Adult graduates’ employability and mid-career trajectories after graduation with Finnish UAS Master’s degree

Abstract

<p>Graduate employability research typically focuses on young graduates’ entry to the labour market. Little is known about the careers of adults who attain higher education degrees in mid-life. This article explores Finnish University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Master’s degree graduates’ mid-career trajectories using retrospectively collected longitudinal survey data (N = 1025) on their employment relations, transitions and career breaks. The specific research questions are as follows: (1) What are the types of mid-career trajectories of the adult graduates with Finnish UAS Master’s degree? (2) What is the prevalence of the different career trajectories among the sample of graduates? (3) In what ways different career trajectories are able to take advantage of graduation with a Master’s degree? As a result, we recognised five types of mid-career trajectories: rising career, renewing career, entrepreneurial career, continuous career and unstable career. Adult degrees can re-orient and enhance different career trajectories, e.g. by providing formal qualifications, new expertise and entrepreneurial skills, as well as by validating prior experience. Understanding the nature of career trajectories of adult graduates at a Master’s level is interesting not only in the Finnish but also in the international context and this study opens up a rich array of opportunities for further studies.<br /></p>