Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of career regret. It examines processes that give rise to it including social comparison, social influences on career choice and career satisfaction and explores its association with occupational commitment and intention to quit the profession. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses were tested among 559 British cardiac physiologists, using an online survey and structural equation modelling. Findings Research propositions were supported; social influences and social comparison are both associated with career regret. Direct and indirect pathways were found between career regret, occupational commitment and intention to quit the profession. Research limitations/implications The paper provides a starting point for future career regret research using a range of methods. Practical implications Careers advisers both at the point of career choice and within organisations should encourage realistic occupation previews. Managers should become aware of career regret and help to mitigate its effects – for example, facilitating job crafting or reframing of experiences. Originality/value This paper is one of the first to investigate career choice regret and its associated psychological mechanisms.

中文翻译：

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有事业的职业：探索职业后悔

目的本文的目的是探索职业遗憾的概念。它检查了引起这种情况的过程，包括社会比较，社会对职业选择和职业满意度的影响，并探讨了其与职业承诺和退出职业的意图的关系。设计/方法/方法使用在线调查和结构方程模型对559位英国心脏生理学家进行了假设检验。研究结果得到支持；社会影响力和社会比较都与职业后悔有关。在职业遗憾，职业承诺和退出职业的意愿之间发现了直接和间接的途径。研究的局限性/意义本文为使用多种方法进行未来职业后悔研究提供了一个起点。实际含义职业顾问无论是在职业选择时还是在组织内部，都应鼓励现实的职业预览。管理人员应该意识到职业后悔，并帮助减轻职业后悔的影响，例如，促进职业规划或经验重组。创意/价值本文是研究职业选择后悔及其相关心理机制的第一篇论文。