As future thinkers, teenagers spend a lot of time contemplating these types of questions about their life goals. A new study from the University of Houston shows that as people grow from teenagers to young adults, they tend to change the importance they place on certain life goals, but one thing is certain: the existence of high-prestige goals and Education, as well as its positive development, can drive success.
“Adolescents who endorsed higher levels of prestige and educational goals tended to have greater educational attainment, income, occupational creativity, occupational prestige, and job complexity after 12 years,” reports Rodica Damian, associate professor of psychology at the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The paper’s first author, Andreea Sutu, is a former graduate student of Damian’s. Also on the team are former UH assistant professor Kevin Hoff and Sif Einarsdóttir of the University of Iceland.
No previous studies have investigated the associations between the development of life goals and educational or occupational outcomes.
Damian and his colleagues found that goals fluctuate: some dreams and goals of youth disappear, while others, related to family (such as being close to relatives), relationships (such as having good friends or a romantic partner), and community (such as getting involved in your neighborhood or helping others) stay strong. These goals could become even more important as people age.
“Life goals are expected to change over time and these changes are expected to have consequences for future life outcomes, including occupational outcomes,” Damian said. “By understanding how changes in life goals relate to educational and occupational outcomes (beyond adolescent levels), we show how changes within individuals can also predict desired educational and occupational attainment.”
The study examined how life goals developed with age and how adolescents’ levels of goals, and their development into early adulthood, were related to educational attainment and occupational outcomes in young adulthood. The study used two nationally representative samples of Icelandic youth followed longitudinally for 12 years from late adolescence to adulthood.
“Regarding educational attainment, the strongest effects were found for educational goals. Both initial levels and slopes of educational goals were positively associated with educational attainment in both samples,” Damian said. “This indicates that adolescents with higher education goals, and those who showed a more positive pattern of change in educational goals, had greater educational attainment in young adulthood.”
Education and prestige goals emerged as the most consistent predictors of subsequent earnings, and changes in these goals over time were the most consistent predictors of prestige and subsequent occupational complexity.
“Our work highlights the importance of better understanding the sources of goal development in adolescence and youth. Overall, our focus on life goal development, educational attainment, and occupational outcomes informs theoretical and practical understanding about the importance of life goals for real-world outcomes,” Damian said.