The consequences of unrealized occupational goals in the transition to adulthood

• Occupational aspirations are predictive of future attainment.
• This study tests psychosocial costs of not meeting occupational aspirations.
• Two cohorts of youth are studied.
• Unmet goals associated with higher depressive symptoms among men in older cohort.
• Unmet goals associated with lower job satisfaction among for all in both cohorts.

Do unmet occupational goals have negative consequences for well-being? Several social–psychological theories posit that aspirations become standards against which individuals judge themselves, thereby decreasing well-being when unmet. Yet other evidence points to young adults’ goal flexibility and resilience, suggesting unmet aspirations may not affect well-being. This paper tests these alternatives using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1979 (N = 9016) and the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 (N = 10,547) to examine whether the degree of match between adolescent occupational aspirations (NLSY) and expectations (NELS) and later attainment affect job satisfaction and depression. This paper also examines gender differences in the cost to unmet goals. Findings reveal a cost to falling short of one’s occupational goals, manifested in more depressive symptoms for men in the older cohort, and lower job satisfaction for both men and women across two cohorts born approximately 14 years apart.