A narrative inquiry into the meaning of career identity of Indian emerging adults amid Covid-19

ABSTRACT

This paper studied the career experiences of emerging adults amid the pandemic and how they make sense of their career identities during this time. Twenty Indian Emerging adults (18–25 years) wrote narratives about their career stories during the pandemic. Using thematic analysis, three key themes of (1) Perceived Impact of Pandemic Crisis on Career Identity, (2) Positive Meaning-Making of Career Identity amid the Crises, and (3) Negative Meaning-Making of Career Identity amid the Crises were identified. The study concluded that despite the negative impact of Covid-19 on career experiences, most emerging adults cognitively reframed negative experiences as positive.