in career/in careers/in their careers

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Dec 18, 2020
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Chinese
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Hello, teachers. Are the red phrases all correct? Which ones are more idiomatic? Thanks.

Students can increase their likelihood of
succeeding in career/in careers/in their careers if they study what they like.
 
Of those three options, only "in their careers" works. However, the sentence is unnatural even with "likelihood of succeeding in their careers".

Students can increase the likelihood of having a successful career if they study subjects/a subject they like.
 
the sentence is unnatural even with "likelihood of succeeding in their careers".

Thank you, emsr2d2!

So, is 'succeeding in their careers' unnatural or is it unnatural when used with 'likelihood'?

For example, is it natural to say the following?
Students should follow their passion when choosing a major because this can raise their chances of succeeding in their careers.

As you can see, I'm not using 'succeeding in their careers' with 'likelihood'.
 
It's grammatically correct. I would still say that native speakers are more likely to say "this can improve their chances of having a successful career".
 
Is it logically correct? It may improve their motivation to study more, but that doesn't guarantee professional success. Many degrees do nothing to improve someone's professional opportunities.
 
For example, is it natural to say the following?
Students should follow their passion when choosing a major because this can raise their chances of succeeding in their careers.

I think it's okay, yes. I don't think it needs correcting.

The phrase in their careers is good English. Your other two alternatives in post #1 are wrong..
 
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