Career adaptability manifests itself through 4 self‐regulated internal resources for coping with occupational challenges and transitions: concern, control, curiosity, and confidence. Few studies have examined career adaptability specifically in the Hong Kong context. The Career Adapt‐Abilities Scale–China Form (CAAS‐China; Hou, Leung, Li, Li, & Xu, 2012) was administered, along with measures of self‐esteem and social support, to 522 Hong Kong Chinese undergraduate students. Results indicated that the CAAS‐China is a reliable and valid instrument for use with these students. Data also showed that self‐esteem was strongly associated with career adaptability, and this relationship was partially mediated by perceived social support. Implications for careers counseling in universities and colleges are discussed.

According to career construction theory, cultural beliefs represent a social construct that may shape an individual’s career path. In Chinese society, the Confucian concept of filial piety is one such influential belief. More specifically, reciprocal filial piety involves mutually supportive processes between parents and their offspring, whereas authoritarian filial piety is characterized by the suppression of the offspring’s own wishes to comply with those of their parents. The authors examined the extent to which Hong Kong undergraduate students (N = 522) possess dual career‐related filial piety and how it relates to their career adaptability during the school‐to‐work transition. Results indicated that career‐related reciprocal filial piety was regarded as important and was associated with all career adaptability dimensions, whereas career‐related authoritarian filial piety was not. The possible complex effect of dual career‐related filial piety on career adaptability deserves attention from career counselors and researchers.

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Geopolitical changes worldwide, together with rapid advances in technology, have created a situation where an individual’s working life can present many new challenges. Helping students develop the attitudes and skills necessary to adapt to constant change along a career path has become a priority in education. Developing this career adaptability is becoming increasingly important to the sustainability of democracy, the economy, justice, human values, and equality. The authors of this paper argue that to improve the quality of our education system in universities, active learning should play a more important role to enrich the typical lecturing–learning processes. The aim of the study reported here was to examine the impact from implementing a 3-month active learning program that took university students beyond the classroom to increase their career adaptability and self-esteem and to strengthen their meaning in life. A mixed-method approach was adopted and conducted in two phases with 119 undergraduate students in human resources management at a university in Hong Kong. Findings suggested a significant improvement in career adaptability of the students after participating in the program when compared to a control group. However, data did not indicate any significant change in self-esteem and meaning in life in the training group. The findings support the valuable role of active learning as a strategy to enhance students’ career adaptability in a changing but sustainable world of employment.