An examination of Holland's constructs in relation to career change and persistence

Holland's (1997) constructs in relation to career change/persistence were examined using a mixed-method design. The quantitative phase involved 153 career persisters and 150 career changers (intent on career change and had taken action to activate the transition) who completed the Self-Directed Search (SDS), Career Attitudes and Strategies Inventory (CASI), Vocational Identity Scale (VIS), and a Research Questionnaire. Follow-up interviews were conducted with representative persisters (n = 14) and changers (n = 14) to confirm and expand the quantitative findings. In the quantitative study, persisters were more congruent (C-Index; Brown & Gore, 1994) than changers. Changers also contemplated moving to careers that were more congruent than their current careers. In accord with Holland's theory, there was no difference between the current work environment congruence of persisters and the pursued work environment congruence of changers. However, contrary to expectations, congruence did not increase with successive changes. In the qualitative phase, consistent with the quantitative findings, congruence was more important for persisters than changers in choosing their current career. Persisters were more likely than changers to identify ways in which their career afforded expression of congruence. Congruence was important in the decision to persist, while incongruence influenced the decision to change. In terms of Holland's secondary constructs, persisters had higher vocational identity than changers, however, there were no differences in consistency or differentiation. Vocational identity was the only secondary construct to add to the prediction of career change/persistence, with congruence held constant. No secondary construct moderated the relationship between congruence and career change/persistence. With regard to the CASI scales, persisters had higher job satisfaction than changers, which was confirmed qualitatively. Job satisfaction influenced the decision to persist in career, while dissatisfaction influenced the decision to change career. In the quantitative study, persisters had higher career worries than changers and qualified support was obtained qualitatively. Career worries influenced persistence, while they were uninfluential in the decision to change career. Quantitatively, changers were higher than persisters in their skill development. Interview responses provided some support and suggested changers often viewed their transition as an opportunity to acquire skills, while many persisters reported that aversion to training/study influenced their decision to remain.

In the quantitative study, changers were more likely to take risks than persisters and this was confirmed qualitatively. Risk aversion influenced the decision to persist in career, while risk seeking influenced the decision to change career. Consistent with Holland's (1996b) proposition, selected CASI scales (Job Satisfaction, Career Worries, Skill Development, Risk-Taking Style, and Dominant Style) contributed additional explanatory power, over and above congruence, in predicting career change/persistence. In fact, these scales were substantially better predictors of career change/persistence than congruence. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.