Career maturity is defined as an individual’s readiness to make an appropriate career decision. The aim of this study is to examine how personal characteristics and environmental factors are connected to the career maturity of high school students. 168 male and female students attending the fourth grade of a gymnasium or vocational school in Croatia participated in an anonymous online survey. The personal characteristics included gender, academic achievement, personality traits, and interest differentiation, while the environmental factors encompassed parental behaviors (support, interference, and lack of parental involvement) and support from the school system (a professional service or a headroom teacher). The results showed that female students were more career mature than male students and that academic achievement and personality traits (conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, and openness to experience) were positively associated with career maturity, while the association with interest differentiation was not significant. Career maturity was positively associated with parental support and negatively with parental interference and lack of parental involvement. Additionally, a positive correlation was found between perceived support from the professional service and career maturity, while the correlation with perceived support from the headroom teacher was not significant. Furthermore, hierarchical regression analysis revealed that environmental factors accounted for 9% of the variance in career maturity, beyond personal characteristics of adolescents, suggesting the potential for various interventions aimed at achieving optimal levels of career maturity in adolescents.

career maturity, personal characteristics, environmental factors