Affiliations: Department of Health Sciences Cleveland State
University, Cleveland, OH, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Susan Bazyk, MHS, OTR/L, Associate
Professor, Occupational Therapy Program, Cleveland State University, Cleveland,
OH 4415, USA. Tel.: +1 216 687 2530; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Through a literature review, this paper explores current issues
influencing the transition to meaningful adult work for youth living in Western
contexts. Historical and contemporary perspectives of children's work are
discussed. With the current emphasis on finding meaningful work, youth face
greater challenges because the transition to adult work is more complex,
offering additional options without structured pathways. Today's youth are
required to invest more energy into developing the skills and self-knowledge
needed to make meaningful decisions about future work. Given this challenge, a
number of key factors associated with the successful transition to adult work
are identified and discussed including social origin, time orientation,
parental influence, work experience, and participation in structured leisure
pursuits. For each key factor, implications for practice are offered to help
parents, teachers, youth workers, and other significant adults foster
interactions and experiences that may assist today's youth in successfully
transitioning to meaningful adult work.
Keywords: youth, work, leisure, occupation, meaning
