what influence your career choice essay

Which program are you applying to?

Accepted Admissions Blog

Everything you need to know to get Accepted

February 29, 2024

• Writing Your Career Goals Essay

Check out all the blog posts in this series:

• Identifying the Ingredients of a Winning Essay
• Finding a Theme for Your Statement of Purpose
• Revise and Polish Your Application Essays

Your career goals essay demands a laser-like focus. A personal statement, by contrast, allows for some flexibility in its content, though you can – and often should – discuss your career goals. But a career goals essay has a particular and packed agenda. In fact, the prompt for a career goals essay could actually include multiple questions, and in such cases, you want to make sure you address each of them.

For example, in 2022, Kellogg asked applicants to its one-year program to respond to the following prompt: “Please discuss your post-MBA career goal, the current experience you will leverage to support the transition, and the Kellogg 1Y opportunities that will help you reach this goal.” 

This prompt has three parts: (1) What do you want to do post-MBA ? (2) Why is the 1Y program appropriate for you? And (3) what experience has so far prepared you to succeed in your target role? 

So, always pay close attention to your target school’s prompt to ensure that you answer all the questions within its “single” question. 

Three elements of a successful career goals essay

In addition to having a distinct theme , your career goals essay should achieve the following:

• Highlight specific career achievements. Choose from your most notable or defining experiences. These could be related to your work, community involvement, or extracurricular activities. The experiences you select should showcase your leadership skills , creative thinking, collaborative abilities, and personal reflections about what you learned or gained.
• Explain why your experiences and influences make your career goal a logical and wise choice.
• Demonstrate why you are suited to a particular field as a result of your education, experience, abilities, and enthusiasm. Ideally, the material you choose to include will also allow you to prove your knowledge about industry trends and suggest how your abilities and strengths can help you contribute to that field.

It’s a very tall order to achieve all this.

Putting these elements together to create your goals essay

Let’s take a look at a sample MBA Goals Essay and see how these three key elements are incorporated.  

You should be able to easily recognize why the writer’s opening is attention-getting for all the right reasons. The writer introduces herself as the supremely busy executive she visualizes becoming in the future. She trades large amounts of stock, rushes off to a Zoom conference, hurries downstairs, flags down a taxi, then hops on a plane. As she describes this whirlwind of activity, we can practically feel her heart pumping.

After establishing her voice and personality in this opening, she offers context for her MBA goal. Notice that in writing about her work as an accountant for a major firm, she provides relevant details, including how many years she has been in the field, her bilingualism, and her specialty area as an auditor. This information is her springboard to explain why she is pursuing an MBA: she’s bursting out of her limited role as an accountant. Her eyes and ambition are set on a larger playing field as an international investment manager.

Write an essay, not a list or CV

Outstanding career goals essays are not lists of an applicant’s roles and achievements. Instead, they have a narrative flow and arc that convey the candidate’s palpable excitement about their career choice. This writer’s enthusiastic, dreamy first paragraph achieves this, and she returns to that image at the end, where she paints her idealized (if frantically busy) future. She also proves her seriousness by noting that she registered for the CFA exam.

Connect your career goals to your reasons for choosing a particular program

Many essay questions, especially those for MBA programs , will ask why you have chosen the school you’re applying to. Be prepared to respond knowledgeably and enthusiastically. And the only way to become knowledgeable – and enthusiastic – is by visiting campus in-person or virtually, attending student recruitment meetings, participating in forums, reading student blogs, watching videos of students speaking about their experiences, communicating directly with students and/or recent alumni, and otherwise doing your homework. As part of your research, make sure you have familiarized yourself with the courses and specializations that are relevant to your goals.

Summary Tips

• Focus on answering each and every question asked in a career goals essay prompt. Often, there is more than one.
• Highlight specific achievements vividly and in a way that shows that your career choice is logical for you.
• Do the research so you can write about why the school is a good fit for you and do so with genuine enthusiasm.

In the next post in this series , we’ll explain how to take all this advice and apply it to create an exemplary first draft.

Work one-on-one with an expert who will walk you through the process of creating a slam-dunk application. Check out our full catalog of application services . Our admissions consultants have read thousands of essays and know the exact ingredients of an outstanding essay.

By Judy Gruen, former Accepted admissions consultant. Judy holds a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University. She is also the co-author of Accepted’s first full-length book, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools . Want an admissions expert help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related resources:

• The Winning Ingredients of a Dynamic MBA Goals Essay , a free guide
• Grad School Personal Statement Examples
• Focus on Fit , podcast Episode 162

About Us Press Room Contact Us Podcast Accepted Blog Privacy Policy Website Terms of Use Disclaimer Client Terms of Service

Accepted 1171 S. Robertson Blvd. #140 Los Angeles CA 90035 +1 (310) 815-9553 © 2022 Accepted

• Career Exploration
• Arts, Communications, & Media
• Education, Nonprofit, & Social Impact
• Business, Consulting, Finance, & Marketing
• Government, International Affairs, Law, & Public Policy
• Health Professions Advising
• Graduate School
• Signature Internships
• Grants Program
• Internship Credit
• Short Internship Projects (SHIPs)
• Fellowships for Undergraduates
• Fellowships for Graduates
• Class of 2025 Fellowship Planning
• Fellowships for International Students
• Civic Engagement

Writing a Personal Statement

Preparing to Write

Brainstorming, don't forget, sample prompts.

A personal statement is a narrative essay that connects your background, experiences, and goals to the mission, requirements, and desired outcomes of the specific opportunity you are seeking. It is a critical component in the selection process, whether the essay is for a competitive internship, a graduate fellowship, or admittance to a graduate school program. It gives the selection committee the best opportunity to get to know you, how you think and make decisions, ways in which past experiences have been significant or formative, and how you envision your future. Personal statements can be varied in form; some are given a specific prompt, while others are less structured. However, in general a personal statement should answer the following questions:

• Who are you?
• What are your goals?
• How does this specific program/opportunity help you achieve your goals?
• What is in the future?

A personal statement is not:

• A variation of your college admissions essay
• An academic/research paper
• A narrative version of your resume
• A creative writing piece (it can be creative, though)
• An essay about somebody else

Keep in mind that your statement is only a portion of the application and should be written with this in mind. Your entire application package will include some, possibly all, of the materials listed below. You will want to consider what these pieces of the application communicate about you. Your personal statement should aim to tie everything together and fill in or address any gaps. There will likely be some overlap but be sure not to be too repetitive.

• Personal Statement(s)
• Transcripts
• Letters of recommendations
• Sample of written work
• Research proposal

Preparing to Write A large portion of your work towards completing a personal statement begins well before your first draft or even an outline. It is incredibly important to be sure you understand all of the rules and regulations around the statement. Things to consider before you begin writing:

• How many prompts? And what are they? It is important to know the basics so you can get your ideas in order. Some programs will require a general statement of interest and a focused supplementary or secondary statement closely aligned with the institution's goals.
• Are there formatting guidelines? Single or double spaced, margins, fonts, text sizes, etc. Our general guideline is to keep it simple.
• How do I submit my statement(s)? If uploading a document we highly suggest using a PDF as it will minimize the chances of accidental changes to formatting. Some programs may event ask you to copy and paste into a text box.
• When do I have to submit my statement(s)? Most are due at the time of application but some programs, especially medical schools, will ask for secondary statements a few months after you apply. In these instances be sure to complete them within two weeks, any longer is an indication that you aren't that interested in the institution.

Before you start writing, take some time to reflect on your experiences and motivations as they relate to the programs to which you are applying. This will offer you a chance to organize your thoughts which will make the writing process much easier. Below are a list of questions to help you get started:

• What individuals, experiences or events have shaped your interest in this particular field?
• What has influenced your decision to apply to graduate school?
• How does this field align with your interests, strengths, and values?
• What distinguishes you from other applicants?
• What would you bring to this program/profession?
• What has prepared you for graduate study in this field? Consider your classes at Wellesley, research and work experience, including internships, summer jobs and volunteer work.
• Why are you interested in this particular institution or degree program?
• How is this program distinct from others?
• What do you hope to gain?
• What is motivating you to seek an advanced degree now?
• Where do you see yourself headed and how will this degree program help you get there?

For those applying to Medical School, if you need a committee letter for your application and are using the Medical Professions Advisory Committee you have already done a lot of heavy lifting through the 2017-2018 Applicant Information Form . Even if you aren't using MPAC the applicant information form is a great place to start.

Another great place to start is through talking out your ideas. You have a number of options both on and off campus, such as: Career Education advisors and mentors ( you can set up an appointment here ), major advisor, family, friends. If you are applying to a graduate program it is especially important to talk with a faculty member in the field. Remember to take good notes so you can refer to them later.

When you begin writing keep in mind that your essay is one of many in the application pool. This is not to say you should exaggerate your experiences to “stand out” but that you should focus on clear, concise writing. Also keep in mind that the readers are considering you not just as a potential student but a future colleague. Be sure to show them examples and experiences which demonstrate you are ready to begin their program.

It is important to remember that your personal statement will take time and energy to complete, so plan accordingly. Every application and statement should be seen as different from one another, even if they are all the same type of program. Each institution may teach you the same material but their delivery or focus will be slightly different.

In addition, remember:

• Be yourself: You aren’t good at being someone else
• Tragedy is not a requirement, reflection and depth are
• Research the institution or organization
• Proofread, proofread, proofread
• How to have your personal statement reviewed

The prompts below are from actual applications to a several types of programs. As you will notice many of them are VERY general in nature. This is why it is so important to do your research and reflect on your motivations. Although the prompts are similar in nature the resulting statements would be very different depending on the discipline and type of program, as well as your particular background and reasons for wanting to pursue this graduate degree.

• This statement should illustrate your academic background and experiences and explain why you would excel in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (UMass Amherst - M.S. in Civil Engineering).
• Describe your academic and career objectives and how the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies can help you achieve them. Include other considerations that explain why you seek admissions to the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and your interests in the environmental field (Yale - Master of Environmental Management).  
• Please discuss your academic interests and goals. Include your current professional and research interests, as well as your long-range professional objectives. Please be as specific as possible about how your objectives can be met at Clark and do not exceed 800 words (Clark University - M.A. in International Development and Social Change).
• Write a 500- to 700-word statement that describes your work or research. Discuss how you came to focus on the medium, body of work, or academic area you wish to pursue at the graduate level. Also discuss future directions or goals for your work, and describe how the Master of Fine Arts in Studio (Printmedia) is particularly suited to your professional goals (School of the Art Institute of Chicago - MFA in Studio, Printmaking).
• Your statement should explain why you want to study economics at the graduate level. The statement is particularly important if there is something unusual about your background and preparation that you would like us to know about you (University of Texas at Austin - Ph.D in Economics).
• Your personal goal statement is an important part of the review process for our faculty members as they consider your application. They want to know about your background, work experience, plans for graduate study and professional career, qualifications that make you a strong candidate for the program, and any other relevant information (Indiana University Bloomington - M.S.Ed. in Secondary Education).
• Your autobiographical essay/personal statement is a narrative that outlines significant experiences in your life, including childhood experiences, study and work, your strengths and aspirations in the field of architecture, and why you want to come to the University of Oregon (University of Oregon - Master of Architecture).
• Personal history and diversity statement, in which you describe how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. You may refer to any educational, familial, cultural, economic or social experiences, challenges, community service, outreach activities, residency and citizenship, first-generation college status, or opportunities relevant to your academic journey; how your life experiences contribute to the social, intellectual or cultural diversity within a campus community and your chosen field; or how you might serve educationally underrepresented and underserved segments of society with your graduate education (U.C. Davis - M.A. in Linguistics).
• A Personal Statement specifying your past experiences, reasons for applying, and your areas of interest. It should explain your intellectual and personal goals, why you are interested in pursuing an interdisciplinary degree rather than a more traditional disciplinary one, and how this degree fits into your intellectual and personal future (Rutgers University - Ph.D in Women’s and Gender Studies).
• Your application requires a written statement to uploaded into your application and is a critical component of your application for admission. This is your opportunity to tell us what excites you about the field of library and information science, and what problems you want to help solve in this field. Please also tell us how your prior experiences have prepared you for this next step toward your career goals and how this program will help you achieve them (University of North Carolina Chapel Hill - Master of Science in Library Science).
• After watching the video, please describe what strengths and preferences as a learner you have that will facilitate your success in this innovative curriculum. What challenges in our curriculum do you anticipate and what strategies might you use to address these challenges? (MGH Institute of Health Professions PT - They recently redesigned their curriculum)
• Your personal goal statement should briefly describe how you view the future of the field, what your goals are to be part of that future, and what brought you to pursue an advanced education degree in your chosen field. You may include any other information that you feel might be useful. (Northeastern PT)
• Personal Statement: In 500 words or less, describe a meaningful educational experience that affected your professional goals and growth and explain how it impacted you. The educational experience does not need to be related to this degree. Focus on the educational experience and not why you think you would be a good professional in this field. (Simmons PT)
• Personal Statement (500 word minimum): State your reasons for seeking admission to this program at this institution. Include your professional goals, why you want to pursue a career in this field and how admission to this program will assist you in accomplishing those goals. (Regis College Nursing)
• “Use the space provided to explain why you want to go to this type of program.” (AMCAS)
• Address the following three questions(Though there is no set limit, most statements are 1–2 pages, single-spaced.): What are your reasons for pursuing this degree? Why do you wish to pursue your degree at this institution? How do you intend to leverage your degree in a career of this field? (Boston University MPH)
• Please submit a personal statement/statement of purpose of no more than 500 words for the department/degree of choice. Professional degree essays require a clear understanding of the _______ field and how you hope to work within the field. Be sure to proofread your personal statement carefully for spelling and grammar. In your statement, be sure to address the following: what interests you in the field of _____ what interests you in a specific degree program and department at this institution and what interests you in a particular certificate (if applicable). Please also describe how you hope to use your ________ training to help you achieve your career goals. (Columbia PhD in Public Health - Epidemiology)
• Because each Home Program requires significant original research activities in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, we are interested in obtaining as much information as possible about your previous research experiences. Those who already have such experience are in a better position to know whether they are truly interested in performing ______ research as part of a graduate program. Please include specific information about your research experience in your Statement of Purpose. You may also use the Statement to amplify your comments about your choice of Home Program(s), and how your past experiences and current interests are related to your choice. Personal Statements should not exceed two pages in length (single spaced). Make sure to set your computer to Western European or other English-language setting. We cannot guarantee the ability to access your statement if it is submitted in other fonts. (Stanford Biosciences PhD)
• Your statement of purpose should describe succinctly your reasons for applying to the Department of ____ at ___ University. It would be helpful to include what you have done to prepare for this degree program. Please describe your research interests, past research experience, future career plans and other details of your background and interests that will allow us to evaluate your ability to thrive in our program. If you have interests that align with a specific faculty member, you may state this in your application. Your statement of purpose should not exceed two pages in length (single spaced). (Stanford Bioengineering PhD)
• Statement of purpose (Up to one page or 1,000 words): Rather than a research proposal, you should provide a statement of purpose. Your statement should be written in English and explain your motivation for applying for the course at this institution and your relevant experience and education. Please provide an indication of the area of your proposed research and supervisor(s) in your statement. This will be assessed for the coherence of the statement; evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study; the ability to present a reasoned case in English; and commitment to the subject. (Oxford Inorganic Chemistry - DPhil)

Related resources

How to Write an Awesome Essay About Your Career Goals

• Before you begin, ask yourself a few key questions like:
• What are my short-term and long-term career goals?
• Where do I see myself in ten years?
• What events in my life have led me to have these goals?
• What major will help me reach my goals?
• What skills do I need to reach my goals?
• What impact do I want to have on society?

Career Goals Essay Template

Need more inspiration.

After you brainstorm the responses to these questions, look for common themes, or pick out the most interesting stories. You can build your main essay “thesis” or idea around this.

Once you’ve got the main idea, create an outline to put your ideas into essay format. This will give you a general idea of structure.

You can use the career essays template below to give you some ideas. But remember that some rules are meant to be broken, so don’t be afraid to be innovative and think outside the box!

Also, when you’re done, head over to Going Merry to apply for the Career Goals scholarship essay bundle (one essay, one application, multiple scholarships!). You might as well make that essay count. Sign up for Going Merry to apply for scholarships more efficiently.

Here’s a paragraph-by-paragraph breakdown:

Paragraph 1 : Establish the main theme of what you’re going to talk about. It should also grab the reader’s attention. For example, instead of starting your essay with something generic (e.g. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a zoologist), get creative with it! Try something like My greatest memory as a young girl was going to the zoo for the first time or While most kids play house or school, I always wanted to play zookeeper.

Paragraph 2 : Elaborate on what inspired your career goals. Perhaps it was a relative, a TV show, or simply an experience that you had. Remember that old writing adage, “Show, don’t tell.” In other words, try to demonstrate your interest with story or description. 

Paragraph 3 : Discuss your short-term career goals and your intended major. How will your intended major help you reach these goals? What skills do you need to learn to reach them? At the end of the paragraph, try discussing how your short-term goals can help you achieve your long-term goals.

Paragraph 4 : Focus on your long-term goals and the impact that you hope to have on society. If you’re not sure what your long-term goals are, don’t sweat it; they’ll probably change anyways. You can instead focus on the difference you’d like to make overall. And don’t worry too much about the size of the impact…remember that just doing what you’re truly passionate about has a massive impact on those around you.

The last paragraph is your conclusion. You can use this paragraph to summarize what you discussed in the previous few paragraphs. If you want to be even more creative, try ending your essay with a question for your readers or a new insight. Good luck!

And now that you’re ready with that essay, put it to good use! You can recycle that same essay, when applying for the Career Goals Scholarship Bundle. We’ve joined together multiple scholarships (all requesting essays on career goals), into just ONE simple application! See more info here , or just sign up to get going.

Check out examples from other students just like you. Here are links to some great career goal essay examples:

• Example 1  
• Example 2  
• Example 3  

Or maybe you’re looking for help with an academic goals essay — we’ve got you covered there too.

Also, check out this helpful list of the 10 most common scholarship essay topics !

Sign up for Going Merry today, and upload your career goal essay right to your profile. It’s that easy!

• Recent Posts

• 7 Outstanding Oregon Scholarships for 2021 - November 6, 2020
• Great Scholarships for Students in Ohio for 2021 - November 4, 2020
• 38 Weird Scholarships for Unique Students in 2023 - August 2, 2020

Ready to find scholarships that are a match for you?

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

The Big Decisions that Impact Your Career

What you do in your 20s matters in your 50s.

A career is a marathon not a sprint — and yours will benefit from a good strategy. Here are four smart choices you can make when you’re young that will help you reach success in the future.

• Work at companies that specialize in your skillset. Having a couple of recognizable brand names on your resume — specifically brands that have a strong reputation in your sector — can help you stand out from the crowd.
• Work with the best people that you can: people who have impressive experiences, people with a track record of success, and people with whom you can see yourself keeping in touch long-term.
• Look for opportunities to stretch yourself. If you use your first few jobs to gain a deep understanding of the roles and departments that exist within your sector — and how they work together to meet their collective goals — you will be a more competitive candidate for leadership roles down the line.
• Don’t get distracted by shortcuts. The truth is that there will never be a substitute for doing great work and building out strong experiences.

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

One of the best things about being a young professional is the limitless number of possibilities that lie ahead of you. Especially for those in the earliest stages of your career, there are so many options available — so many industries and interests you can potentially tap into.

• Carol Hagh is founder of Old Game New Rules , which provides executive coaching and leadership development services to corporate clients. She is on the Board of Directors at Chesnara , a UK-based publicly listed insurance and pension company. She was previously with executive search firm Spencer Stuart, where she placed key executive and non-executive directors, worked with boards on leadership succession, and published on leadership and talent management. Carol lives in London and is a working parent with two children.

Partner Center

• Applying For Scholarships

Essay: How Will This Scholarship Help You Achieve Your Goals? (With Example) – 2023

Jennifer Finetti May 23, 2023

Get our best scholarship practices, insights & tips delivered to your inbox

Thank you for subscribing!

Many scholarship applicants often have to write a “How will this scholarship help you achieve your goals” essay. This gives the scholarship committee an understanding of how the scholarship will help students pursue their goals.

Needless to say, the essay is very important for the scholarship application. This is where students can show off their personality. Students should make sure to write a unique composition which answers the essay question.

Think About Your Goals

It can be challenging to think about what your goals are after college. This is especially true if you haven’t decided on a major and have no idea what you want to study.

If you find yourself struggling to determine what your career goals are, try brainstorming before you start writing. Think of what your short-term and long-term goals are and write them down. What skills do you need to achieve these goals?

The fastest path to earning scholarships

Simplify and focus your application process with the one-stop platform for vetted scholarships.

Writing Tips – Getting Started

When starting to write your essay , make sure you open with a catchy introduction. This can be a question, an anecdote or a personal story. You want to grab your reader’s interest right away. Start with something unique, rather than using a generic sentence that any other student can use.

Explain the Inspiration Behind Your Goals

You’ll then want to explain the inspiration behind your goals. What led you to want to pursue these goals? What experiences have you had in life which have influenced you and your dreams?

Discuss Your Goals

After discussing your past experiences, talk about your education and career goals . Do you have a major? How will it help you achieve your goals?

Do you have long-term goals you can talk about? The scholarship provider doesn’t expect you to have long-term goals set in stone so don’t worry if you don’t. Instead, you can write about how you wish to impact others.

Make a Creative Conclusion

In your conclusion paragraph, you should summarize the major points in your essay.  Then finish with a closing thought. You should try to make it creative and unique. You want to leave a lasting impression on the reader.

After you finish writing your essay, make sure you proofread it several times. The last thing you’d want to do is turn in an essay with grammar mistakes.

Scholarship Goals Essay Example

It was November, 2016, a few days before Thanksgiving. My class took a field trip to a soup kitchen to serve lunch. I poured piping hot soup into bowls while people started to fill the room. It was a great way to warm up on the frigid November day. Their eyes seemed empty and sad. “Happy Thanksgiving” we said to one another, as our eyes locked.

A few days later, as I sat surrounded by family, turkey, gravy and pumpkin pie, I couldn’t help but feel like something wasn’t right. Why was I so fortunate to have access to all this food? I thought of the people from the soup kitchen and wondered where they were. I knew right then and there that my purpose in life was to help people.

I returned to the soup kitchen as a volunteer a week later, and a week after that.

I envisioned the realm of possibilities for these people. “I would connect him with a rehab program, her with daycare for her baby so she could find work,” I thought to myself while volunteering. I have dreams of one day being able to help people make changes in their lives.

For this reason, I will be starting my undergraduate degree in social work at Boston University in the fall. I am certain that my studies will instill within me the skills and knowledge I need to pursue a career as a social worker. I hope to be able to help those who are less privileged find hope in their lives.

This scholarship will help me achieve my educational and career goals. I have been working hard to save up for college, but with the exorbitant costs of tuition, my part-time jobs haven’t been enough. I am planning to work during my undergraduate degree, but I do wish to focus a lot of my time on my studies. This scholarship will help by lowering the costs of college and the amount of hours I’ll need to work throughout my studies. This way, I’ll be able to continue with my academic achievements. It will also give me time to find an internship. I am hoping to find an internship at a homeless shelter in the Boston area.

It has been two and a half years since I first walked into that soup kitchen. That day without a doubt has changed the course of my life. My experiences there, talking with people and hearing their stories, have instilled within me a passion to help people make positive changes in their lives. This scholarship will allow me to pursue the education I need to achieve my goals.

• Scholarship Essay

Jennifer Finetti

As a parent who recently helped her own kids embark on their college journeys, Jennifer approaches the transition from high school to college from a unique perspective. She truly enjoys engaging with students – helping them to build the confidence, knowledge, and insight needed to pursue their educational and career goals, while also empowering them with the strategies and skills needed to access scholarships and financial aid that can help limit college costs. She understands the importance of ensuring access to the edtech tools and resources that can make this process easier and more equitable - this drive to support underserved populations is what drew her to ScholarshipOwl. Jennifer has coached students from around the world, as well as in-person with local students in her own community. Her areas of focus include career exploration, major selection, college search and selection, college application assistance, financial aid and scholarship consultation, essay review and feedback, and more. She works with students who are at the top of their class, as well as those who are struggling. She firmly believes that all students, regardless of their circumstances, can succeed if they stay focused and work hard in school. Jennifer earned her MA in Counseling Psychology from National University, and her BA in Psychology from University of California, Santa Cruz.

Related Stories View All

First-Rate Scholarship for Physical Therapy Students

New Webinar – Top Ten Strategies for Writing Stand-Out Essays

Design Meets Functionality: A New, Distraction-Free, Productive Environment for Better Applications

Get started with scholarshipowl.

Simplify and focus your application process with the one-stop platform for vetted scholarships

Essay on Choosing a Career

Students are often asked to write an essay on Choosing a Career in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Choosing a Career

Introduction.

Choosing a career is a significant decision in life. It sets the course of our future, shaping our experiences and lifestyle.

Importance of Choosing a Career

The career we choose influences our satisfaction in life. It determines our work-life balance, income, and personal growth.

Factors to Consider

When choosing a career, consider your interests, skills, and values. Also, consider job market trends and opportunities in your desired field.

Seek Guidance

Seek advice from career counselors, teachers, and professionals in your area of interest to make an informed decision.

Career choice is a personal decision that requires careful thought and planning. Choose wisely for a fulfilling future.

Also check:

• Paragraph on Choosing a Career

250 Words Essay on Choosing a Career

Choosing a career is one of the most pivotal decisions in a person’s life. It’s a process that involves careful evaluation of one’s interests, skills, and future aspirations. The decision not only shapes one’s professional journey but also influences personal growth and happiness.

Identifying Interests and Skills

The first step in choosing a career is identifying one’s interests and skills. This involves introspection and self-assessment to understand what truly motivates us. Are we inclined towards artistic pursuits, scientific explorations, or business strategies? Equally important is to identify our skills. Are we good at problem-solving, creative thinking, or interpersonal communication? The intersection of interests and skills often points towards suitable career paths.

Research and Exploration

Once interests and skills are identified, it’s time to research potential careers. This involves understanding the nature of the job, required qualifications, and growth prospects. Networking with professionals in the field, attending career fairs, and internships can provide valuable insights.

Future Aspirations

The next step is to align the chosen career with future aspirations. Do we want a high-paying job, or do we prioritize work-life balance? Do we aspire to be leaders or specialists in our field? These aspirations can guide us in making an informed career choice.

Choosing a career is a complex process that requires introspection, research, and alignment with future goals. It is a decision that shapes our life’s course, and thus, deserves careful consideration and planning. In the end, the best career choice is one that aligns with our interests, leverages our skills, and fulfills our aspirations.

500 Words Essay on Choosing a Career

Choosing a career is a crucial decision that significantly influences an individual’s life. It is a process that requires careful thought, self-reflection, and understanding of one’s interests, skills, and values. The choice made can lead to a fulfilling life, filled with satisfaction and growth, or it can lead to a life of dissatisfaction and regret if made hastily or under pressure.

Understanding Yourself

The first step towards choosing a career is understanding oneself. It is essential to know your interests, strengths, weaknesses, values, and personality traits. This self-awareness can be achieved through introspection, personality tests, and career counseling. Understanding your skills and aptitudes can help you identify careers that align with your abilities and interests.

Exploring Career Options

Once you have a clear understanding of yourself, the next step is to explore the various career options available. This exploration involves researching different industries, job roles, and the skills they require. It is also beneficial to gain insights from professionals in these fields through informational interviews or job shadowing. This stage of the career decision-making process is about expanding your knowledge and understanding of the world of work.

Assessing Career Fit

After exploring various career options, it’s time to assess which ones are the best fit for you. This assessment should consider factors such as job satisfaction, work-life balance, salary, job security, and opportunities for growth. It can also be helpful to consider the future job market trends and the potential impact of technological advancements on your chosen field.

Making an Informed Decision

The final step in choosing a career is making an informed decision. This decision should be based on a careful evaluation of your self-understanding, exploration of career options, and assessment of career fit. It’s also important to remember that a career choice is not a life sentence. The world of work is dynamic, and it’s okay to change your career path as you grow and evolve.

In conclusion, choosing a career is a significant decision that requires self-understanding, exploration of career options, and careful assessment of career fit. It’s a process that should be approached with curiosity, openness, and patience. Ultimately, the goal is to find a career that not only aligns with your skills and interests but also provides you with a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on My Favourite Chocolate
• Essay on Chocolate
• Essay on Chocolate Cake

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

How to Make the Right Career Choice?

Table of contents, understanding the importance of career choices.

Your career choice is more than just a job; it’s a path that shapes your future and personal development. It impacts your lifestyle, relationships, and overall wellbeing. Choosing the right career path requires careful deliberation, a thorough understanding of your strengths and interests, and a clear vision of your future aspirations.

A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that people who choose a career path aligned with their interests and values tend to have greater job satisfaction and a higher income. These individuals are also more likely to maintain a healthy work-life balance and have a sense of fulfillment in their life.

Identifying Your Skills and Interests

When it comes to making the right career choice, understanding your skills and interests is critical. Your natural talents and areas of interest could provide valuable insights into the jobs you may excel in.

One useful approach is to conduct a SWOT Analysis . SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It’s a strategic planning tool used by organizations to evaluate these four aspects. But it can also be used on a personal level to identify your unique skills, understand potential career opportunities, and mitigate potential challenges or threats in your career path.

To help you get started, we’ve provided a simple template for a personal SWOT analysis.

Personal SWOT Analysis – Blank Table (For you to fill up)

Table Caption: A SWOT analysis can help you evaluate your personal strengths, weaknesses, career opportunities, and potential threats.

Use this table to identify and document your strengths and weaknesses, opportunities for growth, and potential obstacles in your career path. Once you have a clear understanding of these factors, you’ll be in a better position to make an informed career choice.

Personal SWOT Analysis – Sample

Table Caption: This sample SWOT analysis provides an example of how you can assess your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to career development. Consider factors related to your personal characteristics, your current or desired industry, and broader economic or technological trends.

By reviewing this filled-out example, you can gain a clearer idea of how to conduct your own personal SWOT analysis. Doing so will help you better understand your unique characteristics, which can inform and streamline your career choice process.

Popular Career Assessment Tools

Here are some more assessment tools for your consideration. Each tool has a different purpose, you should use one that is most suited for you.

Table Caption: Career assessment tools can provide valuable insights into your skills and interests, helping you align these with potential career paths.

Exploring Career Options

Now that you have a better understanding of your strengths, weaknesses, and interests, the next step is to explore potential career options that align with these factors. There are numerous resources available online that can help you understand various careers and their requirements.

The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook is a great place to start. It provides detailed information about different occupations, including their median pay, entry-level education, job growth rate, and more.

Another valuable resource is the World Health Organization’s Global Health Workforce Statistics , which provides information about healthcare occupations globally. This can be particularly useful if you’re interested in a career in healthcare and want to understand the global outlook of your chosen profession.

Seeking Professional Guidance

Getting professional advice can significantly simplify your career choice process. Career counselors and coaches are trained to help individuals identify their skills, interests, and aspirations, and guide them towards a career that aligns with these factors.

The International Association of Career Advisors provides a list of certified career counselors around the world. Consider scheduling an appointment with a counselor to gain professional insight into your career choice process.

Making an Informed Decision

Having gathered all this information, the final step is to make your career decision. But remember, choosing a career isn’t a one-time decision; it’s a series of decisions, made as you progress through different stages of life.

Always keep in mind that it’s okay to change your mind and explore new career paths. As the National Career Development Association puts it, “Career development is a lifelong process.”

The important thing is to remain adaptable, continually reassess your career goals, and ensure that whatever path you choose aligns with your personal values and aspirations.

Considerations for Career Choice

Here this table outlines key considerations and questions individuals should reflect on when making a career choice.

Table Caption: When making a career choice, consider these key factors and reflect on the accompanying questions to ensure the decision aligns with your personal and professional goals.

To sum up, making the right career choice involves understanding your skills and interests, exploring different career options, seeking professional guidance, and continually reassessing your career goals. It’s a complex, yet rewarding process that can significantly impact your overall wellbeing and satisfaction in life.

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Int J Environ Res Public Health

The Role of Family Influence and Academic Satisfaction on Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy and Happiness

Orhan koçak.

1 Faculty of Health Science, Istanbul University—Cerrahpasa Istanbul, 34320 Istanbul, Turkey; moc.liamg@nagodrehallludba

Namık Ak

2 Faculty of Engineering, Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University, 70110 Karaman, Turkey; rt.ude.umk@kakiman

Sezer Seçkin Erdem

3 Vocational School of Technical Sciences, Istanbul University—Cerrahpasa Istanbul, 34320 Istanbul, Turkey; rt.ude.cui@medre (S.S.E.); [email protected] (M.S.)

Mehmet Sinan

Mustafa z. younis.

4 College of Health Sciences, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39217, USA; moc.liamg@99sinuoy

Abdullah Erdoğan

Associated data.

The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to that they are a part of a developing dataset which will be used in the future for different studies.

Careers are a reality of life that need to be considered as multi-dimensional in today’s modern societies. Choosing a career is a complex process that coincides with high school and university ages, creating psycho-social stress. Considering the literature, the effects of different environmental factors have been revealed in separate studies. This study examines both individual and environmental factors together. By adopting a quantitative research method, we collected cross-sectional data through online questionnaires from 1130 university students. The association of family influence and academic satisfaction with happiness through career decision self-efficacy was meaningful using gender, age, income, and parents’ education as control variables. Family influence and academic satisfaction were positively correlated with career decision self-efficacy and happiness. In conclusion, we found that family influence and support, students’ work, and academic satisfaction are positively significant in terms of the career process and happiness. It was understood that the career reality should be considered with a holistic view that includes family, school, and work experience.

1. Introduction

Career expectations have become an essential concept in professional life and have been defined by many researchers with different perspectives. Among these definitions, different definitions range from career being the sum of work, family, and school processes to being a lifestyle [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. In addition, a common definition is that a career is a process that continues during an individual’s developmental period and throughout life [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Based on these definitions, a career is a component of all processes before, during, and after the choice of profession, including making an effort to be successful, and succeeding during these periods using various resources.

The turning point for choosing a career usually starts during the pre-university or university era. In this period, when individuals experience difficulties in both their psychological and social lives, asking them to make decisions that will affect their entire lives will increase individuals’ stress and prevent them from making sound decisions [ 6 ]. During the high school years, individuals who do not yet fully know themselves and cannot identify their advantages, shortcomings, opportunities, and the dangers that their choices will cause may have to choose a profession and career that is not suitable for them later on. This will negatively affect the happiness levels of individuals and reduce their life satisfaction [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Individuals will consider some factors which have the power to affect them both positively and negatively, such as peer environment, guidance services, school experiences, and their family.

In this study, we focused on university students because university is a turning point for career decision making in Turkey. It was assumed that some demographic variables, family influence, and academic satisfaction would be associated with career decision self-efficacy and happiness based on the ecological concept which was developed by Bronfenbrenner [ 11 ]. The ecological concept considers a holistic approach to family influence, academic success, work experiences, parents’ education, and income level in the career process and is a notable part of the study. How students’ work experiences affect their career processes and their possible contribution to future working lives and labor market knowledge will be discussed. We found a significant positive impact of family influence and academic satisfaction on career decision self-efficacy and happiness in accordance with the ecological concept. Additionally, a significant mediation impact of career decision self-efficacy in the relationship between family influence, academic satisfaction, and happiness was observed. A moderating impact of parents’ education between academic satisfaction and happiness, and also career decision self-efficacy and happiness, was found. In all analyses, gender, age, class level, income level, parents’ education level (mean), and working status of participants were used as control variables.

1.1. Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy (CDSE)

The process called career decision making is a critical period that affects the future of individuals together with their families. Career choice will determine the individual’s quality of life. Remarkably, for people who spend most of their lives in their jobs, career choice is a factor that directly affects happiness [ 12 , 13 ].

Choosing a profession that an individual wants to do and making an effort to prepare for that profession is called the career process [ 14 ]. The most important factors in an individual’s decision are their strengths and weaknesses. When choosing a career path, individuals will decide on their preferences, considering the effects of their physical and mental abilities, their academic skills, and economic situation [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Even though it is sometimes beneficial for better career opportunities, changing career path after studying at university is both challenging and wasteful of resources [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Therefore, for their career choice, individuals should be supported and show compatibility between their characteristics and their needs and expectations [ 13 , 15 ].

Career decision making is one of the issues that needs to be emphasized when planning for the future [ 15 ]. Happiness and relationships with people will be directly affected by the possible problems of individuals who have problems related to their career decision [ 13 ]. It is difficult and complicated to make an important decision for life before university. Individuals should compare their social, physical, and mental characteristics with their chosen profession’s features to facilitate the career decision process and examine possible problems in advance that may arise later [ 22 ]. Therefore, self-efficacy is crucial in making career decisions. Career decision self-efficacy is defined as the degree of belief that individuals can perform the career process successfully [ 23 ].

Many factors, such as friendships, expectations from a profession and employment, societal perception, academic satisfaction, personal characteristics of the individual, and their family’s influence, affect the career decision process [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. These systems have complex relationships with each other, and they can affect each other. While the studies conducted in this field mainly focus on the individual factors, namely their abilities, values, and interests, environmental factors, especially the family and education, are also keystones of this process [ 28 , 29 ].

1.2. Family Influence and Academic Satisfaction on Career Decision Self-Efficacy

Our study was based on the ecological concept in which family influence and income, parents’ education, participation in working life, and academic satisfaction are essential elements [ 11 , 28 , 30 ]. The ecological concept has four basic systems, which are micro, mezzo, eco, and macro, which affect the individual in the career choice process [ 31 ]. The microsystem is individual, the mezzosystem is family and peers, the ecosystem is relatives and neighbors, and the macrosystem is ideological groups [ 30 ]. Additionally, another theory is used in the literature called the social cognitive theory of careers developed by Lent et al. [ 32 ], which focuses on academic success and family support [ 33 , 34 ]. Additionally, many other theories include family influence and academic output in their models [ 20 , 25 , 35 , 36 , 37 ].

Each family and culture follows a development process of its own, and therefore there will be differences among individuals [ 36 , 38 , 39 ]. The existence of these traditional, cultural, and social differences is an advantage for societies. However, these differences are expected to positively affect young people’s career decisions and happiness [ 6 ]. In the literature, family support is associated with many variables. It was determined that family influence significantly affects professional improvement, and as the support felt by young people increases, their professional improvement increases in parallel [ 34 , 40 , 41 , 42 ]. Additionally, a negative relationship was found between the social support level of the family and professional indecision since individuals are preoccupied by their families’ recommendations [ 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ]. It was found that family support is a significant factor in the expectation of professional outcomes [ 47 , 48 ]. Studies show that the career decision-making process is positively affected by an increase in the level of social support perceived from parents [ 49 , 50 ]. Family support has a significant effect on overcoming occupational barriers as well as gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic status [ 51 , 52 ]. The influence of the family on the child is an undeniable fact. From the child’s development to character formation and career processes, the family is influential [ 53 , 54 , 55 ]. In light of the literature, we can consider that family influence is very effective on CDSE since the family transfer their knowledge and experiences, give financial support, teach their societal values, and give help during tough times in terms of career and other issues to their children.

Family influence has a positive effect on career decision-making self-efficacy.

Research shows that individuals’ career decision-making self-efficacy is mostly influenced by their families and academic satisfactions. Families are very influential in shaping their children’s interests and values, developing self-concepts, and giving positive and negative perspectives on professions [ 1 , 35 , 56 ]. In addition, academic satisfaction is another factor that impacts career decision-making self-efficacy, and experiences, skills, and competencies learned in school can preferably be turned into career decision self-efficacy. Career decisions of university students will be affected by the following experiences at school: The quality of the education they receive from the school, whether the education they receive meets their needs when they graduate, their perceptions about how the education at the school will affect their career, their satisfaction with the department and their sense of belonging, whether they have any hopes to find a job after graduation, and how satisfied they are with the applied vocational education they received from the school [ 27 , 34 , 57 , 58 , 59 ].

Academic satisfaction has a positive effect on career decision-making self-efficacy.

Baumrind et al. (2010) divided parental attitudes into democratic, authoritarian, and highly permissive. Democratic parents cause positive changes in high school adolescents’ career decisions [ 60 , 61 ]. According to Bi et al. (2018) [ 62 ], parental attitudes are divided into demandingness and responsiveness. With demands contrary to children’s self-perception, children are expected to do tasks that they cannot do or have difficulty doing. With responsiveness, the expectations of parents of their children are in line with their level and understanding. In this way, parents know and trust their children and believe they can do the task [ 63 , 64 ]. The attitudes of parents are related to their education level. Education levels of parents are effective in guiding children in every subject and making career decisions. In some countries in Europe, it was found that parents’ education also increases the education and career decision self-efficacy levels of their children [ 65 , 66 ]. Parents’ education affects their knowledge of the profession and life, their experiences, their horizons, and ultimately their decisions for themselves and their children. It is seen that well-educated families make an effort to prepare a better future for their children by taking advantage of this knowledge and experience [ 53 , 67 , 68 , 69 ]. Therefore, the influence of the family is expected to affect the child’s CDSE.

Parents’ education has a positive effect on career decision-making self-efficacy.

1.3. Family Influence and Academic Satisfaction on Career Decision Self-Efficacy and Happiness

Happiness has evolved into a multifaceted idea that has captured humanity’s interest, especially in psychology and philosophical sciences. Happiness has been psychologically divided into four essential dimensions. There is happiness based on life satisfaction, happiness based on common sense, happiness based on perceived desire satisfaction, and happiness based on enjoyment [ 70 ]. The important thing here is the effect of working life, namely career choice, on happiness [ 71 , 72 ].

Career selection is a dynamic process affected by a variety of value judgments, desires, and beliefs. Individuals select their careers based on factors such as their preferences in the profession, morals, and the level of satisfaction they would get, as well as their personal characteristics [ 73 , 74 ]. If individuals work in a suitable profession, it will inevitably provide physiological and psychological satisfaction [ 13 ]. However, if individuals have to work in an unsuitable profession due to not making the right decisions during the career choice process, psychological problems may arise in individuals and professional failure and inefficiency. Thus, the happiness levels of individuals will decrease in life. Additionally, modern life is shaped by the influence of family, friends, and career. However, family is the most fundamental factor among them and affects the others as well. In this sense, the positive effect of the family will allow children to make better decisions in terms of school, friends, and career processes and increase their happiness [ 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 ].

Family influence has a positive effect on happiness .

Reaching happiness is meaningful and valuable in most societies. It was observed that many individuals regard happiness as the primary goal, and that is why most people seek happiness [ 80 , 81 ]. Many branches of science have studied happiness and determined that happiness is affected by many factors, such as geographical location, social support, career, health, gender, and education. In a study by Dean and Gibbs [ 82 ], academically satisfied students were more optimistic about their careers and future, as academic satisfaction ensures that students’ positions in the labor market are guaranteed in some way. Furthermore, students with academic satisfaction will have a better place in society and a better chances in employment, increasing their happiness [ 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 ].

Academic satisfaction has a positive effect on happiness.

Education, in every way, is the most critical investment in people’s futures. Although individuals need to have a good education, their parents’ education also contributes to the future of both themselves and their children [ 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 ], as educated parents will try to make a positive contribution to their children’s lives in general and their education and professional life in particular. They will use their knowledge, experience, opportunities, and financial resources to enable their children to have a better future, job, career, and opportunities. Some parents have high expectations while supporting their children, causing some children to be more stressed and unhappy, while some are happier [ 94 , 95 , 96 ].

Parents’ education has a positive effect on happiness.

In the modern period, life revolves around careers. That is why individuals’ happiness is closely related to their careers. When examined from an individual perspective, factors affecting happiness are family and friends, income, working life, and education status in the modern world [ 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 , 101 ]. Therefore, happiness is affected by career choice and profession, and career choice is impacted by family influence, academic satisfaction, and parents’ education and income level. According to the literature, it is seen that family influence, academic satisfaction, parents’ education, family income, and students’ work experiences affect career decision self-efficacy (CDSE), and CDSE affects students’ happiness [ 65 , 66 , 102 , 103 , 104 ]. Therefore, there is a mediating effect of CDSE in the relationship between dependent variables and happiness. According to the literature, the following hypotheses were determined.

There is a positive mediating effect between family influence and happiness through career decision-making self-efficacy.

There is a positive mediating effect between academic satisfaction and happiness through career decision-making self-efficacy.

There is a positive mediating effect between parents’ education and happiness through career decision-making self-efficacy.

There is a positive mediating effect between income and happiness through career decision-making self-efficacy.

There is a positive mediating effect between type of work contract and happiness through career decision-making self-efficacy.

The intellectual capacity of parents has an essential place in the development process of children [ 105 , 106 ]. As explained above, when parents have a higher education level, this positively affects the academic and social development of children [ 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 107 , 108 ]. In this sense, there may be a moderation effect as the parents’ education level can be significant leverage in their children’s future. That is why we thought that parents’ education levels might have a moderating effect on the impact of the students’ family influence, the career decision-making competence of the students, and on the effect of academic satisfaction levels of the students on the happiness of students, as educated families are more knowledgeable, experienced, and competent in terms of life, education, professions, and career paths. In some cases, the high education level of the parents causes high expectations of the children. This situation shows a decrease in the happiness of some children who cannot meet these high expectations [ 41 , 95 ].

There is a moderating effect of parents’ education between CDSE and happiness.

There is a moderating effect of parents’ education between FIS and happiness.

There is a moderating effect of parents’ education between academic satisfaction and happiness.

To test these hypotheses, direct analyses were made between family influence, academic satisfaction, and career decision-making self-efficacy and happiness scales at the first stage. Afterward, direct effects were analyzed between five independent variables and the career decision-making self-efficacy and happiness. Finally, it was examined whether career decision-making self-efficacy has a mediating role between family influence, academic satisfaction, income level, type of work contract, parents’ education, and happiness, as shown in Figure 1 .

Research conceptual model.

2.1. Study Design, Participants, and Procedure

We aimed to examine the effect of family influence, academic satisfaction, family income, parents’ education, and the type of work contract on the career decision-making self-efficacy and happiness of university students. When the studies in the literature were examined, we noticed that there is a need for studies related to environmental factors. Examining the family influence on academic satisfaction, which are the most critical environmental factors that affect an individual’s career decision self-efficacy, and also the impact on the happiness of individuals within the scope of the study, is essential.

The study design was cross-sectional, and a convenience sampling procedure was employed [ 109 ]. In order to detect if a common factor biased the results, we used Harman’s single factor test, and the score was less than 50% [ 110 ]. Therefore, common method bias does not affect the data and results. This study aimed to analyze the findings after establishing the relationship and impact rather than generalizing them.

The field study was carried out in different departments of universities in Istanbul using an online questionnaire. In the research group of the study, 1130 university students were determined by a simple random sampling method and participated voluntarily. Between 15 January and 25 February 2020, the survey was performed. Before completing the questionnaire, participants were briefed about the study’s methodology and objectives. Additionally, participants’ consent was taken prior to being asked to answer. The participants’ identifying details remained unknown since they were not requested. A necessary technical arrangement was made to ensure that the questions were answered only once. Participants were free to respond whenever they wanted. We maintained the data’s confidentiality and privacy. The research was carried out adhering to the Helsinki Declaration guidelines.

2.2. Data Analyses

After data collection through an online survey program, they were exported to MS Excel for cleaning and then imported into IBM SPSS 25 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). For demographics, the frequencies, averages, and standard deviations were determined by descriptive methods. After the factor analysis of all measures to ensure construct validity, correlations and regressions were performed. To perform multiple regression analysis, family influence, academic satisfaction, family income, parents’ education, and the type of work contract were defined as independent variables, happiness as the dependent variable, and career decision-making self-efficacy as a mediator variable in accordance with Figure 1 . SPSS 22 for direct analysis and PROCESS Macro for SPSS (Model 4 and 15) software [ 111 ] for mediation and moderation analysis were used. To graph moderation effects and two-way interactions, a simple slope test was performed. The level of statistical significance was set at α > 95%.

2.3. Measures

2.3.1. sociodemographic characteristics.

Sociodemographic characteristics were asked for in the personal information form included in the study’s questionnaire. There were questions about university students’ gender, age, school types, departments, grade levels, education levels of their mothers and fathers, working status of their mothers and fathers, perception of socio-economic status, profession, and employment perceptions for their future. The questions about parents’ education were averaged by computing a single variable. Additionally, two dichotomous variables were generated for the type of work contract question to understand different groups’ feelings. For this purpose, full-time working students (coded 1) and others (coded 0), and part-time working students (coded 1) and others (coded 0) were re-evaluated.

2.3.2. Family Influence Scale

The family influence scale in career development is a measurement tool developed to measure the family’s impact on the career development of individuals and is based on information about individuals. It was developed by [ 112 ] and adapted to Turkish culture by Akın et al. (2012) [ 113 ]. The scale, which consists of 22 items, includes statements such as “My family expects my profession to be in line with family values/beliefs” and “It is difficult for my family to support my professional decisions financially”. The scale includes a six-point Likert-type scale ranging from (1) Never Disagree (6) to Agree Fully. The total score for the scale is calculated. The higher the score, the higher the family influence on career development. The one-dimensional Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the present study was determined as 0.851.

2.3.3. Academic Satisfaction

Academic satisfaction was measured with four items that reflect the importance of academic satisfaction from the university department. The questions included “Are you happy with your department?”, “Will your department support finding a job?”, “How will your department contribute to your career?”, and “How appropriate is the knowledge you received in the department?”. A 5-point Likert-type scale was used, and a higher score means higher academic satisfaction. In factor analysis, the KMO value was found to be 0.771, and factor loads were found to be between 0.644 and 0.836. The explained variance of the factor was 64.132%. We found a one-dimensional factor which described academic satisfaction. The one-dimensional Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the present study was determined as 0.809.

2.3.4. Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale

The career decision-making self-efficacy (CDSE) scale was developed by Ulaş and Yıldırım (2016) in Turkey and consists of 45 items. The scale has a five-point Likert-type rating [ 114 ]. The total score that can be obtained from the scale is between 45 and 225. A high score obtained from the scale shows that university students have high career decision-making self-efficacy, and therefore they consider themselves capable of making career decisions. The one-dimensional Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the present study was determined as 0.974.

2.3.5. Happiness Scale

The happiness scale was developed by Demirci and Ekşi [ 115 ], consists of 6 items and one dimension, and there are no reverse coded questions. As a result of the factor analysis conducted to evaluate the happiness scale’s construct validity, which is a 5-point Likert-type scale, it was found that the scale has a one-dimensional structure with an eigenvalue of 3.248 and consists of 6 items explaining 54.129% of the total variance. The factor loads of the items in the scale range between 0.59 and 0.78. The Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient of the scale was calculated as 0.83. The test–retest reliability coefficient obtained by re-applying the scale to 62 participants with a difference of three weeks was found to be 0.73. The one-dimensional Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of the present study was determined as 0.901.

3.1. Descriptive Analyses

As seen in Table 1 , 61.8% of the participants were women, 38.2% were men, and their average age was 21.97. It was understood that 52.8% of the students’ mothers were elementary graduates, 17.7% were middle school graduates, 19% were high school graduates, 9.4% were university graduates, and 1.1% were master’s or Ph.D. graduates. Additionally, we found that 33.5% of the students’ fathers were elementary graduates, 21.2% middle school graduates, 25.3% high school graduates, 17.3% university graduates, and 2.7% master’s or Ph.D. graduates. The average income level of students’ families was 4822.22. Of the students, 20.8% had a part-time working contract, and 5.8% had a full-time contract, whereas 73.5% of participants had no working contract, as seen in Table 1 .

Descriptive statistics.

3.2. Correlation Analysis

Table 2 shows the means, standard deviations, and correlations of the scales with each other. The parents’ education variable was found to be positively associated with family influence ( r = 0.201, p < 0.01), academic satisfaction ( r = 0.129, p < 0.01), and with career decision self-efficacy ( r = 0. 074, p < 0.05). The family influence variable was positively related to academic satisfaction ( r = 0.146, p < 0.01), career decision self-efficacy ( r = 0.284, p < 0.01), and to happiness ( r = 0.325, p < 0.01). The academic satisfaction variable was positively correlated with career decision self-efficacy ( r = 0.437, p < 0.01), and with happiness ( r = 0.292, p < 0.01). The career decision self-efficacy variable was positively associated with happiness ( r = 0.385, p < 0.01), as shown in Table 2 .

Means, standard deviations, and correlations.

** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05.

3.3. Regression Analysis

In order to test some of our hypotheses, multiple regression analysis was performed between dependent variables and independent variables in three different models. In Model 1, age ( R = 0.02, p < 001), part-time working ( R = 0.13, p < 01), full-time working ( R = 0.37, p < 001), family influence ( R = 0.19, p < 001), and academic satisfaction had positive effects ( R = 0.32, p < 001) on career decision self-efficacy (CDSE). In Model 2, gender ( R = 0.23, p < 001), age ( R = 0.02, p < 05), part-time working ( R = 0.15, p < 05), family influence ( R = 0.30, p < 001), academic satisfaction ( R = 0.26, p < 001), and the interaction variable had positive (FIS X Parents’ Edu.) effects on happiness. According to Model 3 in Table 3 , the impact of gender was positive ( R = 0.25, p < 001), income was positive ( R = 0.09, p < 001), parents’ education was negative ( R = −0.09, p < 001), family influence was positive ( R = 0.24, p < 001), academic satisfaction was positive ( R = 0.15, p < 001), CDSE was positive ( R = 0.33, p < 001), and the interaction variable (CDSE X Parents’ Edu.) was negative ( R = −0.05, p < 05) on happiness. According to these results, hypotheses H1, H2, H4, H5, H6 were accepted, whereas hypothesis H3 was rejected.

Main effects on dependent variables.

CDSE = Career Decision Self-Efficacy, FIS = Family Influence Scale, ACSAT = Academic Satisfaction.

3.4. Mediation Analysis

In our model illustrated in Figure 1 , the mediating effect of CDSE on the impact of independent variables such as family influence, family income, academic satisfaction, type of work contract, and parents’ education on happiness was assumed. According to this model, direct regression analyses were performed between the independent, mediator, and dependent variables shown in Table 3 . The SPSS Process Macro plugin was used to detect the indirect effect. According to the indirect regression effects shown in Table 4 , it was seen that family influence and academic satisfaction maintained their effect on the dependent variable happiness through CDSE as a mediator. CDSE had a partially positive and significant effect as a mediator on the effect of family influence on happiness (γ = 0,0595, SE = 0,0127, 95% GA (0,0367, 0,0864)). CDSE had a partially positive and significant effect as a mediator on the effect of academic satisfaction on happiness (γ = 0,1118, SE = 0,0166, 95% GA (0,0798, 0,1457)). Additionally, it was seen that part-time working and full-time working did not maintain their effect on the dependent variable happiness through CDSE as a mediator. CDSE had a fully positive and significant effect as a mediator on the effect of part-time working on happiness (γ = 0,0416, SE = 0,0159, 95% CI (0,0131, 0,0756)). CDSE had a fully positive and significant effect as a mediator on the effect of full-time working on happiness (γ = 0,1214, SE = 0,0351, 95% CI (0,0555, 0,1915)). According to these values, it was understood that H7 and H8 that we predicted in our study were partly confirmed. Hypotheses H9 and H10 were rejected, whereas H11 was fully accepted.

Total, direct, and indirect regression analysis on happiness.

CDSE = Career Decision Self-Efficacy.

3.5. Moderation Analysis

We tested moderation analyses in our model, as shown in Figure 1 . Accordingly, to test the moderation impact of parents’ education, an interaction variable was generated between parents’ education and related academic satisfaction, family influence, and career decision self-efficacy variables. As a result of regression analyses in Model 2 and Model 3 in Table 3 , the interaction effect of family influence and parents’ education on happiness (FIS X Parents’ Edu.) was not significant ( B = 0.02, p > 0.05). However, two different interaction variables, which consisted of academic satisfaction (ACSAT X Parents’ Edu.) and career decision self-efficacy (CDSE X Parents’ Edu.), were found to be significant on happiness ( B = −0.06, B = −0.05, p < 0.05, respectively). According to these moderation results, H12 was rejected, whereas H13 and H14 were accepted.

The graphs of the moderation analysis are shown in Figure 2 . Figure 2 a shows that as the ACSAT levels of children of parents with high education levels rise, their happiness level falls lower than that of children of parents with low education levels. According to Figure 2 b, it was seen that as the CDSE levels of the children of parents with high education levels increase, their happiness levels become lower than the happiness levels of the children of parents with low education levels.

Moderation effect of parents’ education on the impact of ACSAT ( a ) and CDSE ( b ) on happiness.

We conducted ad hoc analysis to see the moderation effects of the education levels of the mother and father separately. It was understood that only the education levels of the mothers had a statistically significant moderating impact. In Figure 3 a, it is seen that as the ACSAT of those whose mothers have high education levels increases, their CDSE levels increase more than those whose mothers have low education levels ( B = 0.094, p < 0.05). In addition, as shown in Figure 3 b, it was seen that as the CDSE of those whose mothers have low education level increases, their happiness levels increase more than those whose mothers have a high education level ( B = −0.188, p < 0.05).

Moderation effect of mothers’ education on the impact of ACSAT ( a ) and CDSE ( b ) on happiness and CDSE (ad hoc analyses).

4. Discussion

Career decision making is a required phase for individuals who are studying at a high school or a university. Career decisions will have an intense negative or positive effect until the end of individuals’ lives. However, the career process is also a burden for young people who are already under stress. That is why they need support from their social mechanisms such as family, school, and working life. In this study, we aimed to find the predictors of CDSE such as demographic variables, family influence, and academic satisfaction and, finally, their impact on the happiness of individuals. The study was based on the ecological concept, which was developed by Bronfenbrenner (1980). According to the results, hypotheses H1, H2, H4, H5, H6, H7, H8, H11, H13, and H14 were accepted, whereas H3, H9, H10, and H12 were rejected.

4.1. Effects on Career Decision Self-Efficacy

Family influence is one of the most crucial mechanisms during career decisions. We found a significant positive relationship between family influence and CDSE. Most of the literature considers family as a coping mechanism during career decisions, and family influence has a positive association with CDSE [ 30 , 33 , 42 , 116 ]. Parents’ attitudes towards essential decisions of their children enable children to perceive their support and overcome the challenges during the process. Trying to provide support without any coercion can contribute to children’s correct career decisions.

Another factor affecting CDSE is academic satisfaction, which was found to be positively significant in our study. Academic satisfaction is another aspect that influences CDSE, and experiences, abilities, and competencies acquired in school are ideally integrated into CDSE. The finding of academic satisfaction being associated with CDSE is consistent with the current literature [ 20 , 25 , 27 , 37 , 103 , 117 ]. Academic experiences are crucial not only for the career process and CDSE but also for the entire life course since they empower individuals to make decisions and cope with challenges.

We found that parents’ education has less than moderate ( r = 0.074, p < 0.05) positive and significant correlation with CDSE, which is consistent with the literature [ 41 , 61 , 118 ]. Additionally, parents’ education was positively correlated with the academic satisfaction of their children. Therefore, we assumed that parents’ education level has a positive effect on CDSE, but the findings were not significant for the impact. However, when we carried out an ad hoc analysis about the moderation impact of mothers’ education on the association of academic satisfaction and CDSE, we found a significant positive effect. Accordingly, for those children who have mothers with high-level education, as academic satisfaction increases, their CDSE improves more than those who have mothers with low-level education. In a studies conducted by Pappas and Kounenou (2011) and Hsieh and Huang (2014) [ 119 , 120 ], similar results were found for both groups of mothers. In another ad hoc analysis, for the moderation of the impact of mothers’ education on the association of CDSE and happiness, we found a significant negative effect. Of children who have mothers with low-level education, as their CDSE increases, their happiness improves more than those who have mothers with high-level education.

4.2. Effects on Happiness

Many factors influence happiness, including geographical position, social support from family, occupation, health, gender, and education. Family influence was positively associated with happiness and had a positive impact on happiness. In the literature, there are similar results which show linkages between family influence and happiness [ 1 , 35 , 56 ]. Families have a large influence on their children’s preferences and beliefs, as well as on establishing self-concepts and providing positive and negative viewpoints on careers. Additionally, academic satisfaction was positively related to happiness which is consistent with the related literature [ 37 , 104 , 117 , 121 ]. Academic satisfaction has the power to directly affect happiness, as the contribution of academia to a person’s life will last for a lifetime.

Even though parents’ education was not associated with happiness, it negatively impacted happiness because of the other independent and control variables. Parents’ education and income are important parts of families’ socio-economic status, and both of them had a significant impact on happiness, which is consistent with the current literature [ 61 , 118 , 119 , 122 ]. In our study, the effect of parents’ education on happiness was negative, whereas income was positive. Highly educated parents may lead to higher expectations for and burdens on their children and thus decrease children’s happiness. However, children of high-income families may have more opportunities and thus increase their happiness.

4.3. Mediation Effects

We discovered partially significant mediating effects between family influence and happiness and between academic satisfaction and happiness through career decision-making self-efficacy. Through CDSE, the indirect effects of family influence and academic satisfaction on happiness were positive and meaningful. Nonetheless, there were no significant improvements in the direct outcomes of family influence and academic satisfaction on happiness. As a result, the mediating effect was statistically significant in part. We revealed that as the participants’ family support and influence increased during the career choice process, so did their self-efficacy in making career decisions and happiness. This outcome was found to be compatible with the literature [ 41 , 48 , 118 ]. According to studies, family influence and support benefit the job process and increase satisfaction from work and life. There were, however, no significant mediating effects between parents’ education and happiness, and between income and happiness, through career decision-making self-efficacy. Since there were no meaningful direct impacts of parents’ education and income on the mediator variable CDSE, indirect effects on happiness were not observed.

Through the CDSE of students, we discovered meaningful mediating impacts between part-time working, full-time working, and happiness. After examining the indirect relationship between part-time working, full-time working, and happiness through CDSE, the direct relationships between part-time working, full-time working, and happiness were found to be insignificant. As a result, the effects of CDSE’s mediating results between the type of work contract and happiness were fully significant. Accordingly, students working either part-time or full-time during their university years increase their CDSE levels and their happiness afterward. Studies found the working of students was associated with their CDSE [ 123 , 124 , 125 ]. Today, the most crucial problem for university students when finding a job after graduation is a lack of working experience. Therefore, the effect of students’ working will have a positive effect on both CDSE and happiness, which will help them to find employment after graduation.

4.4. Moderation Effects

We found moderation impacts of parents’ education between independent and dependent variables. According to the results, as the ACSAT levels of children of parents with high education levels rise, their happiness level falls lower than that of children of parents with low education levels. Additionally, as CDSE levels of the children of parents with high education levels increase, their happiness levels become lower than the happiness levels of the children of parents with low education levels. It was found that when the CDSE and ACSAT status of the children of families with low education levels increase, their happiness levels increase more than the other group. The children of families with a low level of education have to give more importance to their education and consequently their career processes; hence, their control in the process and, therefore, happiness are higher. However, we found a significant difference in the moderating of mothers’ education between ACSAT and CDSE. Thus, as highly educated mothers’ children’s ACSAT increased, the children’s CDSE improved more than mothers with a low level of education.

5. Limitations of the Study

Since the study was conducted only with the students of certain departments in universities in Istanbul and at a certain time, the results cannot be generalized to a different time or throughout the country. Additionally, conducting the study only online prevented observing the reactions of the participants. The study was conducted only with university students. However, doing similar studies with high school students and university graduates will make the career decision process more understandable. Another limitation is the cross-sectional design of the study and the fact that it was conducted only with students. For these reasons, the present results in the article cannot be generalized. Therefore, new research needs to be carried out with different groups and methods at other times.

6. Conclusions and Some Implications

With this study, we tried to find out the factors that affect the career decision self-efficacy of university students and, ultimately, their happiness. The study was conducted with 1130 students at different universities in Istanbul and was designed as cross-sectional, and a convenience sampling procedure was employed. As people are bio-psycho-social beings, both individual attributes and the social environment affect the career process. For this purpose, relationships with family income, family influence, parents’ education, academic satisfaction, and the type of work contract were examined in our study. It was found that family influence, academic satisfaction, parents’ education level, and working experiences significantly affected career decision self-efficacy and happiness. It was also found that career decision self-efficacy had a mediating effect and parents’ education had a moderating effect between dependent variables and happiness. We discovered that family influence and academic satisfaction positively impact students’ career decision self-efficacy and happiness. The most striking finding is that part-time and full-time students have higher career decision self-efficacies than non-working students and the full mediating effect of CDSE on the impact of their work experience on their happiness. However, there was no evidence of a mediating influence of CDSE on the correlation between family income, parental education, and happiness.

For this reason, families should be informed and educated about support in children’s career processes. Considering the positive effect of family influence and support and the contribution of the education process on career decision self-efficacy, policymakers should do holistic planning that includes families, schools, neighborhoods, and children starting from primary school up to university. Training that will enable families to become more informed about their children’s career processes and support their children’s choices in accordance with their personalities should be provided. Especially during the university education of young people, policies should be strengthened to increase the application opportunities within universities and provide opportunities to work in the market in accordance with their education. Thus, they will combine theory and practice and have sufficient knowledge of the labor markets they can use after graduation. In this way, with an understanding that will put children and their future at the center, it will be ensured that children will learn and make more appropriate career decisions themselves.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, O.K. and A.E.; methodology, O.K.; formal analysis, O.K.; investigation, N.A.; resources, O.K.; data curation, O.K. and A.E.; writing—original draft preparation, O.K.; writing—review and editing, O.K., S.S.E. and M.S.; administration, O.K.; final revision, M.Z.Y., N.A., S.S.E., A.E. and M.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Data Availability Statement

Conflicts of interest.

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

What Influences Your Career Choice?

Have you ever thought what is the predominant factor in your career choice ? An average person faces a number of obstacles when it comes to making the right choice and finding the perfect career for herself/himself.

Choosing the right career path is one of the most important and influential decisions that you make in life. A good career is a pursuit that requires your emotional investment and time. When choosing your career path, there are a lot of factors to consider.

Find Your Career Passion

The trick is to choose something you feel passionate about. What inspires you? The time flies too quickly and often you find yourself confused and asking yourself “Do I really want this job?”. To find your career passion is easy, simply give yourself a break. Take a time out from bustling metropolis and chaos in your life.

When I graduated from college I was both excited and frustrated. The question of how should I determine what career to choose for a long-term period stuck within my head. I was really nervous as I didn’t know the right answer. Then my brother advised me to take a personal time out. I pulled myself together and decided to take a walk on the beach and think about my career goals, my life and myself. After an hour or two I took my notepad and began answering these questions:

• What brings me happiness?
• What things do I feel passionate about at work?
• What things about my work do I hate?
• What am I good at?
• How much control do I really need over my time?
• Am I more extroverted or introverted?
• What are my values in life?
• How much money do I need?

Suddenly my answers gave me the right direction to my future job and helped me to better fit my passions, values and skills. My answers really motivated and helped me to choose the right career path and led to a job I truly love!

Make Your Hobby Your Career

Think carefully of what the main reason for you to choose your present career? Did you pick the job you thought will be glamorous or easy? Or, did you get a job that was related to your hobbies and interests?

Apparently, you were motivated with your salary and other aspects. As Confucius once said, “Choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” I completely agree with this saying, as your future career success will depend on your emotional state and things that you are really good at. Your hobby can be a window to what you truly love.

Volunteer in Your Desired Career

Your career will be a reflection of your unique set of skills. So, there is no better way to know if the chosen job is definitely for you than to instantly collaborate with experts in this sphere. Explain your motivations to the potential employee and take your role. You will see, if you cope with all your tasks and handle the work given to you and still have a desire to work, congratulations, you definitely know what you want and have a great chance to become a good specialist! Gain essential experience and become a volunteer in your desired career.

Determine Your Financial Needs

Frankly speaking, the overall earning potential of your future career is a significant factor for you. Everyone has different financial needs and lifestyles, for some people salary of $30,000 per year could be unthinkable and for others quite acceptable. Decide for yourself what are your desires and financial needs and make a correct decision based on that.

Your Education

When making your decision about your future job, always consider your current level of education as it will significantly influence your salary. Many jobs have a specific set of criteria: most of them require college and university degrees, special training and other higher education. Being successful means taking some time to determine your goals, interests, hobbies and passions. Give yourself a time for personal exploration and reflection and you will surely archive maximum employment in your life.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Personality

Does Your Personality Determine Your Career?

Why might you be unhappy in your job.

Posted June 6, 2018 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

• What Is Personality?
• Find a therapist near me

Research suggests that personality might determine the career path you choose, and it may predict whether you are unhappy with your job.

Several studies have shown that people who hold jobs with characteristics and tasks related to their personality are more productive, happier, and make more money.

For example, extraverts tend to hold jobs that involve communicating with others, such as sales or customer service. Introverts , on the other hand, may trend toward jobs interacting with computers or technology. Misfits in these jobs – an introvert who is a salesperson, for example, or an extravert who works in an office alone – may lead to lower performance and dissatisfaction.

Similarly, individuals high in conscientiousness may gravitate toward jobs involving numbers or paying attention to detail, and they may be better at those jobs as well.

Our research has even found personality differences in leadership positions depending on the sector of the organization. For example, more effective leaders, in general, are extraverted, conscientious, agreeable, and open to experiences. However, when we measured leaders in police departments, we found that extraversion and conscientiousness were associated with police leaders, but agreeableness and openness to experience were not. This makes sense because of the rigid, rule-driven environment of policing. Openness to experience is related to mild rule-breaking, or rule-bending, behavior, and that wouldn’t fit good police work.

So, one way to better understand your job and the rewards and strains that come from it is to compare the requirements of the job (and the job/organizational environment) with your strongest personality traits.

Denissen, J. J., Bleidorn, W., Hennecke, M., Luhmann, M., Orth, U., Specht, J., & Zimmermann, J. (2017). Uncovering the power of personality to shape income. Psychological Science. doi:10.1177/0956797617724435

King, D. D., Ott-Holland, C. J., Ryan, A. M., Huang, J. L., Wadlington, P. L., & Elizondo, F. (2016). Personality homogeneity in organizations and occupations: Considering similarity sources. Journal of Business and Psychology, 32(6), 641-653. doi:10.1007/s10869-016-9459-4

Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D. , is the Henry R. Kravis Professor of Leadership and Organizational Psychology at Claremont McKenna College.

• Find a Therapist
• Find a Treatment Center
• Find a Psychiatrist
• Find a Support Group
• Find Teletherapy
• United States
• Brooklyn, NY
• Chicago, IL
• Houston, TX
• Los Angeles, CA
• New York, NY
• Portland, OR
• San Diego, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• Seattle, WA
• Washington, DC
• Asperger's
• Bipolar Disorder
• Chronic Pain
• Eating Disorders
• Passive Aggression
• Goal Setting
• Positive Psychology
• Stopping Smoking
• Low Sexual Desire
• Relationships
• Child Development
• Therapy Center NEW
• Diagnosis Dictionary
• Types of Therapy

Understanding what emotional intelligence looks like and the steps needed to improve it could light a path to a more emotionally adept world.

• Coronavirus Disease 2019
• Affective Forecasting
• Neuroscience

• Reference Manager
• Simple TEXT file

People also looked at

Systematic review article, a systematic review of factors that influence youths career choices—the role of culture.

• 1 College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
• 2 College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
• 3 College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia

Good career planning leads to life fulfillment however; cultural heritage can conflict with youths' personal interests. This systematic review examined existing literature on factors that influence youths' career choices in both collectivist and individualistic cultural settings from around the globe with the aim of identifying knowledge gaps and providing direction for future research. A systematic review strategy using the Joana Briggs Institute's format was conducted. The ERIC, PsychInfo, Scopus, and Informit Platform databases were searched for articles published between January 1997 and May 2018. A total of 30 articles were included in the review, findings revealed that youth from collectivist cultures were mainly influenced by family expectations, whereby higher career congruence with parents increased career confidence and self-efficacy. Personal interest was highlighted as the major factor that influenced career choice in individualistic settings, and the youth were more independent in their career decision making. Bicultural youth who were more acculturated to their host countries were more intrinsically motivated in their career decision making. Further research is imperative to guide the understanding of parental influence and diversity, particularly for bicultural youths' career prospects and their ability to use the resources available in their new environments to attain meaningful future career goals.

Introduction

Career choice is a significant issue in the developmental live of youths because it is reported to be associated with positive as well as harmful psychological, physical and socio-economic inequalities that persist well beyond the youthful age into an individual's adult life ( Robertson, 2014 ; Bubić and Ivanišević, 2016 ). The term “youth” is described by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a more fluid category than a fixed age group and it refers to young people within the period of transitioning from the dependence of childhood to adulthood independence and awareness of their interdependence as members of a community ( UNESCO, 2017 ).

The complexity of career decision-making increases as age increases ( Gati and Saka, 2001 ). Younger children are more likely to offer answers about their ideal career which may represent their envisioned utopia and phenomenal perceptions about what they want to do when they grow up ( Howard and Walsh, 2011 ). As children get older, they are more likely to describe their career choice as a dynamic interplay of their developmental stages and the prevailing environmental circumstances ( Howard and Walsh, 2011 ). Youth career decision-making is required to go through a process of understanding by defining what they want to do and exploring a variety of career options with the aid of guidance and planning ( Porfeli and Lee, 2012 ). Proper handling of the process affirms individual identity and fosters wellbeing, job satisfaction and stability ( Kunnen, 2013 ).

Many theoretical models have been proposed to explain the process of career development and decision-making, one of which is the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) by Lent et al. (1994) . According to the SCCT, career development behaviors are affected by three social cognitive processes - self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations and career goals and intentions which interplay with ethnicity, culture, gender, socio-economic status, social support, and any perceived barriers to shape a person's educational and career trajectories ( Lent et al., 2000 ; Blanco, 2011 ). This emphasizes the complex interplay between the personal aspirations of youths in their career choices and decision-making and the external influences which act upon them. Carpenter and Foster (1977) postulated that the earlier experiences and influences which individuals are exposed to form the bedrock of how they conceive their career aspirations ( Carpenter and Foster, 1977 ). These authors' assertion lends support to the tenets of SCCT and they have developed a three-dimensional framework to classify the factors that influence career choice. Carpenter and Foster proposed that all career-influencing factors derive from either intrinsic, extrinsic, or interpersonal dimensions. They referred to the intrinsic dimension as a set of interests related to a profession and its role in society. Extrinsic refers to the desire for social recognition and security meanwhile the interpersonal dimension is connected to the influence of others such as family, friends, and teachers ( Carpenter and Foster, 1977 ).

Further exploration by other researchers reveal that youth who are motivated by intrinsic factors are driven by their interests in certain professions, and employments that are personally satisfying ( Gokuladas, 2010 ; Kunnen, 2013 ). Therefore, intrinsic factors relate to decisions emanating from self, and the actions that follow are stimulated by interest, enjoyment, curiosity or pleasure and they include personality traits, job satisfaction, advancement in career, and learning experiences ( Ryan and Deci, 2000 ; Kunnen, 2013 ; Nyamwange, 2016 ). Extrinsic factors revolve around external regulations and the benefits associated with certain occupations ( Shoffner et al., 2015 ). Prestigious occupations, availability of jobs and well-paying employments have also been reported to motivate youth career decision-making ( Ryan and Deci, 2000 ). Consequently, extrinsically motivated youth may choose their career based on the fringe benefits associated with a particular profession such as financial remuneration, job security, job accessibility, and satisfaction ( Ryan and Deci, 2000 ; Edwards and Quinter, 2011 ; Bakar et al., 2014 ). Interpersonal factors encompass the activities of agents of socialization in one's life and these include the influence of family members, teachers/educators, peers, and societal responsibilities ( Gokuladas, 2010 ; Bossman, 2014 ; Wu et al., 2015 ). Beynon et al. reported that Chinese-Canadian students' focus in selecting a career was to bring honor to the family ( Beynon et al., 1998 ). Students who are influenced by interpersonal factors highly value the opinions of family members and significant others; they therefore consult with and depend on these people and are willing to compromise their personal interest ( Guan et al., 2015 ).

Studies have shown that cultural values have an impact on the factors that influence the career choices of youths ( Mau, 2000 ; Caldera et al., 2003 ; Wambu et al., 2017 ; Hui and Lent, 2018 ; Tao et al., 2018 ). Culture is the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes one group of people from another ( Hofstede, 2001 , p.9) ( Hofstede, 2001 ). Hofstede (1980) seminal work on culture dimensions identified four major cultural dimensions in his forty-country comparative research ( Hofstede, 1980 ). The first dimension is known as “individualism-collectivism.” In individualistic cultures, an individual is perceived as an “independent entity,” whilst in collectivistic cultures he/she is perceived as an “interdependent entity.” That said, decision-making in individualistic cultures are based on individuals ‘own wishes and desires, whilst in collectivistic cultures, decisions are made jointly with the “in-group” (such as family, significant others and peers), and the primary objective is to optimize the group's benefit. The second dimension is power distance. In high power distant cultures; power inequality in society and its organizations exist and is accepted. The third dimension - uncertainty avoidance denotes the extent to which uncertainty and ambiguity is tolerated in society. In high uncertainty avoidant cultures, it is less tolerated, whereas in low uncertainty avoidant cultures it is more tolerated. Lastly, masculinity and femininity dimension deals with the prevailing values and priorities. In masculine cultures, achievement and accumulation of wealth is valued and strongly encouraged; in feminine cultures, maintaining good interpersonal relationships is the priority.

In his later work on “Cultural Dimension Scores,” Hofstede suggested that countries' score on power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation, and indulgence depicts whether they are collectivist inclined or individualistic-oriented ( Hofstede, 2011 ). Countries that espoused collectivist values may score low and countries that are entrenched in individualistic values may score high on the above-mentioned six cultural dimension score models ( Hofstede, 1980 , 2001 , 2011 ). This model aids the characterization of countries into either individualistic or collectivist cultural settings.

On this basis, western countries like Australia, United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA) have been shown to align with individualism and such cultures are oriented around independence, self-reliance, freedom and individual autonomy; while African and Asian nations align more closely with collectivism in which people identify with societal interdependence and communal benefits ( Hofstede, 1980 ; Sinha, 2014 ). Research indicates that basing cultures on individualistic versus collectivist dimensions may explain the classical differences in career decision-making among youths ( Mau, 2004 ; Amit and Gati, 2013 ; Sinha, 2014 ). The normative practice in individualistic societies is for the youth to be encouraged to choose their own careers and develop competency in establishing a career path for themselves, while youths from collectivist societies may be required to conform to familial and societal standards and they are often expected to follow a pre-determined career track ( Oettingen and Zosuls, 2006 ).

The interaction between individualistic and collectivist cultures has increased in frequency over the last 20 years due to global migration. Given that different standards are prescribed for the youths' career selection from the two cultures (collectivist—relatedness, and individualistic—autonomy), making a personal career decision could be quite daunting in situations where migrant families have moved from their heritage cultures into a host country. Friction may arise between the adapting youths and their often traditionally focused and opinionated parents as the families resettle in the host countries.

According to a report by the United Nations (UN), the world counted 173–258 million international migrants from 2000 to 2017, representing 3.4 percent of the global population. Migration is defined by the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) as the movement of a person or a group of persons, either across an international border, or within a state ( IOM, 2018 ). In this era of mass migration, migrant students who accompanied their parents to another country and are still discerning their career pathways could be exposed to the unfamiliar cultural values in general and the school/educational system in particular ( Zhang et al., 2014 ). On this note, migrant students might face a daunting task in negotiating their career needs both within host countries' school systems and perhaps within their own family setups. These migrant youth undoubtedly face uncertainties and complexities as career decision-making trajectory could be different in their heritage cultures compared to the prevailing status quo of the host country's culture ( Sawitri and Creed, 2017 ; Tao et al., 2018 ). As youth plan and make career decisions, in the face of both expected and unexpected interests, goals, expectations, personal experiences as well as obligations and responsibilities, cultural undercurrents underpin what the youth can do, and how they are required to think. Some studies have examined cross-cultural variations in factors influencing the career choice of youth from both similar and dissimilar cultural settings ( Mau, 2000 ; Lee, 2001 ; Fan et al., 2012 , 2014 ; Tao et al., 2018 ). However, there may be large differences between different migrant populations.

Given the influence of cultural heritage on career choice and with the increasing numbers of transitions between cultures, it is important to examine the scope and range of research activities available in the area of youths' career choice, particularly in relation to how movements across cultures affect the youth in their career decision making. To the best of our knowledge, there is no comprehensive review of existing literature available in this area. Using the three-dimensional framework proposed by Carpenter and Foster (1977) , this systematic review aims to examine the factors influencing youths' career choices, with particular reference to cultural impact. It will also identify any gaps in the existing literature and make recommendations that will help guide future research and aid policy makers and educational counselors in developing adequately equipped and well-integrated career choice support systems that will foster a more effective workforce.

Literature Search

A systematic review strategy was devised and the literature search was conducted using the Joana Briggs Institute's (JBI) format. The search was conducted between December 2016 and May 2018, utilizing James Cook University's subscription to access the following databases: Education Resources Information Centre (ERIC), PsycINFO, Scopus and Informit. The subject and keyword searches were conducted in three parts.

1. Career and its cognate terms:

“Career development” OR “Career decision” OR “career choice” OR “Career choices” OR “Career planning” OR “Career guidance” OR Career OR Careers OR “Career advancement” OR “Career exploration” OR Vocation OR Vocations OR Vocational OR “Occupational aspiration” OR Job OR Jobs OR Occupations OR Occupation OR Occupational” AND

2. Youth and its cognate terms:

“Youth OR Youths” OR “Young adults” OR adolescent* OR teenage* OR student” AND

3. Factors and variables:

“Intrinsic OR Extrinsic OR Interpersonal OR Individualistic OR Collectivist OR Culture OR Cultures OR Cultural OR “Cross Cultural.”

The Boolean operators (OR/AND) and search filters were applied to obtain more focused results. The articles included in the final search were peer-reviewed and the references of publications sourced from these searches were hand searched to obtain additional abstracts. Searches of reference and citation lists commenced in December 2016, repeated in March, July and November 2017 and finally May 2018 to identify and include any new, relevant articles.

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

Only peer-reviewed articles published in English within the last 20 years (1997-2018) and with full text available were included. Studies included in the final analysis were original research articles that focused on career choices of youth from all cultures including migrant youth who are also known as bicultural (those who accompanied their parents to another country). The rationale for using the cultural concepts of collectivist and individualistic cultural settings was inspired by Hofstede's Cultural Dimensional Scores Model ( Hofstede, 2011 ). Abstracts were excluded if they focused on students below secondary school level and those already in the workforce as the study mainly focused on youth discerning their career choices and not those already in the workforce.

Data Extraction

Two of the researchers (PAT and BMA) independently assessed data for extraction, using coding sheets. Study variables compared were author and year of publication, country and continent of participant enrolment, cultural setting, study design, participant numbers, and educational level, factors influencing career choice and major outcomes. Data were crosschecked in a consensus meeting and discrepancies resolved through discussion and mutual agreement between the two reviewers. The third and fourth authors (T.I.E and D.L) were available to adjudicate if required.

Quality of Methods Assessment

In this study, two reviewers (PAT and TIE) ascertained the quality and validity of the articles using JBI Critical Appraisal (CA) tools for qualitative and cross-sectional studies ( Aromataris and Munn, 2017 ). In any event of disagreement, a third reviewer (BMA) interceded to make a judgement. Both JBI CA tools assess the methodological quality of the included studies to derive a score ranging from 0 (low quality) to 8 or 10 (high quality). Using these tools, studies with a total score between 0 and 3 were deemed of low quality, studies with a score between 4 and 6 were classed as of moderate quality and studies with scores from 7 were deemed to be of high quality (sound methodology).

Study Selection

Articles retrieved from the initial database search totaled 5,201. An additional 38 articles were retrieved from direct journal search by bibliographic search. A total of 597 records remained after duplicates and unrelated articles were removed. Of this number, 521 were excluded after abstract review mainly for not meeting the inclusion criteria, leaving 76 full text articles for eligibility check. A further 46 were excluded because they focused on career difficulties, counseling, retention, working adolescents, or the cultural setting was not stated. Applying this screening process resulted in 30 studies for inclusion in the qualitative review synthesis (see Figure 1 ).

Figure 1 . Search strategy. The figure shows the search strategy including databases assessed for this study.

Study Characteristics

All three factors (Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and Interpersonal) affecting adolescents' career choices were identified in this review (Figure 2 ). Out of the 30 articles, five (17%) explored interpersonal factors exclusively ( Cheung et al., 2013 ; Gunkel et al., 2013 ; Fan et al., 2014 ; Zhang et al., 2014 ; Fouad et al., 2016 ). Majority of the studies, 16 out of 30 (53%) explored interpersonal and intrinsic factors solely ( Mau, 2000 ; Lee, 2001 ; Caldera et al., 2003 ; Howard et al., 2009 ; Lent et al., 2010 ; Shin and Kelly, 2013 ; Cheung and Arnold, 2014 ; Sawitri et al., 2014 , 2015 ; Guan et al., 2015 ; Li et al., 2015 ; Sawitri and Creed, 2015 , 2017 ; Kim et al, 2016 ; Hui and Lent, 2018 ; Polenova et al., 2018 ).

Figure 2 . Diagrammatic illustration of the included studies highlighting the factors that influence youth career choices. The figure shows the number of studies focusing on each of the three factors (intrinsic, extrinsic and interpersonal).

No articles focused solely on extrinsic or intrinsic factors. Two studies each explored the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic ( Choi and Kim, 2013 ; Atitsogbe et al., 2018 ) as well as extrinsic and interpersonal factors ( Yamashita et al., 1999 ; Wüst and Leko Šimić, 2017 ). The remaining five articles (17%) explored all three factors (intrinsic, extrinsic, and interpersonal, ( Bojuwoye and Mbanjwa, 2006 ; Agarwala, 2008 ; Gokuladas, 2010 ; Fan et al., 2012 ; Tao et al., 2018 ). Table 1 summarizes the 30 articles included in this review. Intrinsic factors explored in the literature include self-interest, job satisfaction, and learning experiences. Extrinsic factors include job security, guaranteed job opportunities, high salaries, prestigious professions and future benefits. Meanwhile, interpersonal factors include parental support, family cohesion, peer influence, and interaction with educators.

Table 1 . Summary of studies included in the review.

The collectivist cultural settings examined in the reviewed articles included Argentina, Burkina Faso, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan and Ukraine; while the individualistic ones were Canada, Finland, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and United States of America. Italy was considered as partly individualistic and collectivist. Fourteen studies included participants from both collectivist and individualistic cultural settings ( Mau, 2000 ; Lee, 2001 ; Caldera et al., 2003 ; Howard et al., 2009 ; Fan et al., 2012 , 2014 ; Cheung et al., 2013 ; Choi and Kim, 2013 ; Gunkel et al., 2013 ; Shin and Kelly, 2013 ; Zhang et al., 2014 ; Guan et al., 2015 ; Fouad et al., 2016 ; Wüst and Leko Šimić, 2017 ; Atitsogbe et al., 2018 ; Hui and Lent, 2018 ; Polenova et al., 2018 ; Tao et al., 2018 ). Twelve studies focused on collectivist cultural settings ( Yamashita et al., 1999 ; Bojuwoye and Mbanjwa, 2006 ; Agarwala, 2008 ; Gokuladas, 2010 ; Lent et al., 2010 ; Cheung and Arnold, 2014 ; Sawitri et al., 2014 , 2015 ; Li et al., 2015 ; Kim et al, 2016 ; Sawitri and Creed, 2017 ). Three studies examined participants who moved from collectivist to individualistic settings ( Hui and Lent, 2018 ; Polenova et al., 2018 ; Tao et al., 2018 ) and one study considered both cultural dimensions within a single setting ( Howard et al., 2009 ). Twenty-nine of the included studies used a range of quantitative designs. Participant numbers in these ranged from 80 to 2087. One study used qualitative design with 12 participants.

Quality of Methods of Included Studies

The quality assessment of methods employed in the 30 studies included in this review are outlined in Table 2 . The qualitative study was assessed using the JBI qualitative CA tool and was of sound methodology (Table 2A ). Using the JBI cross-sectional CA tool, 9 of the 29 quantitative studies (31 %) were of sound methodology (score of 6.5–7). The other 20 studies (69 %) were of moderate quality (Table 2B ).

Table 2 . Quality assessment of included articles.

Synthesis of Study Results

Table 1 and Figure 3 details the study setting and the underlying factors influencing youth career choices. Analysis of the reviewed articles revealed four major themes namely: extrinsic, intrinsic and interpersonal factors and emergent bicultural influence on career choice. These four major themes had several subthemes and are reported below.

Figure 3 . Career influencing factors. The figures shows identified career influencing factors and their distribution in cultural settings.

Extrinsic Factors

Extrinsic factors examined in the reviewed articles included financial remuneration, job security, professional prestige and job accessibility.

Financial Remuneration

Financial remuneration was identified as the most influential extrinsic factor in career choice decision. Income was considered as an important component of life, particularly among youth who had a higher level of individualism ( Agarwala, 2008 ; Wüst and Leko Šimić, 2017 ). Wüst and Leko Šimić reported that German students ranked “a high income” highest with a 3.7 out of 5 and regarded it as the most important feature of their future job in comparison to Croatian students who gave it a lower ranking of 3 out of 5 ( Wüst and Leko Šimić, 2017 ). While amongst Indian management students, it was rated as the third most important factor influencing career choice ( Agarwala, 2008 ). Financial reward was also a high motivator for career decision among Chinese migrant students in Canada ( Tao et al., 2018 ), and Korean students ( Choi and Kim, 2013 ). In contrast, the need for higher remuneration did not influence career decision making among engineering students in India ( Gokuladas, 2010 ), and Japanese senior college students ( Yamashita et al., 1999 ).

Professional Prestige

Professional prestige was identified as an important deciding factor for youth career decision making in India ( Agarwala, 2008 ), South Africa ( Bojuwoye and Mbanjwa, 2006 ), Croatia ( Wüst and Leko Šimić, 2017 ), Japan and Korea ( Yamashita et al., 1999 ), which are all collectivist settings. Prestige statuses attached to some occupations were strong incentives to career choices; was ranked as the second most important positive influence in career decision making by over half of the respondents in a South African study, indicating that these youth wanted prestigious jobs so that they could live good lives and be respected in the society ( Bojuwoye and Mbanjwa, 2006 ). Japanese and Korean students were also highly influenced by occupational prestige ( Yamashita et al., 1999 ); however, the Korean students considered it of higher importance than their Japanese counterparts.

Job Accessibility

Job accessibility was also considered as a deciding factor for youth's career decision in a collectivist Burkina Faso society where nearness to employment locations prevented students from choosing careers related to their preferred fields of endeavor ( Atitsogbe et al., 2018 ). Another study explored the perceptions of hospitality and tourism career among college students and demonstrated that Korean students are more likely to focus on current market trends such as job accessibility in comparison to their American counterparts ( Choi and Kim, 2013 ), implying that they are less flexible with their choices. However, job accessibility and vocational interest were less predictive of career explorations than personality traits in both cultural settings in a different study ( Fan et al., 2012 ).

Job Security

Job security was reported as influential in only one study where it was identified as highly important by German youth in comparison to their Croatian counterparts ( Wüst and Leko Šimić, 2017 ). They suggested that their finding are in line with the uncertainty avoidance index proposed by Hofstede (2011) which also takes on a relatively high value for Germans. They provided two major reasons for the findings—(1) “secure jobs” has a tradition for young Germans and (2) change in employment contracts in Germany; with fewer employees under 25 having permanent contracts ( Wüst and Leko Šimić, 2017 ).

Intrinsic Factors

The literature explored intrinsic factors such as personal interests, self-efficacy, outcome expectations and professional development opportunities.

Personal Interests

Personal interests in career decision-making appeared to be an important factor in the selection of a life career ( Caldera et al., 2003 ; Bojuwoye and Mbanjwa, 2006 ; Gokuladas, 2010 ; Lent et al., 2010 ; Choi and Kim, 2013 ; Atitsogbe et al., 2018 ). Bojuwoye and Mbanjwa ascertained that about fifty per cent of youth career decisions are based on their personal interests ( Bojuwoye and Mbanjwa, 2006 ), and Gokuladas maintained that students from urban areas are most likely to consider their personal interests before societal interests when making career decisions ( Gokuladas, 2010 ). Lent et al., reported that personal interest predict youth's career outcome expectations ( Lent et al., 2010 ) while Li et al., indicated that in collectivist Chinese culture, personal interests matter significantly however individual preferences are strongly influenced by social comparison ( Li et al., 2015 ). Atitsogbe et al., observed that Swiss students are more influenced by personal interests ( Atitsogbe et al., 2018 ). They reported that in Switzerland, interest differentiation was significantly associated with self-identity. This scenario was compared to the situation in the collectivist Burkina Faso culture where interest differentiation and consistency were less associated self-identity ( Atitsogbe et al., 2018 ). Similarly, Korean students were reported to focus on the prevailing market trends such as salary, job positions, and promotion opportunities in contrast to American student who were more future oriented and interested in setting individual desired goals in their reality oriented-perceptions ( Choi and Kim, 2013 ). Personal interest was also linked to career aspirations in Mexican American women ( Caldera et al., 2003 ).

Self-Efficacy

Self-efficacy was considered a vital intrinsic factor in the career decision-making process of youth ( Howard et al., 2009 ; Fan et al., 2012 ; Guan et al., 2015 ; Hui and Lent, 2018 ). Howard et al. reported individualistic and collectivist dimensions in two different regions within the same country due to economic factors ( Howard et al., 2009 ). In collectivist cultures, students' self-efficacy was linked to their level of congruence with their parents. Whereas in individualistic cultural settings, like America, families encourage students to become self-sufficient and independent ( Mau, 2000 ; Fan et al., 2012 ; Shin and Kelly, 2013 ; Guan et al., 2015 ; Hui and Lent, 2018 ).

Outcome Expectations

Two studies carried out in collectivist cultural settings reported that youth's outcome expectation are contingent/dependent on the degree of perceived congruence with parents ( Cheung and Arnold, 2014 ; Sawitri et al., 2015 ). One article that studied the outcome expectations of youth in individualistic cultural setting reported that among students in the United States, strong career maturity, confidence, and outcome expectations were culturally based ( Lee, 2001 ).

Professional Development Opportunities

The opportunity for professional development is also a major intrinsic career-influencing factor ( Lee, 2001 ; Cheung and Arnold, 2014 ; Guan et al., 2015 ). University students in China were individually matured and influenced by career development opportunities ( Cheung and Arnold, 2014 ). While American students were shown to score higher for ideal occupations ( Guan et al., 2015 ), and influenced by goal motivation and strong career maturity ( Lee, 2001 ). This is similar to high school students in Indonesia, although dependent on congruence with parents ( Sawitri and Creed, 2015 ).

Interpersonal Factors

The literature discussed the extent to which family members, teachers/educators, peers, and social responsibilities influence youth's career decision-making.

Influence of Family Members

Agarwala suggested the father was seen as the most significant individual influencing the career choice of Indian management students ( Agarwala, 2008 ). This could be understood in the context of a reasonably patriarchal society. According to the study, most of the participants' fathers were mainly professionals, which may have motivated their career selection. In another study, mothers (52.50%) were regarded as the most significant family member that impacted positively on students' career choices ( Bojuwoye and Mbanjwa, 2006 ). Fathers (18.75%) were the second most significant individual, followed by siblings or guardians (16.25%) ( Bojuwoye and Mbanjwa, 2006 ). Good rapport among family members culminating in an effective communication within the family set up is crucial for laying sound foundation for career decision making. Higher career congruence with parents also increased career confidence and self-efficacy ( Sawitri et al., 2014 , 2015 ; Sawitri and Creed, 2015 , 2017 ; Kim et al, 2016 ). Furthermore, parents' profession influences career choice as children from agricultural backgrounds tend to take on their parents' job, while those from industrialized settings have more autonomy and career decidedness ( Howard et al., 2009 ).

Other familial influence on career decision-making according to the results of the only qualitative study in our review, include parental values, parental pressure, cultural capital and family obligations ( Polenova et al., 2018 ). The study indicated the apparent Asian American cultural preference for certain professions/careers. Students indicated that, parental opinion sometimes put an emphasis on a specific career. In that study, several participants emphasized that they were not forced, but “strongly encouraged” ( Polenova et al., 2018 ).

It's not like your parents are going to put a gun to your head and say “You're going to be a doctor” but from a young age, they say things like, “You're going to be a great doctor, I can't wait until you have that stethoscope around your neck.”

Polenova et al., 2018

Teachers and Educators

Teachers and educators are significant figures in the process of youth's career decision-making ( Yamashita et al., 1999 ; Howard et al., 2009 ; Gokuladas, 2010 ; Cheung et al., 2013 ; Cheung and Arnold, 2014 ). Cheung et al. and Howard et al. reported that in both collectivist and individualistic cultures, teacher are seen as significant figures who are agents of development and could have influence on students' career decision making ( Howard et al., 2009 ; Cheung et al., 2013 ). Cheung et al. further reported that students in Hong Kong rated perceived efficacy of teachers higher than parents due to lower level of parental education ( Cheung et al., 2013 ). In addition, Cheung and Arnold demonstrated a strong student dependence on teachers followed by peers and less of parents ( Cheung and Arnold, 2014 ).

Peer Influence

Two studies carried out in both cultural settings showed peer influence as a third potent force (after parents and teachers) that can significantly impact on the career decisions of youth, especially girls ( Howard et al., 2009 ; Cheung et al., 2013 ). Other studies reported that peers are a branch of the significant others and as social agents, they influence their kinds through social comparisons and acceptance ( Yamashita et al., 1999 ; Lee, 2001 ; Bojuwoye and Mbanjwa, 2006 ; Gokuladas, 2010 ; Cheung and Arnold, 2014 ).

Social Responsibilities

The impact of social responsibility as a driving force in youth career decision-making was identified by Fouad et al. (2016) , who noted that the career decision-making of South Korean youth is influenced by societal expectations. This is supported by another research, which suggested that societal expectations influenced youth career choices in both collectivist and individualistic cultures ( Lee, 2001 ; Mau, 2004 ; Polenova et al., 2018 ; Tao et al., 2018 ).

Emergent Bicultural Influence on Youth Career Choices

Of the 30 articles, only three explored the career decision making of bicultural youths ( Hui and Lent, 2018 ; Polenova et al., 2018 ; Tao et al., 2018 ). Strong family support influenced US-born and Asian-born students as shown by a recent study ( Hui and Lent, 2018 ). Hui and Lent found that students with stronger adherence to Asian values were more likely to perceive family support to pursue science related careers ( Hui and Lent, 2018 ). High sense of obligation to parents (filial piety), internal locus of control, and personal interests were identified as factors that influenced bi-cultural Asian American students' career decision making ( Polenova et al., 2018 ). Bicultural Chinese students who were acculturated to Canada were highly intrinsically motivated (internal locus of control and self-efficacy) in their career decision-making, while those who had stronger Chinese acculturations were influenced by extrinsic (financial stability) and interpersonal (family) factors ( Tao et al., 2018 ).

This systematic review examined the existent factors influencing the career choices of the youths from different countries around the globe, from either or both collectivist and individualistic cultural settings. Intrinsic and interpersonal factors were more investigated than extrinsic factors in the reviewed articles. In these articles, intrinsic factors included personal interests, professional advancement, and personality traits. Extrinsic factors included guaranteed employment opportunities, job security, high salaries, prestigious professions and future benefits. Meanwhile, interpersonal factors are the activities of agents of socialization in one's life, such as parental support, family cohesion, status, peer influence as well as interaction with other social agents such as school counsellors, teachers and other educators ( Lent et al., 2010 ; Shin and Kelly, 2013 ; Cheung and Arnold, 2014 ; Guan et al., 2015 ; Kim et al, 2016 ).

The three factors (intrinsic, extrinsic and interpersonal) relating to career choices are pervasive in both cultures. Their level of influence on the youth differs from culture to culture and appear to be dependent on perceived parental congruence leading to self-efficacy and better career choice outcomes. The studies carried out in Canada, Finland, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and United States of America showed a high level of individualism, which typifies intrinsic motivation for career choice. Youths in individualistic cultural settings were influenced by the combinations of intrinsic (personal interest, personality trait, self-efficacy), extrinsic (job security, high salaries) and to a lesser extent, interpersonal (parental guidance) factors and are encouraged to make their own career decisions ( Mau, 2004 ; Gunkel et al., 2013 ). In contrast, studies carried out in Argentina, Burkina Faso, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, and Ukraine showed a high level of collectivism. Youths in collectivist cultures were mainly influenced by interpersonal (honoring parental and societal expectations and parental requirements to follow a prescribed career path) and extrinsic (prestigious professions) ( Mau, 2000 ; Gunkel et al., 2013 ). The opinions of significant others matter significantly to youths from collectivist cultural settings. Whereas, in individualistic cultures, youths tend to focus on professions that offer higher income and satisfy their personal interests ( Wüst and Leko Šimić, 2017 ; Polenova et al., 2018 ).

Parental influences were found to be significant in collectivist cultural settings ( Agarwala, 2008 ; Sawitri et al., 2014 ), implying that youths from this culture value the involvement of significant others, especially parents, and other family members, during their career decision-making processes. The activities of parents and significant others are very pivotal in the lives of the youth as they navigate their career paths. Cheung et al. reported the role of significant others (teachers) in influencing youth career choices when parents are unable to suitably play such role ( Cheung et al., 2013 ). Interestingly, one article focused on two different cultural orientations within one country and reported that parents' profession influence career choice as children from agricultural backgrounds tend to take on their parents' job, while those from industrialized settings have more autonomy and career decidedness ( Howard et al., 2009 ). This finding emphasizes the complex interplay of cultural context and the environment in the career aspirations of youths ( Fouad et al., 2016 ).

The review suggests that youths of collectivist orientations, tend to subordinate personal interests to group goals, emphasizing the standards and importance of relatedness and family cohesion ( Kim et al, 2016 ). However, such patterns of behavior may be conflicted, particularly during cross-cultural transitions. Parental influence have been reported to generate difficulties within the family and discrepancies over career choice decisions are not uncommon within both cultures ( Myburgh, 2005 ; Keller and Whiston, 2008 ; Dietrich and Kracke, 2009 ; Sawitri et al., 2014 ). The conundrum is will adolescents of collectivist orientation be comfortable with their cultural ethos after resettling in a different environment with individualistic cultural beliefs and practices?

Our study revealed that when youth transfer from their heritage culture to a different cultural setting, their cultural values are challenged and their career decision-making patterns may be affected. For instance, Tao et al. reported that students of Chinese descent who were acculturated to Canada primed personal interests, self-efficacy and financial stability instead of honoring parental and societal expectations in their career decision-making ( Tao et al., 2018 ). Similarly, Asian American students with stronger adherence to Asian values had a high sense of obligation to parents ( Polenova et al., 2018 ) and were more likely to perceive family support than their counterparts who were more acculturated to American values ( Hui and Lent, 2018 ). Our data also suggest a strong interplay of individualist and collectivist cultural values coexisting in harmony and jointly influencing how the youth in the current global environment define themselves, relate to others, and decide priorities in conforming to social/societal norms. Movement across cultures (migration) leads to several changes and adjustments in an individual's life. The internal and psychological changes the youth may encounter, otherwise known as psychological acculturation, also affect their career identity ( Berry, 1997 ). Given that only three out of the 30 reviewed studies were conducted in bicultural settings ( Hui and Lent, 2018 ; Polenova et al., 2018 ; Tao et al., 2018 ), further studies are recommended to examine the career choice practices of youths who have transferred from collectivistic to individualistic cultures and vice versa.

Practical Implications for Counsellors and Policy Makers

Social Learning Theory proposes that the role of a career counselor is to help clients expand their career choices and help clarify beliefs that can interfere or promote their career plans ( Krumboltz, 1996 ). Culture has a major influence on people's beliefs therefore, it is integral that career counselors are able to provide culturally responsive career directions to guide the youth in the pursuit of their career aspirations. Providing accessible sources of support and empowering youths to openly discuss their concerns relating to career decision-making will broaden the youths' understanding and this could have a significant impact on their academic and career pathways. Family support is important for all youths as they navigate their career explorations, especially for migrants. The role of counselors is not only limited to the youths, it can also benefit the entire family. Essentially, counselors can attempt to engage not just the youths in exploring academic and vocational opportunities, but also offer avenues for families to become involved and connected to the career decision-making processes.

Cultural identities combined with the varied expectations for achievement can be an overwhelming experience for the youth. Counselors can seize this opportunity to provide companionship and direction as the youth figure out their career pathways ( Gushue et al., 2006 ; Risco and Duffy, 2011 ).

The significance of a school environment that is conducive and embraces the racial and academic identity of its students can be a huge asset to boost youth morale. Gonzalez et al. reported that students who feel culturally validated by others at school and experience positive ethnic regard, have more confidence in their career aspirations ( Gonzalez et al., 2013 ). Career counselors together with other educators and service providers hold influential positions as they can furnish academic, cultural and social support that family members alone cannot provide.

Strengths and Limitations of This Study

The major strength of this review is that it has provided increased understanding of the cultural underpinnings of the factors that influence the career choices of youths. The study has also highlighted areas of knowledge gap in the literature, such as fewer studies exploring the impact of extrinsic factors on career choice and the need for more bicultural studies. However, the conclusions drawn from this review are limited to the data that were extracted from the studies identified. We acknowledge that there are caveats with the use of the concepts “collectivist and individualistic” to describe the cultural underpinnings of different countries as there are some fluidity around their usage as suggested by Hofstede (1991 , 2001) . However, the use of these concepts was helpful in classifying the cultural background of the participants included in this review. The findings of the studies reviewed within each country may not necessarily be representative of all the cultural orientations in those countries. Furthermore, researchers from different cultures (or studying different cultures) may have chosen to study only the variables that they believe will have relevance. Nevertheless, most of the studies reviewed had large sample sizes and were conducted in various countries across the globe.

Recommendations

• Of the 30 articles reviewed, only one involved qualitative study designs. Further qualitative studies on this topic are required to provide in-depth understanding of the influences on youth's career choices and to allow causal inferences to be made.

• There were only three articles that examined the career decision-making of the bicultural youths from the perspective of the mainstream and the heritage cultures. Better career choices for the bicultural youth will enhance their self-identity and lead to commitment to duty and eventual career satisfaction. Without harnessing the potentials of youths through career education and training, the bicultural and migrant youths' face uncertainties in the future in the host country. The rippling effects of such uncertainties in the future could have a detrimental effect on the country's economy. Therefore, there is the need for increased research activities in this area in host countries. Educational system planning should be developed to encourage youth to have self-efficacy and be more involved in job-related information seeking. This will be especially efficient in progressing bicultural youths who might have migrated with their parents into a new culture.

• Sound education at school can open ways for career decisions. Interventions designed to assist youth in strengthening their academic self-efficacy, internal motivation, and goal-setting strategies can foster improved career choice outcomes.

Conclusions

The three factors investigated in this study are pervasive in influencing the career decisions of youths in both individualistic and collectivist societies. In collectivist societies, parental intervention is understood as a requirement to support their children's efforts and equip them to be responsible and economically productive. Meanwhile, the standard practice in individualistic societies is for parents to endorse their children's opinions and encourage them to choose careers that make them happy. Overall, further research is imperative to guide the understanding of parental influence and diversity in bicultural and migrant youths' career prospects and their ability to use the resources available in their new environments to attain meaningful future career goals. Additional research, particularly qualitative, is required to explore the level of family involvement in youths' career choices among migrant families in different cultural settings.

Author Contributions

PA-T and BM-A extracted the data. BM-A, TE, and DL critically appraised and validated the study findings. PA-T developed the first draft of the manuscript. BM-A, TE, DL, and KT reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript for submission.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Agarwala, T. (2008). Factors influencing career choice of management students in India. Career Dev. Int. 13, 362–376. doi: 10.1108/13620430810880844

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Amit, A., and Gati, I. (2013). Table or circles: a comparison of two methods for choosing among career alternatives. Career Dev. Q. 61, 50–63. doi: 10.1002/j.2161-0045.2013.00035.x

Aromataris, E., and Munn, Z. E. (2017). Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewer's Manual . The Joanna Briggs Institute. Available online at: http://joannabriggs.org/research/critical-appraisal-tools.html

Atitsogbe, K. A., Moumoula, I. A., Rochat, S., Antonietti, J. P., and Rossier, J. (2018). Vocational interests and career indecision in Switzerland and Burkina Faso: cross-cultural similarities and differences. J. Vocat. Behav. 107, 126–140. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2018.04.002

Bakar, A. R., Mohamed, S., Suhid, A., and Hamzah, R. (2014). So you want to be a teacher: what are your reasons? Int. Educ. Stud. 7, 155–161. doi: 10.5539/ies.v7n11p155

Berry, J. W. (1997). Immigration, acculturation, and adaptation. Appl. Psychol . 46, 5–34.

Google Scholar

Beynon, J., Toohey, K., and Kishor, N. (1998). Do visible minority students of Chinese and South Asian ancestry want teaching as a career?: perceptions of some secondary school students in Vancouver, B. C. Can. Eth. Stud. J. 30:50.

Blanco, Á. (2011). Applying social cognitive career theory to predict interests and choice goals in statistics among Spanish psychology students. J. Voc. Behavior . 78, 49–58. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2010.07.003

Bojuwoye, O., and Mbanjwa, S. (2006). Factors impacting on career choices of technikon students from previously disadvantaged high schools. J. Psychol. Afr . 16, 3–16. doi: 10.1080/14330237.2006.10820099

Bossman, I. (2014). Bossman, Ineke, Educational Factors that Influence the Career Choices of University of Cape Coast Students (April 5) . Available online at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2420846

Bubić, A., and Ivanišević, K. (2016). The role of emotional stability and competence in young adolescents' career judgments. J. Career Dev . 43, 498–511. doi: 10.1177/0894845316633779

Caldera, Y. M., Robitschek, C., Frame, M., and Pannell, M. (2003). Intrapersonal, familial, and cultural factors in the commitment to a career choice of mexican american and non-hispanic white college Women. J. Counsel. Psychol. 50, 309–323. doi: 10.1037/0022-0167.50.3.309

Carpenter, P., and Foster, B. (1977). The career decisions of student teachers. Educ. Res. Pers. 4, 23–33.

Cheung, F. M., Wan, S. L. Y., Fan, W., Leong, F., and Mok, P. C. H. (2013). Collective contributions to career efficacy in adolescents: a cross-cultural study. J. Vocat. Behav . 83, 237–244. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2013.05.004

Cheung, R., and Arnold, J. (2014). The impact of career exploration on career development among Hong Kong Chinese University students. J. Coll. Stud. Dev . 55, 732–748. doi: 10.1353/csd.2014.0067

Choi, K., and Kim, D. Y. (2013). A cross cultural study of antecedents on career preparation behavior: learning motivation, academic achievement, and career decision self-efficacy. J. Hosp. Leis Sports Tour Educ . 13, 19–32. doi: 10.1016/j.jhlste.2013.04.001

Dietrich, J., and Kracke, B. (2009). Career-specific parental behaviors in adolescents' development. J. Vocat. Behav . 75, 109–119. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2009.03.005

Edwards, K., and Quinter, M. (2011). Factors influencing students career choices among secondary school students in Kisumu municipality, Kenya. J. Emerg. Trends Educ. Res. Policy Stud. 2, 81–87. Available online at: http://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC135714

Fan, W., Cheung, F. M., Leong, F. T. L., and Cheung, S. F. (2014). Contributions of family factors to career readiness: a cross-cultural comparison. Career Dev. Q. 62, 194–209. doi: 10.1002/j.2161-0045.2014.00079.x

Fan, W., Cheung, F. M., Leong, F. T., and Cheung, S. F. (2012). Personality traits, vocational interests, and career exploration: a cross-cultural comparison between American and Hong Kong students. J. Career Assess . 20, 105–119. doi: 10.1177/1069072711417167

Fouad, N. A., Kim, S.-y., Ghosh, A., Chang, W., and Figueiredo, C. (2016). Family influence on career decision making:validation in india and the United States. J. Career Assess. 24, 197–212. doi: 10.1177/1069072714565782

Gati, I., and Saka, N. (2001). High school students' career-related decision-making difficulties. J. Counsel. Dev . 79:331. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6676.2001.tb01978.x

Gokuladas, V. K. (2010). Factors that influence first-career choice of undergraduate engineers in software services companies: a South Indian experience. Career Dev. Int. 15, 144–165. doi: 10.1108/13620431011040941

Gonzalez, L. M., Stein, G. L., and Huq, N. (2013). The Influence of Cultural identity and perceived barriers on college-going beliefs and aspirations of latino youth in emerging immigrant communities. Hisp. J. Behav. Sci. 35, 103–120. doi: 10.1177/0739986312463002

Guan, Y., Chen, S. X., Levin, N., Bond, M. H., Luo, N., Xu, J., et al. (2015). Differences in career decision-making profiles between american and chinese university students: the relative strength of mediating mechanisms across cultures. J. Cross-Cult Psychol . 46, 856–872. doi: 10.1177/0022022115585874

Gunkel, M., Schlägel, C., Langella, I. M., Peluchette, J. V., and Reshetnyak, E. (2013). The influence of national culture on business students' career attitudes - An analysis of eight countries. Z Persforsch . 27, 47–68. doi: 10.1177/239700221302700105

Gushue, G., Clarke, C., Pantzer, K., and Scanlan, K. (2006). Self-efficacy, perceptions of barriers, vocational identity, and the career exploration behaviour of Latino/ a high school students. Carreer Dev. Q. 54, 307–317. doi: 10.1002/j.2161-0045.2006.tb00196.x

Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture's Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

Hofstede, G. (1991). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind . New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture's Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations Across Nations . Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online Read. Psychol. Cult. 2:8. doi: 10.9707/2307-0919.1014

Howard, K. A. S., Ferrari, L., Nota, L., Solberg, V. S. H., and Soresi, S. (2009). The relation of cultural context and social relationships to career development in middle school. J. Vocat. Behav. 75, 100–108. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2009.06.013

Howard, K. A., and Walsh, M. E. (2011). Children's conceptions of career choice and attainment: model development. J. Career Dev . 38, 256–271. doi: 10.1177/0894845310365851

Hui, K., and Lent, R. W. (2018). The roles of family, culture, and social cognitive variables in the career interests and goals of Asian American college students. J. Couns. Psychol . 65, 98–109. doi: 10.1037/cou0000235

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

IOM (2018). Key Migration Terms . Available online at: https://www.iom.int/key-migration-terms

Keller, B. K., and Whiston, S. C. (2008). The role of parental influences on young adolescents' career development. J. Career Assess. 16, 198–217. doi: 10.1177/1069072707313206

Kim, S.-,Y., Ahn, T., and Fouad, N. (2016). Family influence on korean students' career decisions: a social cognitive perspective. J. Career Assess. 24, 513–526. doi: 10.1177/1069072715599403

Krumboltz, J. (1996). “A learning theory of career counseling,” in Handbook of Career Counseling Theory and Practice , eds M. L. Savickas and W. Bruce Walsh (Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black), 55–80.

Kunnen, E. S. (2013). The effects of career choice guidance on identity development. Educ. Res. Int . 2013:901718. doi: 10.1155/2013/901718

Lee, K.-H. (2001). A cross-cultural study of the career maturity of Korean and United States high school students. J. Career Dev . 28, 43–57. doi: 10.1177/089484530102800104

Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., and Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest, choice, and performance. J. Vocat. Behav. 45, 79–122. doi: 10.1006/jvbe.1994.1027

Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., and Hackett, G. (2000). Contextual supports and barriers to career choice: a social cognitive analysis. J. Couns. Psychol. 47:36. doi: 10.1037/0022-0167.47.1.36

Lent, R. W., Paixao, M. P., da Silva, J. T., and Leitao, L. M. (2010). Predicting occupational interests and choice aspirations in portuguese high school students: a test of social cognitive career theory. J. Voc. Behav. 76, 244–251. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2009.10.001

Li, X., Hou, Z. J., and Jia, Y. (2015). The influence of social comparison on career decision-making: vocational identity as a moderator and regret as a mediator. J. Vocat. Behav . 86, 10–19. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2014.10.003

Mau, W. C. (2000). Cultural differences in career decision-making styles and self-efficacy. J. Vocat. Behav . 57, 365–378. doi: 10.1006/jvbe.1999.1745

Mau, W. C. J. (2004). Cultural dimensions of career decision-making difficulties. Career Dev. Q. 53, 67–77. doi: 10.1002/j.2161-0045.2004.tb00656.x

Myburgh, J. (2005). An empirical analysis of career choice factors that influence first-year Accounting students at the University of Pretoria: a cross-racial study. Meditari Account. Res. 13:35. doi: 10.1108/10222529200500011

Nyamwange, J. (2016). Influence of students' Interest on Career Choice among First Year University Students in Public and Private Universities in Kisii County, Kenya. J. Educ. Pract. 7:7.

Oettingen, G., and Zosuls, C. (2006). “Culture and self-efficacy in adolescents,” in Self-Efficacy Beliefs of Adolescents , eds F. Pajeres and T. Urdan (Greenwich: Information Age Publishing), 245–265.

Polenova, E., Vedral, A., Brisson, L., and Zinn, L. (2018). Emerging between two worlds: a longitudinal study of career identity of students from Asian American immigrant families. Emerg. Adulthood . 6, 53–65. doi: 10.1177/2167696817696430

Porfeli, E. J., and Lee, B. (2012). Career development during childhood and adolescence. New Dir. Youth Dev . 2012, 11–22. doi: 10.1002/yd.20011

Risco, C. M., and Duffy, R. D. (2011). A Career Decision-making profile of latina/o incoming college students. J. Career Dev . 38, 237–255. doi: 10.1177/0894845310365852

Robertson, P. J. (2014). Health inequality and careers. Br. J. Guid. Counc. 42, 338–351. doi: 10.1080/03069885.2014.900660

Ryan, R. M., and Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: classic definitions and new directions. Contemp. Educ. Psychol . 25, 54–67. doi: 10.1006/ceps.1999.1020

Sawitri, D. R., and Creed, P. A. (2015). Perceived career congruence between adolescents and their parents as a moderator between goal orientation and career aspirations. Pers. Individ. Dif. 81, 29–34. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2014.12.061

Sawitri, D. R., and Creed, P. A. (2017). Collectivism and perceived congruence with parents as antecedents to career aspirations: a social cognitive perspective. J. Career Dev. 44, 530–543. doi: 10.1177/0894845316668576

Sawitri, D. R., Creed, P. A., and Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2014). Parental influences and adolescent career behaviours in a collectivist cultural setting. Int. J. Educ. Voc. Guid. 14, 161–180. doi: 10.1007/s10775-013-9247-x

Sawitri, D. R., Creed, P. A., and Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2015). Longitudinal relations of parental influences and adolescent career aspirations and actions in a collectivist society. J. Res. Adolesc. 25, 551–563. doi: 10.1111/jora.12145

Shin, Y.-J., and Kelly, K. R. (2013). Cross-cultural comparison of the effects of optimism, intrinsic motivation, and family relations on vocational identity. Career Dev. Q. 61, 141–160. doi: 10.1002/j.2161-0045.2013.00043.x

Shoffner, M. F., Newsome, D., Barrio Minton, C. A., and Wachter Morris, C. A. (2015). A Qualitative Exploration of the STEM career-related outcome expectations of young adolescents. J. Career Dev . 42, 102–116. doi: 10.1177/0894845314544033

Sinha, J. B. (ed.). (2014). “Collectivism and individualism,” in Psycho-Social Analysis of the Indian Mindset (New Delhi: Springer), 27–51.

Tao, D., Zhang, R., Lou, E., and Lalonde, R. N. (2018). The cultural shaping of career aspirations: acculturation and Chinese biculturals' career identity styles. Can. J. Behav. Sci. 50, 29–41. doi: 10.1037/cbs0000091

UNESCO (2017). Learning to Live Together: What Do We Mean by “Youth”? Available online at: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-%20%20%20sciences/themes/youth/youth-definition/ .

Wambu, G., Hutchison, B., and Pietrantoni, Z. (2017). Career decision-making and college and career access among recent African immigrant students. J. College Access . 3:17. Available online at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jca/vol3/iss2/6

Wu, L. T., Low, M. M., Tan, K. K., Lopez, V., and Liaw, S. Y. (2015). Why not nursing? A systematic review of factors influencing career choice among healthcare students. Int. Nurs. Rev. 62, 547–562. doi: 10.1111/inr.12220

Wüst, K., and Leko Šimić, M. (2017). Students' career preferences: intercultural study of Croatian and German students. Econ. Sociol. 10, 136–152. doi: 10.14254/2071-789X.2017/10-3/10

Yamashita, T., Youn, G., and Matsumoto, J. (1999). Career decision-making in college students: cross-cultural comparisons for Japan and Korea. Psychol Rep . 84(3 Part 2), 1143–1157. doi: 10.2466/pr0.1999.84.3c.1143

Zhang, L., Gowan, M. A., and Trevi-o, M. (2014). Cross-cultural correlates of career and parental role commitment. J. Manage Psychol . 29, 736–754. doi: 10.1108/JMP-11-2012-0336

Keywords: career choice, youths, collectivist culture, individualistic culture, cross-cultures

Citation: Akosah-Twumasi P, Emeto TI, Lindsay D, Tsey K and Malau-Aduli BS (2018) A Systematic Review of Factors That Influence Youths Career Choices—the Role of Culture. Front. Educ . 3:58. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2018.00058

Received: 31 January 2018; Accepted: 28 June 2018; Published: 19 July 2018.

Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2018 Akosah-Twumasi, Emeto, Lindsay, Tsey and Malau-Aduli. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Peter Akosah-Twumasi, [email protected]

Determinant Factors in Choosing a Career Essay

The ideal career choice, pragmatic career choices, personal opinion, works cited.

Making a career choice is, perhaps, one of the most difficult decisions that people are faced with in their lives. There are varieties of considerations that should be made before making a career choice. For instance, a person may want to choose a career that he/she has a passion for, but the career may not be rewarding moneywise.

On the other hand, a person may want to choose a career that is rewarding in terms of finances, but this may force his/her to do something that he/she does not love doing. This paper states the ideal career choice, the pragmatic career choice and takes a stand on how people should choose their careers.

The ideal career choice would indubitably be the case in which a person pursues something he/she really loves doing, and the same turns out to be financially rewarding. In most of these cases, the person actually has a natural flair for the stated career and thus he/she does not encounter major difficulties while working (Rides 1).

For instance, a person who is born with a natural flair for athletics would make a perfect career choice if he/she chooses athletics as a career, and it turns out to be lucrative. Another example would be a nerd with a flair for computer programming. If such a person chooses computer programming as a career and it turns out to be lucrative, he/she will have made an ideal career choice.

It is however, common knowledge that people do not always get financial benefit from doing the things they really love doing. There are many reasons behind this. The main one is unemployment, but there are other factors like lack of good career planning. To explain the latter, it would be unwise for an introvert to study a course in college that will lead to a career that involves public speaking.

Therefore, an introvert who studies political science or mass communication is likely to pursue unrelated careers even if he/she has a passion for political science or mass communication. Such kind of people, together with those who lack employment opportunities are therefore, forced to make more pragmatic career choices.

Most people make career choices that are not related to what they love doing, in other words, their passion. This has been fuelled by the high rate of unemployment world over that has seen people pursuing careers that are even unrelated to what they study in college. For instance, it is common to see an engineer working as a Human Resource Manager, a social scientist working as a journalist or even a teacher in an unrelated career.

This has been the result of unemployment because people indulge in careers that are unrelated to their subjects of study in college in order to make a living as they wait to get a perfect job. The sad reality is that some of these people wait for a lifetime to get these jobs.

On the other hand, people who stick to what they love doing oftentimes get frustrated. This is because it may take a year or two to get a job after college. After the long period of unemployment, one may get a job that is not worth writing home about. The job may have limited financial rewards and it may lack opportunities for growth (Rides 1). This has contributed to the occurrence of the aforementioned career-switches.

From the discussion above, it is clear that career choice should ideally be dictated by a person’s passion and natural talent. However, it is good to be dynamic in career choice in order to ensure that one balances life’s demands with passion. If one is able to secure a well-paying job related to what he/she loves doing, then that is okay. However, a person may be unable to secure a well-paying job that is related to his/her natural flair.

It will be wise for such a person to consider a career-switch into choices that are more rewarding, or even look for a rewarding temporary job while waiting to get the ideal job. However, this choice has a major limitation in that the person may not be satisfied in the job that he/she settles for.

This will obviously lead to stress and burnout that may even affect the quality of work that he/she delivers. Despite this, the main consideration when choosing a job or career path should be the financial benefits of the career/job.

From the above discussion, it is clear that financial considerations should be the determinant factor in choosing a career, in case a person is unable to get a well-paying job related to what he/she loves doing. If a person makes enough money doing available lucrative jobs, he/she can be able to do what he/she loves doing.

For instance, if he/she has a passion for charity work, he/she does not have to work for a charity foundation. One can make enough money from other jobs and start his charity foundation. An engineer may make enough money, while working as a Human Resource Manager, to start his/her engineering firm.

Rides, Dark. Tips on choosing the right career for you. 2009. Web.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2022, December 2). Determinant Factors in Choosing a Career. https://ivypanda.com/essays/career-choice-2/

"Determinant Factors in Choosing a Career." IvyPanda , 2 Dec. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/career-choice-2/.

IvyPanda . (2022) 'Determinant Factors in Choosing a Career'. 2 December.

IvyPanda . 2022. "Determinant Factors in Choosing a Career." December 2, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/career-choice-2/.

1. IvyPanda . "Determinant Factors in Choosing a Career." December 2, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/career-choice-2/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Determinant Factors in Choosing a Career." December 2, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/career-choice-2/.

• Introverts: Facts and Misconceptions
• The Ideal Career Choice
• Introverts’ Unique Needs and Habits
• Canadian Flair Bartender Gavin Macmillan, His Personality and Motivation
• "Caring for Your Introvert" by Jonathan Rauch
• Statement About Rauch’s “Caring for Your Introvert”
• "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in A World That Can’t Stop Talking” by Susan Cain
• The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
• Introversion in the context of personality
• Fair Care and Inclusion at Work for Introverts
• Effects of social-economic trends on suburbanization in Australia
• The Relationship Between IT and Economic Performance
• Should Students Have Part-Time Jobs? Essay
• Aspects of Global Poverty
• United Arab Emirates Economy

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Career Choice — Significant Factors in Making Career Choice

Significant Factors in Making Career Choice

• Categories: Career Career Choice

About this sample

Words: 1598 |

Published: May 24, 2022

Words: 1598 | Pages: 4 | 8 min read

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Verified writer

• Expert in: Life

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

2 pages / 771 words

2 pages / 790 words

2 pages / 1064 words

3 pages / 1434 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Career Choice

The decision to select a college major is a significant milestone in one's academic journey. This essay delves into the factors that have influenced my choice of major, emphasizing the role of personal interests, career goals, [...]

Working in childcare is not just a job; it's a vocation that fills my heart with joy and purpose every day. In this essay, I want to share the profound reasons why I love working in childcare, and how this profession has brought [...]

Why I want to be an accountant is a question that reflects the aspirations and motivations of many individuals drawn to the world of finance and numbers. This essay delves into the reasons behind the desire to become an [...]

Choosing a career path is a significant and deeply personal decision. For me, the path of becoming a Surgical Technologist, often referred to as a Surgical Tech, is not just a career choice; it's a calling. In this essay, I will [...]

Right from my childhood I am fascinated towards technology whichever communicates each other. Being a kid, I loved playing with the telephone lines in my home and unwittingly listen to my cousin” discussions with the help of [...]

All people deserve to change their life whenever they choose. The freedom of choice has not disappeared just because someone goes from making minimum wage to thousands of dollars a week. Teens are vulnerable at this time in [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free