In the context of China’s intensifying labor market competition, many young workers are caught between high career aspirations and uncertain prospects. This tension frequently manifests as career success decisional conflict (CSDC)—an internal struggle over whether to continue pursuing personally defined career success. We introduced the construct and developed a unidimensional scale across three studies focusing on young workers under the age of 35 in China. Study 1 generated items and conducted exploratory factor analysis. Study 2 confirmed the factor structure, reliability, discriminant validity with career inaction, and measurement invariance across gender and age. Study 3 used a three-wave sample of young knowledge workers under 35 to test a mediation model and examine the scale’s criterion validity, incremental validity, and test-retest reliability. Based on the motivational theory of life-span development and the whole-life career self-management framework, the results suggest that CSDC impairs subjective well-being and career satisfaction through reduced work engagement and leisure seriousness above and beyond self-efficacy. The findings offer theoretical insights and practical guidance for counselors, employees, and organizations. The cross-cultural implications of CSDC are also considered.
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