Although frequent role transitions have become a fixture of contemporary careers, the literature does not offer clear evidence on whether and how former career roles continue to be relevant to ongoing careers. We draw on data collected via 41 interviews with former military officers who voluntarily left the military, and we explore how identities informed by past careers impact individuals' future career enactment. We argue that, while identity motives unfulfilled by a certain career role can trigger a transition, a reflexive awareness of the motives it fulfilled can prompt the former identity to linger and influence individuals' career paths. Our study adds theoretical depth to the careers and identity literatures by identifying three career pathways that emerge from this predicament and impact career enactment. We term the occupants of these pathways as settlers, explorers, and shapers. Our study elaborates how identities informed by prior roles influence career enactment, noting that individuals may not jettison identities informed by such roles on making a career transition. Thus, we question the linear relation between career change and identity change that is presupposed by prior studies on career transitions. We also highlight the double-edge of prior career role identities, showing how they continue to inflect ongoing cognition and behavior through a process of imprinting.

尽管频繁的角色转换已成为当代职业的固定内容，但文献并没有提供明确的证据来证明以前的职业角色是否以及如何继续与正在进行的职业相关。我们利用通过对自愿离开军队的前军官的 41 次采访收集的数据，并探讨过去职业所告知的身份如何影响个人未来的职业制定。我们认为，虽然某个职业角色未实现的身份动机可以引发转变，但对其所实现的动机的反思性意识会促使前身份徘徊并影响个人的职业道路。我们的研究通过确定从这种困境中出现并影响职业制定的三种职业途径，为职业和身份文献增加了理论深度。定居者、探险家和塑造者。我们的研究详细阐述了受先前角色影响的身份如何影响职业制定，并指出个人在进行职业转型时可能不会放弃受此类角色影响的身份。因此，我们质疑职业转变与身份转变之间的线性关系，这是先前关于职业转变的研究所预设的。我们还强调了先前职业角色身份的双重优势，展示了它们如何通过印记过程继续影响正在进行的认知和行为。