South Asian Muslim Americans' career development: factors influencing their career decision-making process

The Muslim population in the United States has faced numerous challenges in the aftermath of September 11th, including increased negative portrayal of Muslims in the media. While there is increased understanding that the social environment in the US has become more Islamophobic, there is little research in applied psychology fields to understand how this is influencing the life choices of young Muslims in the United States. This investigation focuses on South Asian Muslim Americans and the factors that influence their career decision-making process. Lent and Colleagues’ (1994) Social Cognitive Career Theory career choice model was used to develop a better understanding of these factors. This study investigated how the variables of gender, ethnicity, religiosity, perceived discrimination, and family involvement relate to career decision-making self-efficacy and outcome expectations for South Asian Muslim college students. A hierarchical regression analysis was used to understand the relationships among the variables. The goal of this study was to provide initial understandings of the factors influencing South Asian Muslim Americans career decision-making process. The study did not find a significant relationship among the variables or the applicability of the SCCT career choice model to this population. These findings demonstrate a need to learn more about the career process for this population and other factors specific to the population that may be involved in the career development process. The results provide valuable information for counseling psychologists in university counseling centers to broaden their understanding and support the needs of South Asian Muslim American students during the career choice process.