Improving Prediction of Career Adjustment With Measures of Career Development

In the first part of the article, the major findings and the problems of criterion‐related validity research in the field of career development assessment are analyzed. Regarding predictive validity, it is shown that it is more difficult to prove mediumterm and long‐term effects of career maturity on career adjustment than short‐term effects, and that this is connected with shortcomings in research and theory. In the second part of the article, empirical evidence is provided for the assumption that self‐concept orientation in choice of present major and realization of preferences might function as mediating factors between career development in school and career adjustment.