1.1 Introduction
Career choice refers to the process whereby an individual makes up his mind in favour of a particular career or occupation at a given time after due consideration of other alternative careers. Choosing a career is not a trial and error exercise. It is a deliberate effort made at once. Choosing a career is like choosing a life partner in view of their implications for one’s happiness or otherwise in future. A career is an individual’s journey through learning, work and other aspects of life (Mba. 2015). Decision making concerning appropriate choice of career or occupation to take is the most critical problem facing students in secondary school system and young school leavers. According to Mba (2015), secondary school is one means of delivering Education to the adolescents and is an intermediate school between elementary school and college, usually offering general, technical, vocational, or college-preparatory courses. A student is someone attending an educational institution like any secondary school.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Career selection is one of many important choices students make in determining future plans. This decision will impact them throughout their lives because; the essence of who the student is revolves around what the student wants to do with their life-long work. Career selection has become a complex science with the advent of information technology, the emergence of post industrial revolution and job competition. At secondary school level, a student is expected to have knowledge of what he or she intends to do in the future, this in turn guides the choice of subjects the West African Certificate (WACE). Children are invariably initiated about their sex roles or sex identity by their parents. Parents initiated this role in the absence of career choice of their children thereby imposing a particular career on them. This stereotyping of roles affects the secondary school students on their choice of career (Anagbogu, 2012).
According to Obi (2011), he articulated that Napier opined that vocational guidance is the process by which all the various factors affecting individuals occupational choices are sorted out, weighted and brought into focus and by which, the young person is helped to make his choice on the full knowledge of the facts about his own potential to them; so vocational guidance was organized as a social service to assist young people in choosing their career. More so, most cultures have demarcated roles for boys and girls (Obi, 2021).
Initially career decision-making was culturally based where individuals are expected to choose career in line with their heritage or values from their ancestors. They took to occupations like palm-wine tapping, weaving, goldsmithing, fishing etc that are devoid of technical skills or knowledge. A right choice of career tends to lead one to a happy, progressive and fulfilled life while a wrong choice may lead to disappointment and frustration. This justifies the fact that a person’s career plays an important role in his life since his life is dependent on it.
Choice of career could be defined as selecting carefully between alternatives. Choice of career is an occupational decision making. Choice of career is very important in the life of any human being, especially among the secondary school leavers. This is because; career choice is geared towards specialization in the Sciences or Arts. Career can be referred to as the number of occupations, jobs and positions occupied throughout a person’s working life in a specific area developed over a period of time with the aim of reaching its apex after making invaluable contributions to the development of that choosing area at various levels posts or positions.
Career development is not static, but changes. Career decision determines to a very large extent the entire life style of the an individual, including: social status, value system, income, leisure time activities, choice of friends, mental or physical health, etcetera. It determines how satisfied or frustrated an individual will be in life. A career is more than a job. lt is a way of life especially when we consider an individual’s personal characteristics such as desires, interest, needs, goals, abilities, etc, and the social and physical condition of society. A person who merely moves from one job to another simply because of increasing salaries or fat pay packets has no career. On the other hand, a person who begins his life as a Nurse in the Hospital and finally becomes a Medical Doctor has a career. Therefore, an individual makes a career decision when he decides to enter into one type of work such as: Medicine, Engineering, etc, and progresses through it.
Careers produce professionals or experts. They do not make room for a Jack of all trades, but master of none. Without Education there can be no careers. Through Education, learners are exposed to subjects in the Sciences and Arts. These subjects are combined to make careers. Careers are achieved through subject areas taught in schools. Mathematics and English Language are needed in almost every career. They are very important, and should not be feared, but be embraced naturally. Most subjects are interwoven, and this makes learning flexible and enjoyable. A wide range of occupation is open to every person. The problem of choosing a career is mostly experienced in developing countries of the world. In developed countries, the child is free to pursue any course of his/her choice. The world choice and career are linked together because one cannot pursue a career without choosing a particular set of subjects in the senior secondary school leading to a career.
A career is said to cover the sequence of positions, jobs or occupations in the life of an individual that is his /her working life. It is the total pattern of jobs held during a workers lifetime. It can also be defined as the process of dynamic change, which embraces both the pre-occupational and post retirement years of the individual’s life in service. The layman could use the word career and occupation to mean the same thing. Occupation could be the individual’s main source of earning a leaving that is what he is engaged in at a particular time e.g. teaching, farming etc. One does not just engage himself in any activity or occupation in the name of attaining a goal, rather one has to choose certain subjects leading to pursuit of a career in which he/she is good at. Thus in choosing a career, one should take to that which he feels he is good at, for his/her own benefit and that of the society at large.
Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to investigate the Effect of Career Choice on Secondary School Students.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation revealed that most secondary school students are faced with the problem of choosing a career. This is due to mainly the lack of guidance and counseling services in the schools. They make choice on their own depending on the subject that is being offered and taught in school. There are other problems as a result of ignorance in choosing career; as a result students make many mistakes. Students overlook the advice of the professional counselor regarding career choice in the interest of economic and social changes in the society.
Students face the problem individual differences. They also face the problem of social changes. The problem of unemployment faced by the Nigerian school leavers, coupled with the economic uncertainties which is aggravated by inadequate career information and thus makes students to lack knowledge in making career choice.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to investigate the Effect of Career Choice on Secondary School Students. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To investigate the environmental factors that affect career choice among students in Oshimili Local Government Area;
- To examine the opportunity factors that affect career choice among students in Oshimili Local Government Area;
- To investigate the personality factors that affect career choice among students in Oshimili Local Government Area; and
- To determine the extent of the problems and proffer suggestions that will help the students in making valuable and meaningful choice of career rather than making a wrong choice determined outside their interest, capability and talent.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- Do the students’ aptitude, ability and interest determine their choice of career?
- Can peers and associates influence students’ choice of career?
- Does Guidance and counseling in schools determine students’ choice of career?
- Can the subjects studied in schools determine the students’ choice of career?
- What are the environmental factors that affect career choice among students in Oshimili Local Government Area?
- What are the opportunity factors that affect career choice among students in Oshimili Local Government Area?
- What are the personality factors that affect career choice among students in Oshimili Local Government Area?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: There is no significant difference in environmental factors affecting career choice among government and private secondary school students.
- H1: There is a significant difference in environmental factors affecting career choice among government and private secondary school students.
Hypothesis Two
- H0: There is no significant difference in opportunity factors affecting career choice among government and private secondary school students.
- H1: There is a significant difference in opportunity factors affecting career choice among government and private secondary school students.
Hypothesis Three
- H0: There is no significant difference in personality factors affecting career choice between government and private secondary school.
- H1: There is a significant difference in personality factors affecting career choice between government and private secondary school.
1.7 Significance of Study
This study will facilitate the act of making choice among many opportunities available, since it is aimed at looking at the problems the secondary school students face in making their choice of career. The result of this study will give an educationist an insight into the problem and also help counselors in guiding students to make a more realistic occupational choice, limiting frustrations and withdrawals.
The findings of this study will further assist the students in making the rightful choice of career and also help those students to lay good foundations for themselves in their field of interest, ability and talent that will invariably develop the child physically, intellectually and emotionally to become useful to him/herself and the society at large.
Lastly, the findings of this study will serve as reference material for students of education, the reading public and those who wish to conduct further research in this area.
1.8 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the Career Choice and it's Effect on Secondary School Students in Oshimili Local Government Area of Delta State.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this establishment to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.10 Definitions of Terms
Career: an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with opportunities for progress.
Choice: An act of choosing between two or more possibilities.
Effect: a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.
