An exploration of black college men's perspective on their career outlook through cluster analysis

Abstract

Black men currently significantly lag other groups in their participation in high status occupations. There have been several studies to highlight the challenges of Black people in the workplace but there is a lack of research that assess how college men think about their career futures (Barrett, 2004; Byars-Winston, 2010; Hoffman, Llagas, & Snyder, 2003). The current study aims to explore what Black college men believe about their career potential postgraduation during a critical time in the development of their careers. The constructs career adaptability, career decision self-efficacy, career optimism, and the impostor phenomenon will be used to identify strengths and internal barriers that both positively and negatively influence the psychology of Black men in relation to their career motivations, aspirations, and their confidence in their ability to successfully navigate the career landscape. Cluster analysis was used to identify groups of participants based upon the constructs measured and demographic variables. A six-cluster solution was identified in the sample that represented distinct profiles of career readiness. The clusters were labeled 'Impostor with low optimism and career agency', 'Highly prepared impostor', 'Comfortable', 'Not prepared', 'Very comfortable and highly prepared', 'Impostor'. Black Racial Identity measures suggest that positive esteem held for Black people corelates with high career preparedness and lower distress. The results from this study provides information useful for vocational practioners and university administrators who support the career development needs of Black college men. Keywords: Black College Men, Academic Self-Concept, Career Adaptability, Career Decision, Self-efficacy, Career Optimism, Imposter Phenomenon