Description
Background: The transition from elite athletic careers to life after sports is among the most challenging changes athletes face. Although athletes' retirement has been widely researched, past reviews primarily focused on predictors and outcomes of successful transitions, often overlooking the process of these transitions (Knights et al., 2016). Research shows that career self-management (CSM), which includes cognitive and behavioral actions for handling career challenges and transitions, supports employment, career success and well-being (Hirschi & Koen, 2021). In turn, positive well-being states, such as self-efficacy and career satisfaction, encourage adaptation, proactive career planning, and the pursuit of new opportunities (Wilhelm & Hirschi, 2019). This indicates that a reciprocal relationship might exist between CSM and well-being.Objectives: Our study aims to examine how CSM and well-being co-evolve in athletes during their career transitions, identifying personal and contextual factors that shape this process. To achieve this, we prioritize two objectives. First, we adopt a process-oriented approach to understand how this relationship shifts during (including before and after) transitions and is influenced by personal and contextual factors. Second, we analyze athletes’ CSM strategies, exploring how this “work-related learning” approach can inform similar transitions in other high-performance fields (e.g., military).
Method: To provide an in-depth analysis of this relationship, we conduct a systematic literature review synthesizing findings on CSM and well-being during elite athletes’ career transitions.
Conclusion: This study draws on elite athletes' career transitions to inform strategies for navigating sustainable, non-linear career paths. Emphasizing adaptability, life skills, career goals and strategies, it offers valuable insights and guidance for transitions in other high-performance fields and encourages future research on CSM and well-being across diverse careers and evolving work environments.
Keywords: Elite athletic career transitions, career self-management, well-being.
| Period | 24 May 2025 |
|---|---|
| Event title | EAWOP 2025 TRANSFORMING WORKING ENVIRONMENTS: CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES: Enhancing Symposium Self-regulated and Informal Learning in Dynamic Work Environments |
| Event type | Conference |
| Conference number | 659 |
| Location | Prague, Czech RepublicShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |
Keywords
- Elite athletic career transitions
- career self-management
- well-being