In the contemporary dynamic and uncertain employment landscape, traditional organisational career paths characterised by linear progression, long-term job security, and hierarchical advancement are increasingly being replaced by self-directed, flexible, and values-driven career orientations. The emergence of Protean Career Orientation (PCO), conceptualised by Douglas T. Hall, reflects a fundamental shift in how individuals perceive and manage their careers in response to globalisation, technological disruption, and changing organisational structures. This study aims to examine the key antecedents of PCO, with a specific focus on the role of individual traits and perceived organisational support in shaping career self-direction among employees. Drawing upon contemporary career theories and empirical research, the study integrates psychological and organisational determinants into a comprehensive analytical framework. Adopting a quantitative and analytical research design, primary data were collected from over 100 respondents across the service and education sectors. Advanced statistical techniques, including Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), were employed to validate the measurement model and test the hypothesised relationships. The findings indicate that individual traits such as proactive personality, self-efficacy (as proposed by Albert Bandura), and career adaptability (Mark Savickas) significantly influence protean career attitudes and enhance career self-direction. Furthermore, perceived organisational support, rooted in Perceived Organisational Support, plays a dual role by directly influencing career self-direction and moderating the relationship between individual traits and protean orientation. Recent empirical studies (e.g., Rodrigues et al., 2020; Wiernik & Kostal, 2019; De Vos & Van der Heijden, 2021) have also emphasised the growing importance of self-managed careers and organisational facilitation in enhancing employability and career success. The present study contributes to the evolving literature on career development by offering an integrated model that captures both individual agency and organisational influence. It further provides practical implications for human resource managers and policymakers in designing supportive organisational environments that foster self-directed, adaptive, and resilient career behaviours in the modern workforce. This study extends the Protean Career Orientation literature by integrating individual traits (proactive personality, self-efficacy, and career adaptability) and perceived organisational support into a unified framework. Unlike previous studies that examined these factors separately, the present study empirically validates their combined and interactive effects on career self-direction using SEM in the Indian education and service sectors.