Drawing from Psychology of Working Theory (PWT), the current study sampled 254 college
students from impoverished families in China and examined their perceptions of access to future
decent work as predicted by subjective social status and marginalization and mediated by work
volition and career adaptability. As impoverished college students are socioeconomically
disadvantaged and thus cannot afford college expenses, understanding their perception regarding
future careers echoes the call for renewing the focus on equity and diversity within vocational
psychology. Findings supported subjective social status as an indirect predictor of perceptions of
future decent work via work volition. Work volition and career adaptability directly predicted
perceptions of future decent work. Additionally, there is a significant conditional indirect effect
between subjective social status, work volition, and perceptions of future decent work. Specifically,
the effect was only significant for first-year students. Overall, this study adds new evidence on
the applicability of the PWT among student populations. Implications for career researchers,
vocational counselors, and student affairs professionals are provided.