Mahasiswa tingkat akhir sedang menghadapi tantangan dalam transisi dari pendidikan tinggi ke dunia kerja yang dapat memengaruhi optimisme karier mereka. Sebagai bagian dari Gen Z, partisipasi mereka dalam Extracurricular Activities (ECA) dan program magang, merupakan bagian dari pengalaman kerja sekaligus membantu mereka mengembangkan orientasi dan harapan karier yang berfokus pada nilai-nilai pribadi mereka. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat peran mediasi adaptabilitas karier dalam hubungan antara orientasi karier protean dan optimisme karier. Partisipan penelitian ini terdiri dari 144 mahasiswa tingkat akhir yang mengikuti ECA dan program magang. Hasil analisis menunjukkan adaptabilitas karier memediasi penuh hubungan antara orientasi karier protean dan optimisme karier. Semakin tinggi orientasi karier yang dimiliki mahasiswa, semakin tinggi adaptabilitas dan berimbas pula pada optimisme karier mereka. Penelitian ini memiliki saran agar universitas dan penyelenggara ECA serta magang lebih mendorong partisipasi mahasiswa.

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Final-year students are facing challenges in transitioning from higher education to the workforce, which can affect their career optimism. As part of Gen Z, participation in work experiences such as Extracurricular Activities (ECA) and internship programs can help them develop career orientations and expectations focused on personal values. This study aims to examine the mediating role of career adaptability in the relationship between protean career orientation and career optimism. The participants of this study consist of 144 final-year students who are engaged in ECA and internship programs. The analysis shows that career adaptability fully mediates the relationship between protean career orientation and career optimism. The higher the career orientation of the students, the higher their career adaptability and optimism. The study faced challenges in achieving the reliability standards for the career optimism measurement tool. It is recommended that universities and ECA and internship program organizers further encourage student participation.