision-making. Awareness lectures regarding the essential factors to be considered when one is faced with career decision-making have also been organised for a certain period of time. The findings from this study can be a valuable basis for designing ongoing support programmes, specifically during COVID-19, which is ongoing. Creating opportunities for support groups with the goal of enabling discussion about career orientation and challenges among peers would also be beneficial. Moreover, providing career orientation services online, via telephone, or other available means would be a good way to overcome the challenges and hardships that youth have experienced during the pandemic. Such a programme could easily be tailored to the individual needs of youth with respect to career decision-making.