Navigation Knowledge and Skills Important for Education and Workplace Success

Education and career navigation is a complex process requiring different tasks across the K–Career  continuum. The knowledge and skills needed to complete these tasks successfully are wide-ranging  and may differ across a person’s lifetime. Briefly, some of these involve individuals gaining insights  into their own personal characteristics (e.g., interests, values, skills/abilities) and knowledge of  the critical aspects of the transitions they are moving through and the options they are choosing  among. Specific skills help individuals relate their own characteristics to important aspects of the  environment and the decisions they face, while other skills are needed to successfully implement  choices, evaluate progress, and adjust direction. In addition, there are signposts along this journey  that help people know they are on a path that has the potential to lead to desired outcomes. Some  of these signposts include being able to distinguish between what an individual likes and what he or  she is good at, having thought about occupations one wants to pursue, and being confident in the  ability to make a career decision that will be a good fit.

Research on education and career navigation provides some insights as to how different skills, personal characteristics, and other factors relate to a variety of education outcomes. Students who  have interests in the academic subjects they are studying have higher grades and are more likely to  persist in school (Allen & Robbins, 2008). High school students who seek out college information  to learn about their education options are more likely to enroll in college (Plank & Jordan, 2001).  College students who choose majors that are a good fit based on their interests have higher GPAs  and are more likely to persist in college and complete their degrees in a timely manner (Tracey &  Robbins, 2006). College students are also more likely to persist and obtain degrees when they are  more certain about their educational goals (Allen & Robbins, 2008). College students are more  satisfied with their college experience when they attend institutions that better fit them socially,  academically, and physically (Bowman & Denson, 2014; Wintre et al., 2008).

Research also points to the importance of specific navigation-related factors for predicting work  outcomes. In one study, unemployed individuals who participated in a focused career planning  process that included exploratory job search strategies increased their quality of reemployment  and job satisfaction compared to individuals who did not take this approach (Koen, Klehe, Van  Vianen, Zikic, & Nauta, 2010). Individuals who have knowledge of and engage in effective job search  behaviors obtain more job interviews and receive more job offers leading directly to employment (Werbel, 2000). Individuals who enter jobs that better fit them have both higher job performance and  greater job satisfaction (Oh et al., 2014). Once in jobs, individuals’ confidence about their ability to  perform work tasks effectively has a positive influence on salary and tenure (Chang, Ferris, Johnson,  Rosen, & Tan, 2012).