BEYOND THE CLASSROOM: HOW CAREER GOALS, SELF-BELIEF, AND ENTREPRENEURIAL DRIVE SHAPE CAREER PLANNING AMONG MALAYSIAN FINAL-YEAR STUDENTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJEMP.935067Keywords:
Career Planning, Career Goals, Entrepreneurial Intent, Final-Year Students, Self-EfficacyAbstract
This study investigates the factors shaping career planning among final-year students in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The primary objective was to examine the influence of career goals, self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial intent on career planning. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was employed. Data were collected from 407 final-year students using a structured online questionnaire via Google Forms. The data were analysed using SPSS, incorporating descriptive statistics, reliability analysis (Cronbach's Alpha), Pearson correlation, and regression analysis. The findings revealed strong, positive, and statistically significant relationships between all three independent variables and career planning. Career goals explained 72.4% of the variance in career planning, while self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intent each explained 73.7% of the variance. The study concludes that students who set clear goals, possess high self-confidence, and harbour entrepreneurial ambitions are significantly more likely to engage in structured career planning. The implications suggest that universities should integrate goal-setting frameworks, self-efficacy-building interventions, and entrepreneurial mindset cultivation into their curricula. Limitations include the cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported data.
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