Illuminating Resilience: An Exploration of Alternative Learning System Graduates’ Journey Towards Career Empowerment

Low career accomplishment among ALS graduates is a socio-economic concern. In this study, I looked into the lived experiences of ALS graduates, exploring their self-belief, motivation, and career accomplishments. Through thematic analysis of the data collected, I discovered sub-themes of self-belief, namely, gaining self-worth, recognizing the value of education, and feeling supported by peers and family; motivation, namely, physical and emotional struggles, academic challenges, battling life hardships, overcome fear and self-doubt, develop a resilient mindset, and take pride in their achievements; and, career accomplishment namely self-empowerment and self-redirection toward a more positive mindset of their career goals. For future research, I also see the potential for quantitative research determining the significance of motivation on the correlation between self-belief and career accomplishment with the emerging sub-themes as useful indicators.