Testing a calling model of psychological career success in Australian young adults: A longitudinal study

• Career calling is positively associated with life meaning and career adaptability over time.
• Career calling is positively associated with work effort and career strategies over time.
• Work effort does not mediate between career calling and life meaning and career adaptability over time.
• Career strategies mediate between career calling and life meaning, and career calling and career adaptability, over time.
• We provide initial support for a calling model of psychological career success (Hall & Chandler, 2005).

Theory-based longitudinal research on career calling is sparse. In a two-wave, cross-lagged panel design we assessed Hall and Chandler's (2005) calling model of psychological career success using 216 young adults (M age = 20.44 years, SD = 2.54). We tested if changes in career calling over time were associated with changes in goal-directed effort (work effort and career strategies) and psychological career success (life meaning and career adaptability) over time, and if goal-directed effort mediated between career calling and psychological career success over time. The standard causal model showed a better fit over the base, reverse, and reciprocal causation models. T1 career calling predicted T2 work effort, career strategies, life meaning, and career adaptability. Only career strategies mediated between T1 career calling and T2 life meaning and T2 career adaptability. Limitations and future directions are discussed.