Life skills ability, academic success, and career maturity of college freshmen: Basis for career development plan

Starting a university or college life is an important stage in the students' life because it is believed to be the beginning of adulthood.They must be prepared to work independently and live as productive members of society, but it can also be an overwhelming and disheartening experience.The goal of this undertaking is to provide students with a sense of purpose and competencies which will help them deal with the stresses of life and prepare them for their future careers and jobs.This study employed descriptive research to determine the relationship among life skills ability, academic success, and career maturity of college freshmen enrolled in one Philippine private autonomous university in the CALABARZON region.Using the random sampling method to support statistical analysis of a set data, 425 students were involved in the study.Results showed that majority of respondents were female, taking up Allied Health programs and from rural areas.Goal setting and teamwork were the strongest life skills, while time management and social skills scored lower.External motivation and general academic skills were most prominent for academic success, while socializing, lack of anxiety, and personal adjustment were less emphasized.Integration of career information with decision-making ranked highest in career maturity, decision-making ranked least.Additionally, there exists a significant difference of responses on life skills ability, academic success and career maturity when grouped according to program of study.A highly significant relationship exists among college freshmen's life skills ability, academic success, and career maturity.This implies that students with well-developed life skills are more likely to achieve academic success and demonstrate higher levels of career maturity.In the end, a career development plan was proposed to enhance college freshmen's life skills ability, academic success, and career maturity.Hence, the study calls for a more comprehensive support system for college freshmen potentially leading to improved academic performance, enhanced career readiness and increased student engagement and retention.