Exploring the Career Needs, Career Barriers, and Support Resources of University Students After the Earthquake

Abstract Book of the 8th Global Conference on Education and Teaching

Year: 2026

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Exploring the Career Needs, Career Barriers, and Support Resources of University Students After the Earthquake

Ahmet Ayaz, Asst. Prof. Özgür Osman Demir, Asst. Prof. Mehmet Şam, Asst. Prof. Emre Emrullah Boğazliyan, Prof. Oğuzhan Kirdök, Prof. Seval Kizildağ Şahin, Prof. Ramin Aliyev, Prof. Yaşar Özbay, Assoc. Prof. Nurten Karacan Özdemir, Fatih Furkan Eğritaş, Ayşegül İmiroğlu, Mustafa Toran

ABSTRACT:

This study aims to examine the emerging career needs, encountered career barriers, and available career support resources of university students following the earthquakes of February 6, 2023, from a qualitative perspective. The research is based on individual interviews conducted with university students and focus group interviews held with academic staff from four provinces that were affected by the earthquake to varying degrees (Adana, Adıyaman, Gaziantep, and Kahramanmaraş). The study group consists of 30 university students and 12 academics. Data were collected through semi-structured interview forms, transcribed verbatim from audio recordings, and analyzed using content analysis with the support of MAXQDA software.
As a result of the qualitative analyses, three main categories emerged: “Career Needs,” “Career Barriers,” and “Career Support Resources.” The category of career needs was organized into four themes: career motivation, career exploration, career support, and career goals. The findings indicate that students experience intense needs particularly in terms of career motivation, perceived control, and future orientation. Career barriers were examined under two themes—environmental and personal factors—and factors such as traumatic experiences, disruptions in the educational process, housing problems, and difficulties in coping with uncertainty were found to negatively affect career development. Regarding career support resources, despite limited environmental support, students were found to possess individual resources such as self-efficacy, future orientation, and perseverance. Among environmental resources, family support and support from academics were identified as particularly prominent.
In conclusion, the findings suggest that university students’ career development processes in the post-earthquake period should be addressed not only within the context of vocational decision-making but also in relation to psychosocial well-being and post-traumatic adaptation processes. These results provide important implications for structuring career counseling services offered at universities within a trauma-informed and holistic framework.

Keywords: Career counselling, career needs, career barriers, career support, earthquake, university students