Abstract:
Future perceptions include an individual’s ambitions, beliefs, and views about future events in
different life domains, reflecting the person’s future goals, important future life roles, and
societal institutions. Due to the importance of understanding such future perceptions for career
education and counseling, the present study examined U.S. young adults’ perceptions of future
life roles and time horizon. Fifty-six U.S. male and female college students completed an online
survey including demographic items and semi-structured questions regarding future perceptions.
Results of thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) revealed eleven major themes: (a) Work, (b)
Partnership, (c) Parenthood, (d) Location, (e) Values, (f) Economic standard of living, (g)
Education, (h) Family of origin, (i) Non-romantic companionship, (j) Future perception of others,
and (k) Emotions. Results suggested that participants’ gender and their family’s involvement in
their career decision-making influenced how they envisioned their future life roles in relation to
several life domains. Furthermore, results indicated the majority of the students envisioned
themselves between five to ten years into the future (69.6%). A 2 x 3 between-subjects ANOVA,
however, revealed no significant differences in time horizon among U.S. young adults based on
their family’s involvement in their career decision-making and gender. In addition, the findings
revealed no significant impact involving the interaction between these two variables on
perceptions of U.S. young adults’ future life roles and time horizon. However, several of the
major themes (Education; Partnership; Parenthood; Location) discovered varied in the frequency
with which they were mentioned as a function of students’ gender and how involved their family
was in their career decision-making (extremely involved, somewhat involved, and not at all
involved). Limitations of the current study and implications for theory, research, and practice are
discussed.
