Change and stability in subjective well-being over the transition from higher education to employment

• A nationwide cohort of students was followed from higher education to employment.
• Seven-year subjective well-being trajectories were examined.
• Subjective well-being increased over time while students were in higher education.
• Subjective well-being increased after graduation but then decreased.
• The transition involved changes in subjective well-being.

The transition from higher education (HE) to employment is an anticipated life event experienced by many adults. This transition involves further socialization into work but is typically paralleled by other life changes. While the negative effects of such transitions have been investigated, little is known about changes in subjective well-being (SWB). This study set out to investigate SWB trajectories in terms of affective well-being (AWB) and cognitive well-being (CWB) in the transition from HE to employment. Data came from a seven-year nationwide longitudinal cohort study where student nurses (N = 1702) were assessed annually. Longitudinal analyses showed a positive effect, particularly on AWB, of leaving higher education and starting work. Yet the effects decreased over time, suggesting that individuals over time adapt to this anticipated life event and that other factors, including challenges at work, influence long-term SWB. Consistent with previous findings, demographic factors had little impact, which may partly relate to the relative homogeneity of the student cohort. In showing that an anticipated life event such as the transition from HE to employment is paralleled by differential AWB and CWB trajectories, this study furthers the understanding of individual development as related to SWB during adulthood.