Abstract
Context: Career guidance is an essential component in supporting adolescents to make informed and meaningful career choices, especially during a formative period that significantly shapes their future professional trajectories. Studies highlight a growing need for structured career guidance programs in contexts like Kosovo, where such interventions are largely informal and underdeveloped (Jemini Gashi & Kadriu, 2022). Theoretical and empirical frameworks (Savickas, 2012; Whiston, Goodrich Mitts & Wright, 2017) emphasize that career counseling fosters self-awareness, decision-making skills, and coping mechanisms that benefit both career certainty and overall well-being. In low-resource settings, these interventions also have the potential to serve as psychosocial support mechanisms for adolescents facing emotional distress during career decision-making. Approach: This study employed a pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design to examine the impact of a structured career guidance workshop on high school students in Kosovo. Thirty-three adolescents participated in a five-step intervention, which included modules focused on self-awareness, skills assessment, career exploration, goal setting, and action planning. Standardized measures were used to evaluate outcomes: the Career Decision Scale (CDS) for career certainty and indecision, and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) for mental well-being. Data collection occurred immediately before and after the intervention to assess change over time. Findings: The results revealed statistically significant improvements in career certainty and reductions in career indecision. Moreover, participants reported lower levels of psychological distress. The structured workshop promoted both cognitive clarity about career choices and emotional relief, indicating that career guidance interventions can produce beneficial effects on adolescents’ mental health alongside improved vocational readiness. The findings align with previous research that advocates for career interventions as dual-purpose tools for personal development and career planning (Mohammed, Kumar, & Padakannaya, 2021; Jemini Gashi et al., 2023). Conclusions: This study underscores the importance of integrating mental health considerations into career guidance frameworks to enhance their effectiveness. Policy makers and educational institutions in Kosovo and similar contexts are encouraged to formalize and invest in structured career counseling programs within school curricula. This approach supports both informed career choices and improved psychological resilience among youth
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