We measured 16 career-related metaphors' salience to university students and graduates (N = 577). The JOURNEY metaphor recorded the highest score (62%) with moderate levels for ENCOUNTERS AND RELATIONSHIPS, A STORY, and ROLES. Exploratory structural equation modelling revealed four factors labelled as Constraint (i.e. entrapped, struggling, or living within constraints), Personal Experience (i.e. humanistic, person-centred qualities), Complexity (i.e. complex, integrated parts of an unfolding whole), and Procedure (i.e. established protocols or systems of meaning making). This study demonstrates a framework for conceptualizing relations among career-related variables: career agency, job search self-efficacy, and negative career outlook.