Predicting entrepreneurial and professional career mindsets in young Nigerian adults

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to investigate how new graduates in Nigeria can simultaneously pursue entrepreneurial and professional careers. Specifically, this study tested the contextual (socioeconomic status [SES]), person-based (an open personality) and cognitive-person (self-efficacy and outcome expectations) predictors of entrepreneurship, professionalism and leadership. Design/methodology/approach The study design is cross-sectional. Data were collected from 363 new graduates from Nigerian tertiary institutions. Hypotheses were generated from social cognitive career self-management (CSM) variables. Research instruments were also revalidated for the Nigerian context, and regression path analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings This study’s key findings showed that SES and an open personality are predictors of entrepreneurship, professionalism and leadership (EPL) self-efficacy and intentions, entrepreneurial and job outcome expectations. Second, EPL self-efficacy predicted both entrepreneurial and job outcome expectations and served as a mediating variable for SES and an open personality. Third, entrepreneurial outcome expectations related to EPL intentions, whereas job outcome expectations did not. These results suggest that SES and openness personality trait are crucial for developing a versatile career mindset. Research limitations/implications This study demonstrated that individuals’ characteristics (i.e. cognitive and personality) and economic resources are crucial determinants of CSM. As this study is cross-sectional, future research could use a longitudinal approach to determine the cause-effect relationship. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first research to examine how new graduates can simultaneously explore entrepreneurial and professional careers in a developing country like Nigeria using the CSM theory.

Development and validation of sources of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and outcome expectations: A social cognitive career theory perspective

“…However, we argue that exposure to entrepreneurial models or coming from a family of entrepreneurs does not automatically mean having an entrepreneurial role model. Indeed, there are lots of career models an individual will be exposed toparticularly, a high SES individual (Adebusuyi, Kolawole, Abu, Adebusuyi, & Ajulo, 2021;Duffy Blustein, Diemer, & Autin, 2016). Therefore, the decision to pick entrepreneurial models depends on the individual's psychological characteristics and the entrepreneurs they have access to.…”

Developing Female Sustainable Entrepreneurial Intentions through an Entrepreneurial Mindset and Motives

“…However, most of them have not yet enrolled in any high school or college formal entrepreneurship courses [66]. According to [86], the determinants of entrepreneurship, professionalism, and leadership are self-efficacy, EI, entrepreneurial and job outcome expectations, socioeconomic level, and an open personality. Through its ability to innovate, a creative mindset enables successful entrepreneurship.…”