Career Proactivity Unleashed: Charting the Path to Sustainable Success Through the Art of Self‐Regulated Learning

ABSTRACT This study examines the interaction among proactive career behavior, self‐directed learning, and long‐term career sustainability as a response to challenges higher education students face in Egypt. Specifically, it assesses the relationship between career proactivity and career sustainability, with self‐regulated learning acting as an intermediating construct grounded in the conservation of resources theory. To empirically test the study assumptions, the authors gathered 373 valid responses from Egyptian higher education students and used partial least squares structural equation modeling for analysis. The study evidenced that career proactivity positively impacts self‐regulated learning and career sustainability. In addition, self‐regulated learning also positively influences career sustainability. Further, self‐regulated learning partially mediated between career proactivity and career sustainability. The study results suggest universities develop initiatives and counseling programs to prepare students for unpredictable job markets.