| Careers are not discrete steps on a linear path. Rather, they can be better understood as a continual journey through a career transition cycle. Career event preparations sets the stage and prepares the individual for a career event. The career event leads to a period of transition adaptation that, if successful, results in career equilibrium. Career equilibrium exists until the next career event is anticipated and the cycle begins again.;The study investigated the influences that role perceptions and characteristics of career events have on adjustment difficulty, eagerness, and strain experienced by people gong through career events.;Questionnaire data from 1,301 Navy aviators who had either recently gone through one of six types of career events (i.e., initial socialization, obtaining full membership, resignation, promotion, lateral career moves, and retirement) or who were about to go through such career events were analyzed. Factor analysis of 20 career events common in Navy aviators' careers supported Louis' theoretical typology of career events (1980) and also supported modifications to the typology made to accommodate Navy aviators' careers.;Following this, a model of career transition outcomes was developed and refined using an incremental specification search. In the final model (chi-square = 101.44, df = 39), characteristics of the career event and present role perceptions co-determined transition outcomes (i.e., adjustment difficulty, eagerness, and strain). This final model accounted for 29 percent of the variance in adjustment difficulty, 21 percent of the variance in strain, and 63 percent of the variance in eagerness toward the event. Eagerness toward the event was influenced most by dimensions of the transition, while strain was influenced most by present role perceptions.;Omnibus tests for moderation revealed that career transition phase and career transition type moderated relationships determining career transition outcomes. A moderation localization procedure identified the specific relationships moderated.;This study demonstrated that the cyclic perspective of career transitions is useful for examining role adjustment and for predicting personal reactions to career events. This study underscored the importance of supervisory support for individuals just beginning their careers and for those who are entering new roles. |
