Balancing Career and Academic Pursuits of Young Professionals for Sustainable Career and Education Development

Abstract

Young professionals aged 24 to 29 often struggle to juggle the different needs of their career and academic pursuits. This dual responsibility builds overlapping pressures that can affect their personal well-being, their academic achievement, and professional development. In this research, the authors utilized the SEM analysis to investigate the major drivers that affect this balance. An online survey questionnaire was employed to collect data among fifty participants on indicators such as balanced engagement, academic performance, career achievement, and psychological and emotional stressors. The result of the study emphasizes the importance of academic performance, professional advancement, and job contentment; moreover too, having structured routines, a good support system, well-being, and stress resilience are all very important. The findings of this study gave valuable insights to young professionals, employers, and educational institutions in creating an enabling environment for career growth and lifelong learning. The SEM findings further provide a basis for future studies aimed at enhancing support mechanisms for sustainable academic and professional growth that are aligned with broader global sustainability efforts.