Abstract / Summary
Autistic college students navigate career development through their interests and strengths, while encountering deficit-oriented assumptions about autism. Research on autistic students’ career development usually focuses on career support and skill development, while limited studies have examined how they pursue career pathways from a strengths-based perspective. Drawing on a secondary analysis of semi-structured interviews from a national mixed-methods study (n = 36), we examined how autistic college students in four-year U.S. colleges navigate career development. Applied thematic analysis identified three themes: participants developed purpose-driven career goals through long-standing interests, lived experiences, and community exposure; navigated judgments about capability and professional fit across academic and career contexts; and assembled career support across career centers, faculty, and autism support groups. Our findings highlight autistic participants’ capability to explore career pathways that reflect their interests and goals and suggest an agency-beyond-advocacy interpretation, in which agency refers to broader forms of action through which students shape their career development and advocacy represents one important form of agency. Finally, we offer suggestions for universities and employers to develop resources more tailored to autistic students’ career goals and needs.