2025

Unkari-Virtanen, Leena; Onnismaa, Jussi; Salonen, Arto O.

Working life is fundamentally changing due to factors such as remote work, platform economy, automation, artificial intelligence, and sustainability transformations. We gathered the interview data (n = 56) among career changers working in work environments and performing tasks that were atypical compared to their educational backgrounds. We look to find out how people have successfully transitioned in their careers against the expectations of their educational background. We analyzed the data through qualitative content analysis. The results show that essential factors of successful career transitions were intention, connection, and turn. Successful career transitions are best supported by employment counseling that empowers personal intentions, identifies supportive connections to other people, and concretizes possibilities of professional turns. Thus, instead of traditional career counseling, effective employment counseling includes self-discovery, representing a developmental process focused on redefining one's role in society and the world. This journey emphasizes finding meaning in life.