Career Orientations, Career Management, and Adaptability Under Career Constraints

Individuals manage their careers under uncertainty and constrained opportunities. Drawing on career orientation theory, the Social Cognitive Model of Career Self-Management, and Career Construction Theory, this study examines how boundaryless and protean career orientations relate to career management behaviors (career planning and career learning) and career adaptability. Survey data were collected from 310 athletes competing within South Korea’s elite and semi-professional sport system and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results indicated that protean career orientation was positively associated with career planning and career learning, whereas boundaryless career orientation was associated only with career planning. Both career management behaviors were positively related to career adaptability. The findings suggest that self-directed, values-based career orientations are more consistently associated with sustained engagement than openness to opportunities alone in regulated career environments. The study contributes to career development research by clarifying how career orientations relate to career management behaviors and adaptability under structural constraint.