<![CDATA[Career decision-making difficulties remain a common problem among twelfth-grade vocational high school (SMK) students when determining their career direction after graduation. This condition is presumed to relate to self-awareness, the capacity of an individual to recognize feelings, strengths, weaknesses, and values realistically. This study aimed to examine the role of self-awareness in predicting career decision-making difficulties among twelfth-grade vocational high school students in Tangerang Regency. A quantitative correlational approach was employed using a convenience sampling technique, involving 200 twelfth-grade vocational students in Tangerang Regency as respondents. Data were collected using two Likert-scale instruments: the Self-Awareness Scale, developed based on Goleman's aspects of self-awareness, and the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ) adapted from Gati, Krausz, and Osipow. The self-awareness scale demonstrated a reliability coefficient (Cronbach's Alpha) of 0.846 with 40 valid items, while the career decision-making difficulties scale demonstrated a reliability coefficient of 0.845 with 33 valid items. Data were analyzed using simple linear regression. The results showed a regression coefficient of -0.532 with a significance value of 0.000 (p < 0.05), indicating that the research hypothesis was accepted. Self-awareness was found to play a significant role in predicting career decision-making difficulties, with a determination coefficient (R Square) of 0.351, meaning self-awareness contributed 35.1% to career decision-making difficulties, while the remaining 64.9% was influenced by other factors outside this study. Higher levels of self-awareness were associated with lower levels of career decision-making difficulties, and conversely. These findings underline the importance of strengthening students' self-awareness through career guidance and counseling services in vocational schools.]]>
