Navigating the path to success: understanding the relationship between emotional intelligence and career adaptability in college students / Fatin ‘Ainaa Othman, Nurul Norfadila Adnan and Wei Boon Quah

The knowledge regarding Emotional Intelligence (EI) has increasingly grown over the years, which has led to more researchers investigating it. Furthermore, trait EI contributes to the development of career adaptability. Moreover, Malaysian students lack soft skills and emotional equilibrium both during and after their studies. This study aimed to investigate how trait Emotional Intelligence (EI) influences the career adaptability of community college students. This study used the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIque) and the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS) as the instruments. A total of 87 respondents participated in this study. The findings showed that only well-being was found to have a significant positive relationship with career adaptability. However, other independent variables (emotionality, self-control, and sociability) did not show a significant relationship with career adaptability. Educators can better prepare undergraduate students for the industry by providing personalized mentorship and extracurricular programming, understanding how these various traits manifest among current college students and how Trait EI affects their perceived vocational adaptability. Finally, future research should examine other potential predictors of career adaptability to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence career adaptability.