Introduction: Career decision-making is a crucial developmental task during university years, influencing later job performance and satisfaction. However, many Japanese students remain in a state of career indecision. Previous studies argued that social capital—such as support from friends, trust in university staff, face-to-face networks, and appropriate social media use—may facilitate adjustment in university students. This study explores whether those findings can be applied to career decisions, namely how social capital relates to career indecision and job-search self-efficacy among first-year university students.
Methods: 170 undergraduates (43 males, 123 females, 4 other; Mean age = 18.43, SD = 0.98) completed a web-based survey. Measures included a career indecision scale (career indecision, career decision, stability-oriented career value), job-search self-efficacy, well-being (life satisfaction, loneliness), social capital (face-to-face, online), and social skills.
Results: Regression analyses revealed that having more LINE/Instagram friends was positively associated with career decision and job-search self-efficacy, whereas reliance on pre-university friends showed negative associations. Time spent on X (formerly Twitter) was related to career indecision and stability-oriented career value. Cluster analysis identified four profiles: (1) socially active students with high career decision, high stability-oriented career value, and high well-being; (2) socially inactive students with low skills, high indecision, high stability-oriented career value and low support; (3) moderately indecisive students; (4) determined but less socially engaged students. Although profiles (1) and (2) both exhibited high stability-oriented career value, their underlying functions differed: profile (1) reflected flexible career attitudes and higher well-being, whereas profile (2) reflected indecision and lower adjustment.
Discussion: These findings highlight the nuanced role of social networks in shaping career development. They further suggest that stability-oriented students can be classified as "flexible" or "career-indecisive and socially inactive" subgroups. Career guidance should consider individual differences in social capital and online engagement, particularly for students low in social skills.