Transition to Adulthood: Impacts of Life and Career Skill Building on Adolescents

This literature review examines how preparedness and well-being through effective approaches of building life skills in high school students is significant in improving adulthood experiences, how this impacts mental health, and vulnerable adolescents in adulthood transition. The adjustment from late adolescence into early adulthood often comes with struggles, including indecision, uncertainty, or feelings of overwhelm due to the surplus of pathways or the limited ability or resources to pursue them (Starr et al., 2024). Many adolescents aspire to learn about these different life pathways but may not always have had at home or school support to gain the skills, knowledge, or mindset that will help lead to success (Ginevra et al., 2018). The adolescent years are an important time to gain these skills because during this period of life, adolescents are in a period of complex social and emotional development (Arnett & Jensen, 2019). The academic demands and anticipated transition into young adulthood can be more challenging. The challenge may be greater for some than others including those with preexisting anxiety, depression, or trauma, and those of low socioeconomic status (Salimi et al., 2021). COVID-19 had also reduced the time and effects of classroom learning but also affected the amount of life-skill building and career planning for adolescents (Velasco et al., 2021). Adolescents vary in ability to request assistance with future oriented decisions, others may be unaware of such services offered by their school. This is why the opportunity to prevent adulthood adversity and management difficulty should be addressed and approached.