Designing a Life Across Borders: A Mixed-Methods Investigation of Career Adaptability and Life Projects among Internationally Mobile Individuals

Employing a Convergent Parallel Mixed-methods design, this study investigates the construction of life and career projects among internationally mobile individuals (IMIs; N = 32). Grounded in Mark Savickas’ Career Construction Theory, the study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Life Design required for adults with global mobility experience to successfully operationalize their career across borders. Quant strand gathered data through five scales, explored the interplay between career adaptability (CA), future time orientation (FTO), life project (LP), social support, external conflicts (IE), and career decision-making difficulties (CDD). Results demonstrated that CDD was negatively associated with CAAS, FTO, and LP, while positively related to IE. Career Control and Age significantly predicted a reduction in CDD. FTO and CA act as strong positive predictors of a clear and actionable life project. Notably, social support did not correlate with any dimensions. Qual strand collected career narratives using My Career Story (MCS) autobiographical workbook interview. IMIs’ narratives were evaluated across seven dimensions: career adaptability, agency, narrative coherence, life themes, social support, obstacles and coping, and life project. Case comparison revealed two profiles: Profile I: Proactive Navigators (n = 17) - high CA, agentic, clear sense of direction with defined goals, and Profile II: Constrained Adapters (n = 15) - medium CA, alternating between active and passive agency, partial and vague idea of the future. Integrated Quant + Qual results provided quantitative support for the qualitative typology, with Proactive Navigators demonstrating significantly higher CA, FTO, and LP while lower on CDD compared to Constrained Adapters.